NFL - NEWS & NOTES

If you didnt hear, some Chargers and another guest, were stuck in an elevator in Dallas and they had to be rescued by fire fighters. Here's a little piece from PFT...

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was among the “11 or 12" players stuck on a broken elevator at the team hotel in Dallas on Friday night.

Coach Jim Harbaugh said the players and some other members of the team traveling party, including Hall of Famer Dan Fouts’ wife, Jeri, were on the elevator without air conditioning for two hours. Dallas Fire-Rescue removed those on the elevator “one by one” through the ceiling panel to an adjacent elevator.

“We dodged a bullet,” Harbaugh said. “I usually think of dodging a bullet of dodging an injury in football. You’ve got to get good at that. You’ve got to get good at making yourself harder to break.

“That’s a shared experience that brought them closer together. I just missed it, being on that elevator. It was like, ‘Wish I could have been there with those guys.’ But Justin Herbert was.”

Harbaugh said every person who came off the elevator was sweating, except for Herbert, and some of the players had removed their shirts.

“Justin Herbert, his hair was a little wet, but his shirt was completely dry,” Harbaugh said. “That was another thing that blew me away. The guy is just a beast.”

Herbert took charge in the elevator, which was stuck in a “blind shaft” between the third and 15th floors of The Westin hotel in downtown Dallas.

“The remarkable things that came out of it was, to a guy, young rookie players, ‘Justin Herbert’s a leader. He was a rock. Kept everybody calm,’” Harbaugh said. “Jeri Fouts told me the same thing, pulled me aside after they got out, just how great Justin was. And everybody kept their poise.

“You get in those situations, and it’s a test of wills. I was proud of each of the guys and the two women that were on that elevator. That’s a win. You feel good about yourself. You were challenged. It was a test of will, and you pull it down, or pull it in. It was a camaraderie amongst that group that is even stronger than it was before.”

Harbaugh even used his family motto to describe the situation: “Who’s got it better than those guys that were on that elevator?!”

After all the occupants of the elevator were rescued, Harbaugh invited the members of the Dallas Fire-Rescue’s Urban Search and Rescue team to the team meal at the hotel.

“The Dallas Fire Department, take a deep, long bow,” Harbaugh said. “Without the Dallas Fire Department, could have been a lot worse. Could have been a lot more hours. Who knows how it would have ended.”

 

Steelers first-team offense shows something

Through their first two preseason games, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense looked completely uninspiring — whether it was Russell Wilson or Justin Fields playing quarterback — as it failed to produce a single scoring drive. That changed on Saturday afternoon in Detroit when Wilson helped engineer a five-play, 60-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a 31-yard touchdown run by Cordarelle Patterson. Wilson completed both of his pass attempts for 26 yards, including a big 32-yard third-down conversion to George Pickens.

Even if it came against a Detroit Lions unit that was playing mostly backups, it was still important for the Steelers offense to show it could move the ball. It finally did.

YARDBARKER

 

Getting ready to watch the Titans vs Saints game. Question is, is there a better swiss-army knife player than Taysom Hill?

 

Sad News...



Ravens offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris dies at 70

Ravens offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris, who took a leave from the team this month when he was hospitalized with what the team described as an acute illness, has died at the age of 70.

""Joe D.’ lived a life of boundless faith, love, devotion and inspiration,” the Ravens said in a statement. “As a husband, father, grandfather, friend and coach, Joe made every individual he encountered truly feel like they were the most important person in the world.

“Anyone fortunate enough to have spent time with Joe was forever touched by his genuine and uplifting nature. He had the amazingly rare ability to connect with people in a way that deepened respect, empathy and kindness further spreading those important virtues into the everyday life of the world.

""Force multiplier’ is a football term sometimes used to describe an individual who makes everyone around him better. As a coach, he was certainly that. But far more importantly, it’s also a proper characterization of Joe D’Alessandris as a person someone who undoubtedly created a legacy of love and impact that will live on forever.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to Joe’s family particularly his three incredible daughters during this somber time. Now reunited with his late and precious wife, Toni, we know they are smiling down from above and blessing everyone they dearly love.”

D’Alessandris had been the Ravens’ offensive line coach since 2017 and had coached offensive linemen in college and pro football since the 1970s.

 

JuJu Smith-Schuster to re-sign with Chiefs

JuJu Smith-Schuster is heading back to where he won a ring.

According to multiple Monday morning reports, Smith-Schuster is signing with the Chiefs.

Smith-Schutster, 27, played one season for Kansas City in 2022 and won Super Bowl LVII. He finished second on the team with 78 receptions and 933 receiving yards in the regular season. He then had 10 catches for 89 yards in three playoff games.

After defeating the Eagles in the Super Bowl, Smith-Schuster signed a three-year deal with the Patriots. But he caught just 29 passes for 260 yards with one touchdown in 11 games. New England released him earlier this month.

The Chiefs have been dealing with a shoulder injury to Hollywood Brown at the top of their receiving corps. Having Smith-Schuster around will at least increase depth at the position, but could affect the roster status of players like Kadarius Toney or Skyy Moore.

PFT

 

Report: Nick Chubb to open regular season on PUP list

At the start of training camp, Browns General Manager Andrew Berry said that running back Nick Chubb still had “a little ways to go” before being fully cleared to return from last year’s season-ending knee injury.

Chubb reportedly still has a bit more to do before he gets that green light. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Chubb is expected to remain on the physically unable to perform list into the regular season.

That would make Chubb ineligible to play in the first four games of the regular season and he would not count against the 53-man roster until he is activated from the list.

Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong, D’Onta Foreman, Aidan Robbins, and Jacob Saylors are the backs on the active roster in Cleveland. Nyheim Hines is on the non-football injury list and will also miss at least four games if he is not activated before Tuesday’s cut to 53 players.

PFT

 

Cowboys, CeeDee Lamb agree to four-year extension

CeeDee Lamb will be back for the start of the season.

According to multiple reports, Lamb and the Cowboys have agreed to a four-year contract extension to end the receiver’s holdout.

The initial reports indicate Lamb’s deal is worth $136 million, which includes $100 million guaranteed with a $38 million signing bonus. That means Lamb will get an average annual value of $34 million, which is just below the $35 million Justin Jefferson received earlier in the offseason.

Lamb, 25, was the No. 17 overall pick in 2020 and has developed into one of the league’s top receivers. In 2023, he led the league with 135 catches and finished just behind Tyreek Hill with 1,749 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. He was a first-team All-Pro for the first time and finished No. 3 in offensive player of the year voting.

In 66 career games with 61 starts, Lamb had 395 catches for 5,145 yards with 32 touchdowns.

PFT

 

The Rams got a big piece of their offense back on the practice field Monday.

Wide receiver Puka Nacua took part in individual drills during the portion of practice open to the media. Nacua has been out since hurting his knee in early August.

The Rams also had left guard Jonah Jackson and cornerback Darious Williams on the field and head coach Sean McVay thinks all three players will be good to go for the season opener.

“We expect them to start to ease into full speed workouts and different things like that with the expectation that they’ll be ready to go for the Lions game,” McVay said, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com.

 

Report: Broncos will part ways with Tim Patrick, working to trade him

Running back Samaje Perine isn’t the only player the Broncos are trying to trade ahead of Tuesday’s roster cutdown.

Mike Klis of KUSA reports that they are also working to find a partner for a deal involving wide receiver Tim Patrick. If they can’t make a trade, they are expected to release Patrick.

Patrick has missed the last two seasons after tearing his ACL and then his Achilles in subsequent summers. He caught five passes for 44 yards and a touchdown in the first two preseason games, but did not play in Sunday’s finale.

The Patrick report came shortly after a similar one about Perine, so the Broncos may be able to add some future draft capital in the coming hours.

PFT

 

NFL will not use Hawk-Eye technology to measure first downs in regular season

During the preseason, the NFL experimented with a high-tech system for measuring first downs. But that system will be shelved in favor of the old-fashioned chains during the regular season.

The NFL will not use the Hawk-Eye computer vision system in the regular season this year but could try it in 2025, according to Mark Maske of the Washington Post.

Although Hawk-Eye has been a tremendous innovation in tennis, where it is used to determine whether a ball was in or out of bounds, it didn’t work as well during the preseason for spotting first downs. It was most notable for delaying the Lions-Giants preseason game when the high-tech system took much longer than the traditional chains to measure on a play that wasn’t even close to a first down.

in part/PFT

 

Trying to use the system to replace the chains seems like a waste of the technology. My beef is that they didn't use it to help assess where the ball should have been spotted. They only used it to figure out if the spot was 10 yards ahead of the previous first down spot.

Putting the chips in the balls and using that to sync the location of the ball with the camera feeds would be a different story... where exactly was the ball when the runner's knee touched the ground, where was it when the QB started his slide, did it cross the plane of the goal line in the middle of the pack where no camera can see through all the other bodies, etc. Something to help with THAT stuff would be useful.

Just using it to measure 10 yards once the ball has been placed by the ref?? Pointless.

 

Couldnt agree more. Chips in the ball and even the usage of GPS, lol with state-of-the-art digital/electronic technologies in the booth just might do the trick. Its all very doable RIGHT NOW, its nearly old technologies, so if the want to nit-pick every play or at least controversial/important plays, DO IT! They can spot very small targets from space, but cant tell in a scrum if the ball crossed the plan. If the cameras cant spot where exactly the knee was in the bottom of the pile, well, let the refs decide and make a damn call. Maybe they ought to just chuck everything out the window and let human beings be human and forget about it... the more they try to fix things, the more they screw it up.

A few more cameras, a couple of chips or even a whole bag and 2 geek/nerds in the booth and we could get it done.

 

Packers kicker, Carlson got booted today and Patriots QB Baily Zappe got zapped.

 

Kadarius Toney’s time with the Chiefs has come to an end.

According to multiple reports, Kanas City is waiving Toney on Tuesday.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media notes the Chiefs had been looking for a trade partner for Toney. Evidently, the club could not find one.

A Giants first-round pick in 2021, Toney was traded to the Chiefs midway through the 2022 season. He made an impact in the team’s championship run that year, particularly in Super Bowl LVII as he caught a touchdown then returned a punt 65 yards in the fourth quarter to help Kansas City defeat Philadelphia.

But Toney struggled mightily in 2023, with multiple drops leading to interceptions. He caught 27 passes for 169 yards with a touchdown and did not appear in a game after the Week 15 win over New England.

In 32 career games, Toney has 82 receptions for 760 yards with three touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 119 yards with a TD.

 

The technology is there, but the programming may not be ready. I'm thinking they continue using the technology and fix the issues during the season, ready to implement in 2025 preseason. If the bugs are worked out, they move forward, if they aren't they scrap it and continue work to be ready for 2026 implementation. Theory is wonderful until implementation gives you data to study. The problem is, they have 3 short weeks to quantify the issues, find a solution and verify positive results. Game situations are the only way to know for certain whether or not it is working seamlessly. If it isn't, you continue with the status quo and try again next preseason.

 

Titans trade for LB Ernest Jones

The Rams have found a trade partner for linebacker Ernest Jones.

According to multiple reports, the Titans have agreed to acquire Jones on Tuesday.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Los Angeles will receive a 2026 fifth-round pick in exchange for Jones and a 2026 sixth-round selection.

PFT

 

Cuts are in. For the Eagles there aren't any huge surprises. Ainias Smith and Albert Okwuegbunam are off to IR and Sydney Brown remains on the PUP list. James Bradberry makes the initial team as most were likely expecting. The late IR add of Smith probably opened up a spot too. Eli Ricks made it at CB while as did Thomas Booker IV who most thought would maybe miss out. The one mildly surprising player to have miss the cut (and the math shows it is only 1 after the IR spot) is C Dylan McMahon. He should instantly make the PS if he isn't scooped up off waivers. The Eagles enter the season without a true dedicated center backup. Trevor Keegan may be that guy now but he was expected to play OG more and I don't know if he trained there with the team. He did for the Senior Bowl. In a pinch maybe they slide Landon Dickerson over or there is another move on the horizon.

 

Commanders drafted seven players in 2023, and five of them were cut today

They draft as well as I do... not very good.

 

Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick is expected to sign with the Detroit Lions on the practice squad with the idea that he will work his way onto the active roster, sources told Adam Schefter.

The Broncos released Patrick on Tuesday as they trimmed down to 53 players.

"On behalf of everyone in the organization, I just can't say enough great things about the type of player, the person, Tim Patrick while he has been a Bronco for the past seven seasons,'' Broncos general manager George Paton said Tuesday.

Patrick missed the past two seasons due to injury but returned to participate fully in training camp this year and had five catches for 44 yards and a touchdown in the preseason.

He missed the 2022 season with a torn ACL suffered in training camp that summer and then missed 2023 with a torn Achilles tendon, also suffered early in camp. Patrick had -- after the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers waived him in 2017 -- scrapped his way from the Broncos' practice squad to a prominent role in the offense over the four seasons that followed.

Patrick, 30, has 143 receptions for 2,009 yards and 12 touchdowns over 55 games in his career.

The Lions were interested in Patrick after releasing veterans Donovan Peoples-Jones and Daurice Fountain, who were both big-bodied wide receivers who weren't able to fully separate themselves during training camp and the preseason. Patrick provides depth and could be a valuable role player in the offense.

Lions coach Dan Campbell said it "would be a luxury to have" a bigger wide receiver on the roster to add a versatile option.

"It helps, and I think a lot of it is -- it comes into those one-on-ones to where, 'OK, you don't always have to be in these cut-splits. Man, you can just get out there and it's one-on-one and if you like the matchup, who cares if he's pressed? Our guy is going to beat your guy,'" Campbell said Monday. "And [Lions QB Jared] Goff is put into position to where he can play rebound, he can play big boys in the box and down on the block and is going to make a play for you."

ESPN
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One mans garbage is another mans treasure... or something like that.

 

Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals remain in discussions to make him highest-paid WR in NFL

Ja’Marr Chase has been a welcome sight at Cincinnati Bengals practice recently, his coach expects him to play Week 1 and he's amid contract talks for a hefty extension.

Things seem to be trending in the right direction for the Bengals' top wide receiver.

Chase and Cincinnati remain in discussions regarding a potential long-term extension that would tie him with the Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson as the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver or would push him above Jefferson by one cent, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday.

Rapoport added that he believes Chase making one penny more than his former LSU teammate Jefferson "is in the fact the goal."

The fifth-overall selection of the 2021 NFL Draft, Chase has two seasons remaining on his rookie pact, including his fifth-year option. He's due a paltry $1.05 million in base salary this year.

Jefferson inked a landmark four-year, $140 million extension in June that put him tops among receivers in total value and average per year ($35 million).

Chase has largely refrained from practicing during training camp as a hold-in, not a holdout, Rapoport specified.

On Tuesday, head coach Zac Taylor was asked if he expected Chase to play and simply replied, "Yes." It was a fitting retort as Taylor has been noticeably tight-lipped regarding all matters Chase this summer. Nonetheless, as noted by Rapoport, Chase is contractually obligated to play the season opener, anyhow.

The 24-year-old has emerged as one of the elite wide receivers in the game, evidenced by his trio of Pro Bowl selections and three 1,000-yard seasons in each of his NFL campaigns.

Rapoport noted there's no guessing as to when a new deal will come to fruition, but as Chase seeks a raise commensurate with his production, he's engaging in talks with the front office while keeping matters largely unaddressed in the media.

Despite the lack of a new contract, things appear to be headed in the right direction in the Queen City.

NFL.com
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Chase is an excellent receiver and deserves to be ONE of the highest paid WR's, but when players compare themselves to others and base their gripes on 'he makes more than me' type things, this is what turns me off. Over the past 2 seasons (including the time down by JJ due to injury) Jefferson has better numbers, but Chase wants a 'penny' more... just doesnt sit well with me even without the purple drink in my hand and the purple shades on.