NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Dak Prescott exits injury report; Michael Gallup ruled out



Cowboys Nation held its breath Thursday when Dak Prescott left practice early with an ankle injury. The quarterback said it wasn’t a concern and showed it Friday with a full practice.

Prescott exited the practice report and is good to go for Sunday Night Football against the Buccaneers.


“I think he had some discomfort, but it was checked out thoroughly in every way that you can and no issues,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan on Friday, via Mark Lane of WFAA. “Certainly could have returned (because) we have got some really good on the spot testing and on the spot equipment that we can do out there, not only right there in our practice facility, but also steps away in our Baylor Medical Center. So, we were able to take a good look at it and got completely satisfied and he did, too, that there was nothing to it.”

The Cowboys ruled out receiver Michael Gallup (knee) as expected. They did not place him on injured reserve, so they obviously expect him to be available before Week 4.

Gallup, who tore his ACL in a Jan. 2 game and had surgery in February, had limited practices all week.

The Cowboys added safety Jayron Kearse to the injury report Friday. He did not practice with a neck injury.

Cornerback Jourdan Lewis (hamstring) exited the report.

PFT

 

Thats why they play the games. We will find out and i hope the best for the Falcons, especially since they are getting no respect and being over-looked. Hope they prove a lot a folks wrong.

 

George Kittle feeling better, “doing everything I can to be on the field Sunday”



San Francisco tight end George Kittle is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at Chicago, but he sounds optimistic about playing.

Kittle said on Friday that he has improved every day since suffering a groin injury on Monday and missing the rest of the week of practice.


“Feeling significantly better than where we were at Monday, even better than Wednesday, even better than Thursday,” Kittle said Friday after the injury report came out, via TheAthletic.com. “Taking great steps forward. Definitely doing everything I can to be on the field Sunday. I’ve had games in the past where I haven’t practiced all week and played. Hopefully, getting off the plane, I feel better tomorrow and [Sunday] and then I have an actual opportunity to be out there and play.”

Kittle is one of the most important players in the 49ers’ offense, and if he’s not able to go, that would be a big blow to quarterback Trey Lance. But Kittle appears to think he has a good chance of playing.

PFT

 

Week 1 injury report for 2022 NFL season


SAINTS

• OUT: RB Dwayne Washington (hamstring), WR Tre'Quan Smith (shoulder), CB Paulson Adebo (ankle)
• QUESTIONABLE: WR Michael Thomas (hamstring), OT Landon Young (hip), S J.T. Gray (hamstring), S Tyrann Mathieu (illness)

FALCONS

• QUESTIONABLE: WR Drake London (knee), CB Darren Hall (quad)

______________
___________________________

BROWNS

• OUT: Greedy Williams (hamstring)
• QUESTIONABLE: WR Michael Woods (hamstring), OT Jack Conklin (knee), OT Chris Hubbard (elbow)

PANTHERS

• QUESTIONABLE: LB Brandon Smith (thigh)

______________
____________________________

49ERS

• OUT: G Daniel Brunskill (hamstring)
• QUESTIONABLE: TE George Kittle (groin)

BEARS

• DOUBTFUL: WR Velus Jones (hamstring)
• QUESTIONABLE: DL Dominique Robinson (knee)

_______________
_________________________

STEELERS

• N/A

BENGALS

• OUT: TE Devin Asiasi (quad)
• QUESTIONABLE: WR Trent Taylor (hamstring), TE Mitchell Wilcox (ankle)

____________
_________________________

EAGLES

• N/A

LIONS

• OUT: G Tommy Kraemer (back), DL Levi Onwuzurike (back)
• DOUBTFUL: S Ifeatu Melifonwu (hamstring)
• QUESTIONABLE: C Frank Ragnow (groin), LB Julian Okwara (hamstring)

_______________
____________________________

COLTS

• OUT: LB Shaquille Leonard (back)
• QUESTIONABLE: OT Dennis Kelly (knee)

TEXANS

• DOUBTFUL: DL Mario Addison (thigh)
• QUESTIONABLE: DL Rasheem Green (thigh)

______________
____________________________

PATRIOTS

• QUESTIONABLE: WR Jakobi Meyers (knee), WR Ty Montgomery (knee), OT Isaiah Wynn (back) CB Shaun Wade (ankle), S Joshuah Bledsoe (groin)

DOLPHINS

• QUESTIONABLE: RB Salvon Ahmed (heel), TE Tanner Conner (knee), DT Raekwon Davis (knee), LB Andrew Van Ginkel (not injury related), S Eric Rowe (pectoral)

____________
________________________

RAVENS

• OUT: DT Travis Jones (knee)
• DOUBTFUL: OT Ronnie Stanley (ankle)
• QUESTIONABLE: RB J.K. Dobbins (knee), CB Marcus Peters (knee)

JETS

• OUT: QB Zach Wilson (knee), OL Duane Brown (shoulder)
• QUESTIONABLE: OL George Fant (knee), OL Conor McDermott (ankle), DB Justin Hardee (calf), DB DJ Reed (knee)

______________
________________________

CHIEFS

• N/A

CARDINALS

• OUT: WR Rondale Moore (hamstring), OL Cody Ford (ankle), CB Trayvon Mullen (toe)
• QUESTIONABLE: TE Zach Ertz (calf), OL Justin Pugh (neck), DE J.J. Watt (calf), CB Byron Murphy (illness)

________________
_____________________________

RAIDERS

• N/A

CHARGERS

• DOUBTFUL: TE Donald Parham (hamstring), CB J.C. Jackson (ankle)
• QUESTIONABLE: LB Drue Tranquill (back)

____________
________________________

PACKERS

• DOUBTFUL: Allen Lazard (ankle)
• QUESTIONABLE: OT David Bakhtiari (knee), OL Elgton Jenkins (pectoral/knee)

VIKINGS

• QUESTIONABLE: DL Jonathan Bullard (biceps), DB Lewis Cine (knee)

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______________________

BUCCANEERS

• OUT: CB Zyon McCollum (hamstring)
• QUESTIONABLE: WR Russell Gage (hamstring), WR Chris Godwin (knee)

COWBOYS

• OUT: WR Michael Gallup (knee)
• QUESTIONABLE: S Jayron Kearse (neck)

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____________________

I may have missed a game or two, but this is the latest. Per; NFL.com

 

I'm not expecting miracles. I'm just not on board with the universal idea that Atlanta is already on the clock for the #1 pick. If a few more key players get hurt (the defensive line has already been ravaged), that will happen. I just don't think you can look at last year's team and project anything - good or bad - for this year based on last year's stats and rankings when the starting lineup is almost completely different.



It's actually the other articles that surprise me and bug me a bit - the ones overlooking the early years of the Saints and Falcons and the goofiness of the early divisions pre-merger and post-merger.


The part that is typically forgotten is that the merger was announced in June 1966. The NFL's Falcons and AFL's Dolphins already existed but had yet to play their first games. The terms of the merger deal promised two more teams before 1970 (Saints and Bengals) and then two more teams in 1970 or as soon as possible thereafter to bring the merged league total to 28 teams. This was a commitment the two leagues made to get the antitrust exemption that allowed the merger to happen, so moving to 26 and then 28 teams was a certainty even in 1966.

That should have made it clear that sticking with four groupings of six or seven teams post-merger would be the ideal way to go. Instead, the NFL decided to split its own two conferences into four divisions even in 1967. And the way the NFL went about it was just plain stupid. The incredible marketing idea was to have all of the division names begin with "C". (This was two years before Sesame Street came along, so it didn't get the full ridicule that it deserved.)

Naturally the two newest teams got jerked around, thrown in wherever it was convenient to round out the field. So you ended up with a "Capitol" division featuring Dallas, Washington, Philadelphia, and ... the Saints??? One explanation for this is that the league hoped to establish Dallas vs New Orleans as a big division rivalry. A better explanation is that LSD was still legal in 1967.

Meanwhile, Atlanta got moved from the Eastern conference to the Western conference to round out the "Coastal" division. Note that Atlanta is a five hour drive from either the Georgia coast or the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. Calling it coastal is like calling Las Vegas coastal - not even close. But with the Central division (the one they got right) comprising Green Bay, Minnesota, Chicago and Detroit and the new "Century" division putting the Steelers and Browns together with the Cardinals and Giants (yes, this actually happened), that left Baltimore, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the fledgling Atlanta team to form the last division. "Leftovers" doesn't begin with the letter "C", so the best they could do was Coastal.

San Francisco vs Los Angeles were "obvious" division rivals even though they're 380 miles apart - no other NFL teams were within 1000 miles of either of them. But trying to set up Baltimore and Atlanta as divisional rivals? Seriously??

The even crazier thing was that when the leagues did combine in 1970, they stuck with six total groupings rather than four even though they had to ship three NFL teams over to the new AFC to make it happen. That resulted in Baltimore moving to the AFC and New Orleans getting thrown in with Atlanta to be the doormats for the 49ers and Rams.

The only saving grace was that Sesame Street had hit the airwaves by then, helping the NFL understand that C is for cookie rather than football divisions. So the NFL went with bad geography instead. The Capitol division became the "NFC East" even though it included St. Louis (moving from the Century division) and Dallas. And the Coastal division became the "NFC West" even though half the division was in the Eastern and Central time zones.

For football fans, the one positive about the 1967 divisions is that it created the divisional rivalries between Dallas and both the Eagles and Redskins. But even then, calling those "traditional" rivalries would have been a huge overstatement. Dallas had only won the Eastern Conference for the very first time in 1966, the year before the conference was split into the Century and Capitol divisions. Splitting the Cowboys off wouldn't have been a big deal then - especially since the league had the chance to create a whole lot of other rivalries (including for Dallas) that would have been a lot closer to home for fans of those teams.

Here's one example of what might have been the 26-team league in the 1970s:

East Conference: Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, New York Jets, Boston Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Baltimore Colts
North Conference: Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals
South Conference: Dallas Cowboys, Houston Oilers, St. Louis Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, future expansion team (Memphis, Nashville and Tampa were candidates)
West Conference: Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, future expansion team (Portland and Seattle were candidates)

 

Raiders sign TE Darren Waller to three-year, $51 million extension

Darren Waller arrived to Raiders training camp seeking a new contract with the club. The dynamic tight end got his wish on the eve of the 2022 season.

The Raiders are signing Waller to a three-year, $51 million contract extension, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday, per a source. The team has since announced the news.

NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reports that Waller's new contract earns him $19.25 million fully guaranteed at signing, and has a base value of $25 million over the next two seasons, including a $2.55 million in active roster bonuses. Pelissero adds that the rest of the deal is non-guaranteed with Waller earning $12 million in 2024, $13 million in 2025 and $15 million in 2026. Waller also has a $250,000 Pro Bowl incentive in each year, per Pelissero.

Waller materialized into a premier TE since becoming a full-time starter with the Raiders in 2019, and gets properly compensated ahead of his seventh NFL season after overplaying his contract.

"Darren Waller is an exemplary teammate in every way, and we're excited to see him continue to grow as a leader on this team," said Raiders coach Josh McDaniels, via the team website. "Darren brings a tremendous commitment and work ethic to the building every day and we couldn't be more thrilled that he will be a part of the Raiders Family for years to come."

While his emergence came during the 2019 season (led team with 90 receptions, 1,145 receiving yards), Waller's play-making skill set was fully realized in 2020 after producing 107 receptions (franchise-record) for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns in what was his first Pro Bowl season. The two-year stretch made Waller just the second TE in Raiders history (Todd Christensen) to record at least 1,000 yards receiving in consecutive seasons.

With a couple of injuries limiting his 2021 season to 11 games, Waller still produced 55 receptions for 665 yards and two TDs. He managed to return in time for the Raiders' playoff run in 2021 and made an impact with seven catches for 76 yards in the Super Wild Card Round defeat to Cincinnati.


Waller's 252 receptions and 3,006 receiving yards since 2019 are second among all TEs behind Travis Kelce. A matchup nightmare for opposing defenders, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Waller provides great value to a Raiders offense that likes to air it out with Derek Carr at the helm. Las Vegas ensured that connection will remain for the foreseeable future after locking both players to extensions ahead of the 2022 season.

Waller, who turns 30 on Sept. 13, finally gets a well-earned pay raise and adds another successful chapter to his inspiring comeback story.

NFL.com

 

@Torgo

Firkser was elevated today... Abdullah Anderson, cut.

 

The surprise for me is that they didn't do it that way at the roster cut deadline. Firkser was clearly the best choice they had for the #2 TE role, with Hesse as #3 and doubling as a fullback. Anderson impressed me as a prospect, but I didn't have him pegged to make the initial roster.

But then, I pictured the team picking up one more veteran for the defensive line - and perhaps even two - by week two. So far I've been wrong on that one. Dean Pees seems content to go with the youngsters.

 

Report: George Kittle is not expected to play on Sunday



New 49ers quarterback Trey Lance will have one fewer weapon available in his debut as the full-time starter.

Tight end George Kittle is expected to miss the regular-season opener at Chicago with a groin injury, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.


Kittle, listed as questionable, had been healthy through training camp and the preseason. The injury first surfaced on Monday. He didn’t practice on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.

Based on the team’s unofficial depth chart, Charlie Woerner slides into the starting lineup. Ross Dwelley moves up to No. 2.

Woerner, a sixth-round pick in 2020, has appeared in 33 regular-season games. He started three times in 2021. He has eight career catches, for 88 yards.

PFT

 

Quenton Nelson gets four-year, $80 million extension



On the eve of the Colts’ season opener, Quenton Nelson has become the highest-paid offensive guard in football.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports the Colts and Nelson have agreed to terms on a four-year, $80 million extension that includes $60 million in guarantees.


Brandon Scherff‘s $16.5 million average previously topped all guards in annual average, and Joe Thuney previously had the most guaranteed money at $46.89 million.

Nelson was scheduled to make $13.75 million in 2022 on his fifth-year option.

He has made four Pro Bowls in four seasons, and last season, when he missed four games with injury, was the first he didn’t make the All-Pro team.

PFT

 

Robert Woods ready to go in his return from ACL surgery



Robert Woods last played a game on Nov. 7 against the Titans, catching seven passes for 98 yards. Woods now plays for the Titans.

Woods tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a Nov. 12 practice, the same week the Rams signed Odell Beckham Jr. In March, the Rams dealt Woods to the Titans after signing Allen Robinson.


Woods will make his debut with the Titans on Sunday, having fully recovered from his knee surgery.

He played five snaps in the third preseason game, catching one pass for 3 yards.

“Having a little taste in that Arizona preseason game, having that first catch and really just running around and having game experience, feeling that quickness, feeling ready, being able to get my hands on the ball,” Woods said, via Jim Wyatt of the team website. “It was kind of that solidification that I am feeling ready, feeling quick, and ready to do it for the season.”

The Titans are counting on Woods to help replace A.J. Brown, who the team traded to the Eagles.

Woods, a second-round selection of the Bills in 2013, has 570 receptions for 7,077 yards with 35 touchdowns.

PFT

 

Meanwhile; In news you cant use...

Le'Veon Bell KO's Adrian Peterson in exhibition boxing match between former All-Pro backs

In a battle of former All-Pro running backs inside the boxing ring Saturday night, there was little in the way of significant shots landed for 8 minutes and 21 seconds.

Then Le'Veon Bell connected with a crushing overhand right to stop Adrian Peterson via technical knockout in the fifth round of a heavyweight exhibition boxing bout on the Social Gloves 2 card at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.

Bell came out in the fifth with his hands low as he had for much of the bout. He feinted a right hand, pulled it back and then unleashed the fury with a scintillating overhand right that connected savagely with Peterson's chin. Peterson's right knee buckled under him and he rolled over on his backside before getting to his feet. The official stopped the fight and Peterson protested, but his legs were wobbled and his eyes glassy.

The end came in the fifth and final round of a bout that was contested with two-minute rounds (men's professional boxing rounds are fought with three-minute rounds).

Originally scheduled for July 30 at the Crypto.com Arena, also in L.A., the Social Gloves 2 card, along with the Bell-Peterson showdown, was postponed when the main event between YouTube stars AnEsonGib and Austin McBroom fell through.

The 30-year-old Bell, a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro for the Pittsburgh Steelers before playing for four other teams across the previous three seasons, had said in the lead-in to the fight that he would not play football this season, deciding to focus solely on boxing. He flashed the better footwork on Saturday and the one, big punch of the bout to stop Peterson, 37.

Peterson, a surefire future Pro Football Hall of Famer with four All-Pros and an AP NFL Most Valuable Player to his credit, played in 2021 with the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks. He starred for 10 years with the Minnesota Vikings to begin his career. Bell spent 2021 in limited action with the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

At the onset of the bout, Bell and Peterson were each heavy on posturing and finding range behind jabs. There was little in terms of action or punches landed.


In the second round, Peterson proved to be the more stationary target and worked behind a more conventional stance, while Bell worked with his hands down and was reaching. Peterson used a jab to send Bell to the canvas, but it wasn't ruled a knockdown because the official appeared to believe Bell's foot was stepped on. Replays showed it was a clean jab to the body and an off-balance Bell was sent down briefly, though he definitely wasn't hurt by the punch. Bell looked for openings and Peterson briefly changed to a southpaw stance, but, again, neither was all that active.

The third round saw more punches thrown than either of the previous two, but Bell and Peterson continued to work on the outside, neither looking to engage or get inside. Bell did begin to throw some overhand rights, which was a foreshadowing of what was to come.

The fourth round followed the script of the previous three as punches of significance were rare. Bell's confidence looked to be rising, though, as he worked closer inside Peterson's range and began to throw more power punches – even if they weren't connecting.

Twenty-two seconds into the fifth, Bell landed the first and last punch of any significance and it was devastating.

Though Bell prevailed, neither fighter looked all that impressive, but in fairness it was their first forays in the ring. With celebrity boxing bouts still prevalent, Bell has a highlight-reel TKO to go forward with. Perhaps a showdown with another ex-NFL running back awaits as Frank Gore is 1-0 as a pro boxer.

On the eve of the 2022 NFL season's first Sunday, a pair of superstar RBs debuted in the boxing ring and it was Bell who ended the evening in celebration on the turnbuckle with his arms raised in triumph.

NFL.com

 

Michael Thomas, Drake London are expected to play Sunday



The wait for Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas to return to action is expected to end on Sunday.

Thomas was listed as questionable on Friday because of a hamstring injury he picked up while working his way back from the ankle injury that kept him out of action all of last season, but he has been practicing with the team this week. According to multiple reports, Thomas is also expected to play against the Falcons in the season opener.


New Orleans will also have quarterback Jameis Winston back in the lineup after last season’s torn ACL and the hope around the team is that the two returning players jolt the offense to life after a slow finish to the 2021 season.

The Falcons also listed a wideout as questionable on Friday. First-round pick Drake London has been dealing with a knee injury since the team’s first preseason game, but reports indicate that he will be making his NFL debut against the Falcons’ NFC South rivals.

PFT

 

Packers likely without starting offensive tackles David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins today



The Packers are expected to open their season without both of their starting offensive tackles today.

Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari and right tackle Elgton Jenkins are both unlikely to play in today’s game against the Vikings, according to NFL Network.


Bakhtiari was listed as questionable with the knee injury that caused him to miss almost all of last season, while Jenkins was listed as questionable with a knee injury as well as a pectoral injury.

Packers receiver Allen Lazard is unlikely to play today with an ankle injury, so Aaron Rodgers will be playing with a severely depleted offense.

PFT
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The purple are coming to get you Aaron!

 

Now I have to hope that those Band-Aids' stick for another week or two.

 

Thomas and London both played well.

Falcons had that one in hand and then showed why they're the Falcons. I was impressed by the way Jameis came through as soon as Atlanta went to that softer zone coverage. It was like he suddenly became a completely different quarterback when he had time to read the defense.

Hopefully Dean Pees will rip that section out of the defensive playbook. It looked almost like he was playing prevent defense.

 

I thought you guys won that game. You let the saints off the hook.

 

Have to agree. I thought all was lost.

 

Scoring 17 in the 4th quarter is quite a feat. It's tough when it happens against your team though.

 

Wow... what a way to start the season!