NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Jets trade Mecole Hardman back to Kansas City

After catching one pass in five games with the Jets, wide receiver Mecole Hardman is heading back to the Chiefs.

The Jets have told Hardman they are trading him to the Chiefs, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Jets and Chiefs will swap late-round 2025 draft picks to get the deal done.

Hardman was a second-round pick of the Chiefs in 2019 and played four years for them before signing a one-year, $4 million contract with the Jets this offseason. He did next to nothing with the Jets, playing just 28 snaps on offense and two on special teams and only touching the ball once.

The Chiefs will always have a good passing game as long as they have Patrick Mahomes, but their wide receivers haven’t played well this year, and Hardman should help.

In four seasons with the Chiefs, Hardman caught 152 passes for 2,094 yards and 16 touchdowns.

PFT
_________
___________________

He's been basically invisible. Maybe in KC he and Mahomes can get to clicking.

 

Here's the thing, everyone knows I'm not a fan of Watson. That aside, He does NOT need to be a savior to get this team into a good playoff position. This team is built to not beat itself. As long as he plays reliably, that is really all that is needed. I love what PJ did Sunday, but he still can't do what Watson can do. If he would play like PJ though and not listen to the outside world talking about how HE is failing because he isn't playing like a top 5 QB, then the team would excel. I hope he has it in him, but I just don't think he has the leadership gene. For that reason, I wouldn't mind if he stays "injured" for a couple of more games, just to see how the team responds with PJ getting more reps. Then if he wants to "get healthy" and be ready to lead the team when the playoff race isn't in doubt, by all means. I think he just succumbs to pressure, but I haven't watched enough to make a final decision on him. My personal opinion is, he had this contusion (bruise) and it saw the Ravens and 49ers on the schedule and he was scared. OR, he just has a low tolerance for pain... Either is true and he isn't going to go far in the NFL.

Honestly, that is why I am so excited over what happened last weekend... The Browns came into the game being bitten by the injury bug.. No starting QB (actually 3rd string started), No starting RB (By all accounts one of the premier backs in the entire league), No starting LG (Bitonio has been collecting accolades since he entered the league), No starting RT (Jack Conklin has been injury prone and we have had to deal with a revolving door in the past, but when healthy, he's one of the best in the league)

What we saw was a defensive coached game like we haven't seen in decades... Schwartz is the real deal. We have GREAT players on that side of the ball, but we have had some pretty great players in the past and the coaches didn't know how to use them properly. We are seeing a team that is doing things that haven't been done in 50 years... That's special

We are also seeing young players step up when needed... Our Mountain Man, Dawand Jones... No one knew what to expect when Conklin went down. All Dawand Jones did was step in front of the reigning DPY and handled him all day long. He might have known a few tells after playing with him at tOSU, but what ever he knew, the coaches had confidence and he was on an island. Very few times did they scheme to double team or try too many complicated things to keep him at bay.. Jones simply stepped up and did his job well. He's part of the reason the Browns enjoyed a 6 minute advantage in time of possession. They sustained multiple drives, despite having two turnovers, and were able to keep the 49ers defense on the field a little longer than their own.

 

Jones held up good in every game he played so far, although TJ schooled him a few times. I actually wish the Steelers would have picked him along with Brodrick Jones and replaced both tackles.

 

I totally agree, thats why I said, 'good'. Good and consistent would go a long way. Im not sure personally if Watson will ever have the kind of success he had in Houston, but if he was just there and steady behind center, it could be and should be more than enough for the Browns to really excel. And I agree on PJ. You put any QB at offense that doesnt turn the ball over on this Browns team and you have something because of a balance that would occur with rock solid defensive play. The way things look as of right now, PJ will be the guy this weekend again. Im tuning in for sure.

 

Personally and in my opinion, Im not even close to being a Watson fan, but I sure as hell would like for him to succeed when he is playing, just for the Browns as a teams sake.

 

Mike McDaniel on Dolphins’ offense: I’ve never seen anyone do what our guys do



Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is putting up MVP numbers in Miami this season, but not everyone thinks Tagovailoa is really the reason the Dolphins’ offense goes. Coach Mike McDaniel was not happy about it when he was asked whether his own scheme, and the talent the Dolphins have around Tagovailoa has more to do with the Dolphins’ success.

Asked if many quarterbacks could do what Tagovailoa is doing in the Dolphins’ offense, McDaniel began his answer with, “I’m about to push this podium over.”

McDaniel then said that whether it’s Tagovailoa or Tyreek Hill or McDaniel himself who deserves most of the credit doesn’t matter, because they’re all working together to have a great offense.

“My answer to that would be who the F cares? Because it is a team, we’re working together, and I know one thing: I’ve coached a long time, I haven’t seen people do what our guys do,” McDaniel said. “As a teammate we’re all dependent on each other and I’m not in any hurry to prove myself without those guys because they’re part of who we are. To try to say it’s this person or that person is missing the point. It’s a team working together, people working together. Myself, Tyreek Hill, Tua, cool. What if no one’s blocking? You know what I mean? We’re all connected in that way.”

McDaniel said he has called the same plays in other offenses when he didn’t have the players to make the plays work the way they’re working in Miami this year.

“Our players run a lot of plays that I have a lot of history with, and it looks different,” McDaniel said. “That’s because of hard work and unbelievable ability. So don’t try me on other players.”

PFT

 

Browns HC Kevin Stefanski 'ready' for full-strength Jonathan Taylor: 'We do anticipate that his workload increases'

Jonathan Taylor has been back with the Indianapolis Colts for quite some time now.

However, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is preparing to see Taylor back in full force on Sunday.

"We're ready for that, if that's what it is," Stefanski said Wednesday, via team transcript, when asked if he expected to see Taylor back in his RB1 spot in Week 7. "I think they have multiple guys. They can put a bunch of guys in there, have a ton of respect for Jonathan Taylor, and we do anticipate that his workload increases as the games go on here. But they have multiple guys that can hurt you with the ball in their hand."

Taylor began the season on the physically unable to perform list due to an ankle injury and amid contract squabbles with the Colts, who eventually signed the 2021 All-Pro to an extension.

Upon his 2023 debut, Taylor had just seven touches in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans and then upped his usage to 13 touches against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6. Indianapolis' running game has been stymied for the season with the loss of rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, who had 136 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in four games, but a full-strength Taylor could be a game changer.

Whether Taylor will be back to being the Indy workhorse remains to be seen on Sunday, but Stefanski is confident his squad will be prepared. Statistics suggest he should be.

The Browns defense has been stellar in 2023, ranking first in the NFL in yards allowed, fifth in points given up and fourth against the run.

Taylor -- or any Indy rusher -- will likely need to pack a lunch for a long day ahead.

"To play any good defense, good offense, run defense, run offense, you have to have eleven guys on the same page doing their job," Stefanski said. "And I think that's what you see."

As aforementioned, what Stefanski has seen is a formidable Colts rushing attack that has been surprisingly successful without Taylor. Fourteenth in the league in yards gained on the ground, Indy has been buoyed by Zack Moss, whose 466 rushing yards lead the AFC. It's a credit to rookie head coach Shane Steichen, according to Stefanski.

"Good run scheme with what coach Steichen brought with him from Philly," Stefanski said of the former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator. "Really good run scheme. I think a good offensive line, physical. They have a good RPO package. Again, that's stuff that coach Steichen's done over his career, so it makes life hard on the defense. You really have to have a plan when you're defending this type of attack."

Cleveland is coming off a Week 6 upset of the San Francisco 49ers in which they held the NFL's leading rusher, Christian McCaffrey, to a season-low 43 yards before he left with an oblique injury. Sunday offers the latest test for the mighty Browns defense, which is most certainly playing at an elite level heading into its matchup with Taylor, Moss and Indy.

NFL.com

 

This weekend's 2 most intriguing games for me are the Lions vs Ravens and Dolphins vs Eagles games. Some well-rounded teams there... high-powered offenses and some real good defenses are going to clash.

Tonights game aint too shabby either. The Saints defense is stout and the game will even be more interesting if Lawrence is in there to attack it.

 

Things seem to be falling apart in Denver... Jeudy and Sutton being shopped. Jeudy has been vocal about it too. If the goal was to resurrect Wilson, why would there be a threat to dump their top receivers? What a mess.

 

Trevor Lawrence played well, Carr on the other hand isnt cutting the mustard. Too much talent on the Saints to play that way, especially at home. When you have Olave, Thomas, Kamara and company with that decent defense, things ought to be better in NO.

Jags won 4 straight now.

 

BTW - Lawrence may never take that brace off his knee...

Lawrence’s final stat line was 8 carries for 59 yards, but that includes 3 kneeldowns for -4 yards at the end of the game. When actually running the ball, Lawrence had 5 carries for 63 yards, an outstanding rushing performance.

 

Moreau beat himself up pretty bad after the game, but it is a team thing.

 

Derek Carr’s willingness to publicly blame teammates will strain his relationship with them

Saints quarterback Derek Carr might soon find himself on the wrong end of a code red.

On Thursday night, Carr repeatedly expressed frustrations after plays that didn’t work. The message became unmistakable.

It’s someone else’s fault, not mine.

That’s not what good quarterbacks do. It’s not what good leaders do. They raise concerns with others privately, away from the prying eyes of a phalanx of Amazon Prime HD cameras. And, imagine this, they sometimes even accept blame when perhaps they shouldn’t.

“I’ve been showing my emotion a little bit too much on my sleeve,” Carr admitted to reporters after last night’s 31-24 loss to the Jaguars. “You know, like, I kind of got to kind of chill out, and that’s me holding myself accountable. Because that’s not going to help anything. And so just trying to be a calming influence in those moments, especially when it’s been a couple time it’s happened, that heightened frustration. I can do a better job as a leader to calm everybody down.”

That’s fine, until he added this: “There were some things that happened today that led to some pretty big negative plays that should never happen, and I think that’s where my frustration was coming from.”

Juxtaposed against his facial expressions and overall histrionics, it’s clear that he thinks the “big negative plays that should never happen” could never be blamed on him.

How will players like receiver Chris Olave feel about what happened last night? He was publicly dressed down with a “what are you doing?” from Carr. (Carr tried to say after the game that his comments weren’t directed to Olave, which frankly is a load of crap.) Other players caught some of it as well last night.

Beyond whatever those players thought about Carr’s antics in the moment, think of the texts and calls they’ve gotten or will be getting from family members and/or friends, expressing anger with Carr for treating fellow players that way on national TV.

It’s just not something good quarterbacks do. Remember when the Colts lost to the Steelers in the playoffs after the 2005 season? Quarterback Peyton Manning was dragged for a relatively tame effort to point out the obvious.

“I’m trying to be a good teammate here,” Manning said. “Let’s just say we had some problems in protection. I’ll give Pittsburgh credit for the blitzes and their rush. Those guys rushed. But we did have some protection problems.”

That was nothing in comparison to Carr’s constant airing of grievances against his teammates. It was awkward. It was unfortunate. And it’s going to require Carr to do some real work to mend fences. If he’s inclined to even do so.

And that’s the one piece of free (money’s worth) advice we’ll give Derek Carr. Don’t even try to do it, unless it’s genuine and authentic. Don’t say whatever you think a guy in your situation should say. Say what needs to be said to repair the obvious damage that you’ve done to those critically important relationships.

PFT
__________
___________________

I noticed right away, Carr mumbling and bitching when things didnt go his way from the very beginning. I wanted to post something, but refrained. Carr was throwing short passes at 80mph at receivers knees or lower and then bitching about it after they couldn't catch the pass, thats what caught my attention early on when he would check down to Kamara. If Carr is going to bitch about Kamara, I knew something bad was happening with Carr and his attitude.

 

After watching that game I’m glad to have Pickett and not Carr. Pickett can still improve, Carr is as good as he is going to get.

 

Rest assured, Gideon, the entire AFC North is glad you have Pickett, too.

 

They would be even happier if we had Carr at a high pay rate and couldn’t afford Highsmith, especially the Browns.

 

Jamal Adams fined $50,000 for actions toward concussion doctor on Sunday



Two weeks ago, the NFL decided not to fine Seahawks safety Jamal Adams after an incident with an independent doctor who examined him for a concussion. On Sunday, Adams again had a run-in with a doctor. This time the NFL didn’t let him off the hook.

Adams has been fined $50,000 for his actions toward the doctor in Sunday’s game against the Bengals, according to multiple reports.

Those actions included both Adams’ verbal comments to the doctor and inappropriate physical contact.

Part of the reason Adams wasn’t disciplined in the first incident is that he did have a concussion, and the league considered Adams’ apology and his statement that he wasn’t himself at the time because of the brain injury. This time, the doctor was checking on a teammate of Adams’, so he doesn’t have that excuse available to him.

Adams’ fine is almost four times as much as the NFL fined Packers linebacker Quay Adams last year when he shoved a trainer who was checking on an injured Lions player.

With this fine, Adams is on notice that the league is done tolerating him berating medical staff. If he does it again, a suspension would not be surprising.

PFT

 

Dan Campbell: Lions need RB Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) to take bulk of work vs. Ravens

The Detroit Lions' backfield remains banged up, but rookie Jahmyr Gibbs is set to return Sunday versus the Baltimore Ravens.

Head coach Dan Campbell said Friday that Gibbs is "gonna be a go" after missing the past two weeks due to a hamstring injury.

Gibbs was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but Campbell noted the rookie "looked pretty good yesterday."

Starter David Montgomery is expected to miss Sunday's tilt in Baltimore due to a rib injury, and fellow running back Craig Reynolds is dealing with hamstring and toe issues. Detroit has Devine Ozigbo and undrafted rookie Mohamed Ibrahim as possible practice-squad call-ups, but it's a thin group heading into Week 7.

With the injury issues, Campell suggested that not only would Gibbs play, but he'll likely take the bulk of the work Sunday.

"Certainly, I think he's going to need to take the load of (the work)," Campbell said. "We're just going to have to see where he's at. I'd like to say we want to be careful with him, but the reality of it is we need him. We'll go as far as he can take us here, trying to be as smart as we can, but he's gotta go. He's ready, he's ready."

In four games this season, Gibbs has rushed 39 times for 179 yards and added 14 catches for 70 yards. The No. 12 overall pick saw a season-high 17 carries in Week 3's win over Atlanta. In his three other tilts, Gibbs took no more than eight carries.

Lions fans and fantasy footballers have been clamoring to see more Gibbs this season. They're likely to get their wish Sunday in Baltimore.

NFL.com

 

It will be interesting to see the TV ratings for the Bears vs Raiders game with both Fields and Jimmy G out.

I'm guessing it will only air in those two home markets, and I'm wondering if it will lose in the ratings to NASCAR or even something like re-runs of The Andy Griffith Show.

 

Hey there. Let's not bash Ol' Matlock.