NFL - NEWS & NOTES

One other note for the draft freaks out there (which is most of us) - former Colts second round safety T.J. Green joined Atlanta's practice squad last year. This year, the new Falcons coaching staff has been cross training him him at corner.

He's had three significant plays on defense as a CB in the second quarter of this game. He's turning it on and looks like he might be a legit NFL player after all.

 

There were a lot of positives on both teams. At the end of the day, it’s a preseason game. I don’t think we learned much. The Huntley kid runs hard though, I hope he makes the team.

 

Evan Engram suffers calf injury in Giants’ preseason finale



Giants coach Joe Judge decided to start several key players in today’s preseason finale, and that decision may come back to haunt him.

Evan Engram, the Giants’ first-string tight end, limped off the field and was quickly ruled out with what the team is calling a calf injury.

There’s no word on the severity of the injury, but injuries were already a concern at tight end because Kyle Rudolph has missed the entire preseason after foot surgery.

Last year Engram was Daniel Jones‘ favorite receiver; Engram was targeted on 109 passes, the most of any player on the Giants. It would be a major concern for the Giants if Engram has to miss significant time in the regular season.

PFT

 

Lawrence has 2 TDs in Jags’ 34-14 win over Cowboys


ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Trevor Lawrence completed 11 of 12 passes for 139 yards and two scores in three possessions against Dallas backups, and the Jaguars beat the Cowboys 34-14 in a preseason finale Sunday.

 

Jones pushing Newton for Pats QB, New England beats Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Mac Jones is really pushing Cam Newton for the New England Patriots’ starting job at quarterback.

Jones, the first-round draft pick from Alabama, threw a touchdown pass and led three scoring drives as the Patriots capped a perfect preseason with a 22-20 victory over the winless New York Giants on Sunday night.

After the game, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said a decision has not been made on a starting quarterback.

“We still have a lot of decisions to make,” he said.

This one certainly won’t be easy. Jones has gotten most of the action and hit 36 of 52 passes for 388 yards and a touchdown. Newton, the starter last year in the post Tom Brady era, was 14 of 21 for 162 yards, a touchdown and an interception on Sunday night.

Jones said he would be ready to play, whether as the starter or backup.

“I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities to play and I can improve on everything I want to improve on,” Jones said after leading three scoring drives. “There’s a lot of work to do, but I think I’ve made progress.”

 

I'm not sure what the Browns learned, as I know nothing about the needs of teams not located in Flowery Branch, GA. I do believe the Falcons coaches made absolutely sure they saw what they needed to see - for better or worse - to make this week's decisions.

The most amusing example of that came in Atlanta's very first offensive series. It came down to fourth down and less than a yard at the 46 yard line. For every other team, it's almost automatic that you go for it in a preseason game to practice a short yardage situation and evaluate your linemen and/or short yardage back.

But for Atlanta? Since it was the very first series, it was automatic that they punt. The Falcons had two guys competing for the punter job, and the higher priority was to get enough of a last look at both of them in game situations rather than practice to decide who wins the job.

(And I think they settled it with the third punt. After that they started going for it on fourth downs.)

 

Browns had a similar situation at the end of the half. They had a 57 yard FG in play, but had time to run another play and get it a little closer. Instead they ran the clock down to 3 seconds and kept it at 57 yards to test the leg of the backup(now starting) kicker, McLaughlin. Parkey went on IR/PUP. It was a perfect distance because it was a great kick but hit the top of the crossbar, now they know, he’s good for about 55 yards.

 

Saints practicing in Dallas after Hurricane Ida hits New Orleans; NFL monitoring home opener

Displaced by Hurricane Ida, which blew through New Orleans over the weekend, the Saints will spend the next few days in Dallas, practicing at AT&T Stadium.

Coach Sean Payton told reporters Monday that the plan is to practice in Dallas at least until Wednesday and then re-evaluate the situation, according to NFL Network's Jane Slater.

With the power knocked out for all of New Orleans after Ida devastated the region, the Saints will monitor the situation.

"I honestly think in the next three days that we'll know what our next step is," Payton said, per Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune. "We're pretty sure it's not going to be returning to Metairie anytime soon to start practices. I think that's unrealistic."

Payton noted that he's not aware of any damage to the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans or the team facility in Metairie.

The Saints are scheduled to host the Green Bay Packers to open the season in the late afternoon window (3:45 p.m. local time) on Sunday, Sept. 12. Payton said the team hasn't heard anything regarding whether the opener could be moved.

"Obviously, we'll have a Plan B," he said, per Duncan. "A lot of things from a priority standpoint are more important for our city. We fully anticipate starting the season with Green Bay and the question is where will it be at."

With 13 days before the opener, the NFL continues to monitor developments from the fallout of Hurricane Ida, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported.


The Saints canceled their final preseason game versus the Arizona Cardinals due to the storm, which had been scheduled to take place at the Superdome on Saturday. The club evacuated team personnel and their families to Dallas over the weekend.

Payton noted the difficulty of moving operations, particularly during cutdowns, but added "we've done it" before.

For now, the Saints will track the situation in the city and adjust as the week moves forward.

"It's prayers and safety. It's all the things that we want for our neighbors, our residents," Payton said.

NFL.com

 

56 yards.

 

amazing the weather seems to be changing ( it's weird )

 

I stand corrected

 

One other amusing thing from the broadcast last night was NBC going through the motions of showing the names and pictures of the players on each offense and defense at the start of the game. I'm hoping they were just doing it as their own dress rehearsal, having the production guys go through the motions of putting up the graphics just like they would in a regular season game.

Otherwise, what was the point? It was a joke. Everybody already knew the majority of the game would be played by deep reserves on both sides that were mainly trying to win the last roster spots or practice squad berths for their respective teams - or at least look good on film for the other 30 teams around the league.

To put it in perspective, for Atlanta's offense they skipped the QB spot since Matt Ryan wasn't playing and showed the other ten "starters" after the second play. Two of them were already off the field and done for the night even before NBC showed their names and pictures on screen - again, this was after just TWO plays by the offense. Five more called it a night 58 seconds later (no kidding, I timed it) - with NBC using half of that to show the pictures of Cleveland's defense.

The only three players pictured who did play a significant number of snaps for Atlanta's offense were backups/prospects. They were the former XFL lineman Willie Beavers, potential #3 RB Qadree Ollison (who didn't actually start the game) and reserve WR Christian Blake, who is battling just to hang on to his roster spot and won't see much action on offense in the regular season even if he makes the cut.

 

This is fun...

Tempers flare at Steelers practice as Chase Claypool, Minkah Fitzpatrick scrum



It was all the talk in Pittsburgh on Monday, with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin the only one not talking about the fight that broke out during practice. Tomlin feigned ignorance when asked about the brouhaha between receiver Chase Claypool and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

But Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports multiple players confirmed the fight.

“I think we’re still in that training camp mode where it’s that competitive edge. People are getting chippy,” Steelers defensive lineman Tyson Alualu said, via Batko. “I think it’s just part of the game. I don’t think it’s anything you have to look into. It’s part of the game. It’s part of football. But we understand we don’t want — especially our star players — we don’t want anyone getting hurt. We’ve got to be more smart.”

The team huddled post-practice, but Tomlin declined to discuss his message. Batko said it was about players being smart and making sure no one is injured.

Claypool and Fitzpatrick were not made available to the media following practice, and it is unclear what began the fracas.

“I just saw a big pile. I didn’t really see what went on,” Steelers left guard Kevin Dotson said. “You come out here and you’re pretty much fighting a person for two hours. Eventually, something might happen. That’s been happening since little league.”

Dotson said he thought it began with Claypool and Fitzpatrick, adding, “They’re two of our biggest competitors, so I kind of almost expect it to happen at least once.”

Tomlin wouldn’t even acknowledge a fight happened, saying he had “no idea” what a questioner was referring to when asking about the scuffle.

Judging by the reported chippiness at Monday’s workout, Steelers players apparently can’t wait to face the Bills on Sept. 12.

PFT

 

Lions cut wide receiver Breshad Perriman after guaranteeing $2M on contract

Oops!

 

Perriman, apparently, refused to bite kneecaps and chug energy drinks. Head coach was not pleased. This is based on my very real reporting, obviously.

 

Seahawks add depth at CB trading for Sidney Jones from Jags

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks added depth to their biggest position of concern, acquiring cornerback Sidney Jones IV from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday.

Seattle’s cornerback position has emerged as one of the biggest unknowns for the Seahawks heading into the season. Jones is returning to the town where he was a star in college at Washington.

Jacksonville is expected to receive a late-round draft pick in the deal.

The 25-year-old Jones was a first-team all-Pac-12 selection his final season at Washington as part of a standout secondary that included Budda Baker and Kevin King. But his professional career hit a major roadblock before it started.

Jones tore his Achilles tendon in his left leg during Washington’s Pro Day in 2017. He was still taken in the second round by Philadelphia, but played just 10 total games his first two seasons with the Eagles.

Jones started four of 12 games in 2019 for Philadelphia before getting cut by the Eagles prior to the start of last season. Jones signed with Jacksonville and appeared in nine games for the Jaguars with six starts. He finished last season with nine passes defensed, two interceptions and 26 tackles.

Seattle was enticed by the ball skills and instincts that made Jones a star in college. At 6-foot tall, he also fits the size profile Seattle has typically wanted in the past, but he’ll be joining an unsettled position group.

Expected starter D.J. Reed has missed time during training camp with a groin injury, but returned to practice last week. Ahkello Witherspoon signed a $4 million, one-year deal in the offseason but appeared to get shuffled down the depth chart with inconsistent performances in practice and preseason games.

Veterans Tre Flowers and Damarious Randall also have been mixed in as starters during the preseason. And rookie Tre Brown suffered a knee injury in the second preseason game, leading to Seattle acquiring John Reid from Houston last week.

 

Chandler Jones returns to Cardinals’ practice, Kliff Kingsbury says it’s “awesome” to see



Cardinals outside linebacker Chandler Jones was lost for the season with a torn biceps in Week Five last season, reportedly requested a trade this offseason, has been absent for training camp and the preseason with an undisclosed injury, and hasn’t talked to the media at all this year. But with the regular season about to start, Jones appears ready to go for the Cardinals.

Jones practiced yesterday for the first time in weeks, and coach Kliff Kingsbury said afterward that it was “awesome” to see him back on the field.

“He brings a lot of juice. We know what type of player he is. We’re hoping it’s a blessing in disguise for him, feeling fresh, feeling healthy going into game week,” Kingsbury said, via the Arizona Republic.

Cardinals General Manger Steve Keim said he has talked with Jones and his agent about his contract, which is apparently the reason Jones asked for a trade. But Keim didn’t sound extremely optimistic about a new deal getting done.

“Chandler is a guy we love, he has the respect of the guys in the locker room, and he’s a guy I personally would like to see finish as a Cardinal,” Keim said. “But you know how this business works. It’s not always that easy.”

Jones is reportedly healthy and in good shape, and from all indications he’s eager to have a strong 2021 season before he heads into free agency in 2022.

PFT

 

Patriots release Cam Newton

 

WOW!

 

Does it make sense for Chicago to go get Cam and replace Dalton? He has a similar skill set to Fields so they wouldn’t have to work multiple game plans. Cam is a QB that can run. Albeit, I’m not sure he is as talented as Justin Fields ceiling is.

Do they even have the cap room to do it? I’m not that familiar.