NFL - NEWS & NOTES

He aught to get some jail time. The perp, not Wagner. Although Wagner was kinda soft on him.

 

David Montgomery returns to practice



Bears running back David Montgomery got back on the practice field Thursday.

Montgomery has been out of action since hurting his ankle in Week Three, but he took a step back toward the lineup by participating in practice. Montgomery will be listed as limited on the team’s injury report and Friday’s activity level should provide some hint about the chances he will play against the Vikings on Sunday.


Montgomery ran 35 times for 149 yards and caught five passes for 38 yards before getting hurt. Khalil Herbert has been the lead back in Montgomery’s absence and has run 32 times for 234 yards the last two weeks.

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson (quad), defensive back Dane Cruikshank (hamstring), and linebacker Sterling Weatherford (illness) all missed practice Thursday. Tight end Ryan Griffin (Achilles) and defensive tackle Justin Jones (hip) joined Montgomery as limited participants.

PFT

 

Tyreek Hill added to injury report as limited participant Thursday



The Dolphins made a significant addition to their injury report on Thursday.

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill is on the report as a limited participant. A quad injury is cited as the reason why Hill has popped up on the injury report for the first time this season.


Hill’s status will be updated on Friday when the Dolphins practice and issue injury designations for Sunday.

Jaylen Waddle was also limited on Thursday, although that listing is a case of a wideout moving in the right direction. He was out of practice with a groin injury on Wednesday.

Cornerback Xavien Howard (groin), left tackle Terron Armstead (toe), tight end Cethan Carter (concussion), defensive back Keion Crossen (glute, shoulder), offensive lineman Robert Jones (back), and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) all missed a second straight day of practice. Tagovailoa has already been ruled out for this weekend.

Running back Salvon Ahmed (back) was also added to the list as a limited participant.

PFT

 

Just an utterly stupid, random musing while I listen to a lethally boring conference call...

I posted something a while back about the weird (and dumb) way the NFL divided itself into divisions ahead of the AFL merger. It would have made a lot more sense back then to stick with four total groupings of six/seven teams. But they messed it up pretty badly, to the point that eventually going to 8 divisions of 4 teams became a no-brainer.

Here's the random musing... instead of 8 groupings of 4 teams, imagine having 4 groupings of 8 teams.

What prompted this "what if" is the new 17-game regular season. I don't like it because each year some teams have more home games than others. I'd rather go back to 16 games, add an extra bye week to get the extra regular season broadcasts, and perhaps expand the postseason to get a few extra "premium" broadcast games in.

But if they insist on 17 games for the regular season, that's an opportunity to revisit the idea of 8-team conferences. The schedule would be home and away against each of the seven conference rivals plus one game against a team in each of the other three conferences (based on the previous year's standings).

The fun is to imagine the new rivalries that could be created.

The way I'd do it is to merge the two West divisions, the two North divisions etc with the exception of three teams rotating places. I'd take Indianapolis out of the South and put them in the North, bumping Baltimore to the East and in turn bumping Miami to the South. (My guess is that Jerry Jones would be dead set against it if Dallas left the East, which would work out perfectly. But if he wanted to join the South, the Cowboys could be the team that moves rather than the Dolphins. That's the way it really should have been done in the 1960s.)

So... Indianapolis plays Cincinnati and Chicago twice a year. Baltimore gets Washington and Philadelphia. The three Florida teams get each other. Arizona gets Las Vegas and Denver. Tennessee gets Carolina, Atlanta and New Orleans, while Atlanta and Carolina also get Jacksonville and New Orleans gets Houston. The Chargers get the Rams and 49ers. The Bills, Jets and Patriots get the Eagles and the Giants.

The most fun of all might be having the Packers, Bears and Vikings playing the Steelers, Bengals and Browns on a regular basis. And if Jerry was willing to flip to the South, you'd have Dallas, Houston, Tennessee and New Orleans grouped together as new rivals.

It won't happen, but it's an amusing thought to pass the time while someone at the state dept of health drones endlessly about upcoming regulatory changes in health care data reporting...

 

I remember the old AFCC division had the Steelers, bengals, ravens, Browns, Titans, jaguars and Texans. The only division with 7 teams

 

Crazy to think the 1966 NFL Eastern conference had 8 teams - Pittsburgh and Cleveland were in the same conference with the brand new expansion Falcons, the Giants, Cowboys, Eagles, Cardinals and Redskins.

 

Wagner didn't leave him a leg to stand on in the complaint.

 

Wonder if he will also sue Bobby?

 

Kyle Pitts has been out of practice for ATL this week, with Cordarelle Patterson going on IR. Meanwhile, nearly the entire Tampa WR group has been limited in practice so far this week with knee and hamstring issues. Tom Brady missed Wednesday but returned to full participation today.

So both teams will have problems finding healthy people to catch passes. This one is shaping up to be the must-miss game of the weekend.

 

Oops... Latavius is out for tonight... couldnt learn the offense in that short period of time after playing in London last Sunday.

 

Thursday Night Football: Colts beat Broncos 12-9 in ugly overtime affair



The Colts beat the Broncos 12-9 in overtime in Thursday Night Football.

It was even uglier than the score might indicate.


The teams combined for no touchdowns, seven field goals, a blocked field goal, 681 yards, 15 penalties, 12 punts, six fumbles (though none were lost), four interceptions and 10 sacks. They were a combined 0-for-6 in the red zone.

Colts kicker Chase McLaughlin made a 31-yard field goal with five seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie it and then was good on a 47-yarder with 5:50 left in overtime to give the Colts their first lead of the night.

After the Colts kicked off following their OT field goal, Russell Wilson completed back-to-back passes of 24 and 37 yards to Melvin Gordon and Jerry Jeudy to get the Broncos to the Indianapolis 14. Three Gordon runs set up fourth-and-one. After timeouts by both teams, Wilson threw incomplete in the end zone on a pass that was intended for Courtland Sutton but broken up by Stephon Gilmore.

It was a perfect ending to an imperfect game

Many Broncos fans were so disgusted they left at the end of regulation, not waiting around for overtime.

Wilson completed 21 of 39 passes for 274 yards and two interceptions. Sutton had five catches for 74 yards and Gordon had 18 touches for 103 yards.

One of Wilson’s interceptions came with the Broncos facing a third-and-four at the Indianapolis 13 with 2:19 remaining. They led 9-6 when Wilson tried to hit Tyrie Cleveland in the end zone, and Gilmore picked him.

That provided the Colts with plenty of time to drive 67 yards in 10 plays to set up the game-tying field goal.

Matt Ryan went 26-of-41 for 251 yards and two interceptions. Third-string running back Deon Jackson had 17 touches for 91 yards and Alec Pierce caught eight passes for 81 yards.

The Colts improved to 2-2-1, while the Broncos fell to 2-3.

PFT

 

Report: Garrett Bolles has a broken right leg



Thursday night’s game may have had more total injuries than points. One of them will affect the Broncos for weeks to come.

Via Mike Klis of 9News.com, Broncos left tackle Garrett Bolles suffered a broken right leg during the loss to the Colts.


According to Klis, further testing will determine the severity of the fracture. The best-case scenario is that he’ll be back in six weeks. The Broncos, however, fear that he could miss more time than that.

Calvin Anderson is the backup to Bolles. Undrafted in 2019, he has appeared in 31 games with five starts for the Broncos since 2020.

PFT

 

Reminder for anyone who doesn't do Amazon and actually wants to see that Colts-Broncos game... the Thursday night games do get rebroadcast on NFL-N. It was on twice overnight and will air again this afternoon on NFL-N at 3pm Eastern.

 

Spoiler alert: Don't bother.

 

Go watch the leaves change color might be more exciting

 

Yup... it really was THAT bad...

Local Denver station apologizes to viewers after brutal Broncos-Colts game: 'It burns the retinas'

 

It's official now... Kyle Pitts is OUT.

Atlanta will be going up against Tampa without their #1 RB, #2 RB and their star TE.

 

How hot is Matt Rhule’s seat?



As the Panthers face the strong possibility of 1-3 start becoming a 1-6 hole (the 49ers, Rams, and Bucs are the next three opponents), it’s time to pay close attention to the tenure of coach Matt Rhule.

Rhule was arguably saved by his buyout after a substandard second season. As his third year as an NFL head coach begins to crumble, will owner David Tepper dump Rhule during the season or wait until it ends?


Here’s a reason to do it sooner than later. If Rhule lands a job in the coming NCAA hiring cycle, the Panthers would get a dollar-for-dollar credit as to any remaining buyout. If Tepper keeps Rhule until after the season, the college jobs might be filled.

Rhule signed a seven-year, $62 million contract after the 2020 season. It’s unclear how much of the contract remains guaranteed.

If Rhule is fired during the season, it’s unclear who would take over as the interim coach. Both offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo and defensive passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Steve Wilks have prior head-coaching experience. Wilks has a current lawsuit against the NFL and the Cardinals; that fact, however, should not be held against him.

The Panthers have a late bye, in Week 13. Their short-week game happens on November 10 against the Falcons, giving them a mini-bye before facing the Ravens.

PFT

 

I kinda doubt Rhule or any coach gets fired during the regular season... seems like it something done when the dust settles, but it sure isnt fare for the team or its fans.

 

Commanders will add Brian Robinson to active roster today

Six weeks ago tomorrow, Commanders running back Brian Robinson was shot multiple times. Today, he’ll return to the team’s active roster.

Three days after opening the 21-day practice window, Robinson will join the 53-man roster before the Week Five game against the Titans.


The next question is whether he’ll be on the 46-man game day roster, and then whether he’ll play against Tennessee. Given where he currently is, there’s no reason to think he won’t be ready and able to go.

It’s truly an amazing story. Robinson was shot multiple times, with a bullet passing through his knee without doing any significant damage to it.

The third-round pick from Alabama had won the starting job before the August 28 incident.

PFT