NFL - NEWS & NOTES

I really don't have an opinion on fans in the stands one way or the other. I simply want to watch NFL football this year.

I agree with your take on the fan's minimal affect on a driver in a motor sports. However, I think the absence of fans did have an effect on the drivers pre-race. It was much more subdued than a normal year. Could the lower adrenaline level resulted in no major crashes so common going into turn 1 after the start?

The fact is, they ran and televised the race and the race itself looked pretty much like any other Indy 500.

 

Uh oh...

Browns rookie Grant Delpit carted off



The Browns are holding their breath, after a top rookie went down in practice.

According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, safety Grant Delpit was just carted off from practice.

He was apparently pounding the ground while he was down on his stomach, which doesn’t seem to be a good sign.

Their second-round pick from LSU, Delpit figured to slot into the starting lineup immediately with his playmaking ability.

This comes after linebacker Mack Wilson suffered a significant knee injury, and cornerback Kevin Johnson suffered a lacerated liver in practice recently.

PFT

 

Dropping like flies. I hope it isn’t serious. Hard to believe, but the season is just around the corner.

 

Grant Delpit Tears Achilles, Ending His Season

 

Cardinals safety Budda Baker won’t be leaving Arizona any time soon.

Baker, a Pro Bowler who was heading into the final year on his rookie contract, has agreed to a four-year, $59 million extension, according to multiple reports.

The 24-year-old Baker started all 16 games last year and was credited with a league-high 104 solo tackles.

Baker made the Pro Bowl on special teams as a rookie and then made it last year on defense. He said this offseason that he’s expecting his best year yet because it will be his first NFL season not having to learn a new defense. The Cardinals think he’ll have more good years after that.

PFT

 

Nick Bosa week-to-week with muscle strain in leg



There won’t be any matchups between defensive end Nick Bosa and left tackle Trent Williams at 49ers practice for a while.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Tuesday that Bosa is considered week-to-week due to a muscle strain in his leg. Bosa thought he was just sore and was planning to practice, but Shanahan said there was a fortuitous decision to go for tests on the injury instead.

“Glad he ended up getting that MRI because there was more to it. . . . Fortunately, we caught that and we were able to prevent him from hurting it worse,” Shanahan said, via David Lombardi of TheAthletic.com.

The hope is that Bosa will be ready to go for Week One against the Cardinals and Shanahan said that’s also the case with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The first-round pick is dealing with a hamstring strain.

PFT

 

League is considering fake crowd noise in range of 70-85 decibels

Fans may not be present for games in most NFL stadiums, but it will sound like they are.

Per a league source, the NFL currently is considering the use of artificial crowd noise in the range of 70 to 85 decibels for games without fans present. As the source explained it, the sound level likely would be constant throughout the game, regardless of whether the home team or the visiting team has the ball.

In response to a request for comment, a league spokesman said, “We are finalizing plans.”

If the final plan entails the same sound level throughout the game, that creates a different competitive balance question than the league’s decision to let some teams host fans while others can’t. For a team like the Vikings, who have a significant home-field advantage coming from the noise generated by the fans who pack their stadium, the sound under normal circumstances will be lower when the Vikings have the ball and higher (significantly) when the Vikings are playing defense. Replacing that with artificial noise that remains at the same level for both teams at all times would not simulate normal crowd noise in that venue, largely wiping out Minnesota’s home-field advantage.

This approach will hurt both that have raucous home stadiums primarily consisting of their own fans, along with teams that have a nationwide footprint that results in plenty of their fans attending road games. (Some teams fall into both categories.) In contrast, this approach will help teams that are required to play on the road in loud venues, like in Minnesota, Seattle, or Kansas City, along with teams that either play in partially or largely empty stadiums and/or stadiums overrun by fans of the visiting team.

The Chargers, for example, will benefit from this approach. They typically have a home-field disadvantage because their fans are outnumbered by fans of the opposing team. Artificial noise that remains constant throughout the game will make things a lot more hospitable in their home stadium. Also, they won’t have to worry about venturing into opposing stadiums where the sound will be deafening as they try to run their offense.

It’s unknown whether artificial noise will be used to enhance the sound naturally created in places where partial crowds will be present. Again, nothing has been finalized. Here’s hoping that, if the league decides to use artificial noise, it’s done in a way that much better simulates how things would have sounded at a normal game in each specific venue.

Or, to avoid any and all issues or concerns regarding potential competitive imbalance or the failure to simulate actual crowd noise, maybe the league should use no noise at all.

PFT

 

Budda Baker is the NFL's highest-paid safety...

 

Xavier McKinney will start his rookie season in street clothes.

The Giants safety suffered a fracture to his left foot and will undergo surgery, the team announced Wednesday. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported the fracture is to his fifth metatarsal, which is on the outside of his foot where the Jones fracture tends to happen.

The injury will likely sideline McKinney for 10 or so weeks, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, meaning there's still a chance for a late-season return if everything goes according to plan.

The loss of McKinney, the Giants' second-round pick in April, will hurt the team in terms of depth and potential. He joined a safety group that included strong safety Jabrill Peppers and free safety Julian Love, and brought with him the capability to play effectively as a deep safety, as well as the experience necessary to occupy the box and help in a variety of man-coverage roles.

"I think Xavier has a lot of diversity as a player," Nick Saban, McKinney's coach at Alabama, said during a May appearance on the Giants Huddle podcast. "He can play man-to-man, he's got pretty good ball judgment, he's a good tackler, he's got a lot of toughness, he's a very instinctive and effective blitzer. He's got some burst and acceleration to come off the edge or blitz up the middle and he's got enough power to take on a blocker if he needs to. So he can do just about all the critical factors in terms of what we look for in a safety here.

"As he got experience, he was smart enough to be able to play multiple positions. I think the guy's got some dog in him. He's a competitive guy. He's a playmaker."

Instead, the Giants will be forced to rely on Peppers and Love to do the job.


It's been a tough camp for the top safeties of this rookie class. Of the first three safeties selected in April, two have suffered injuries that will cost them at least 10 games, with Cleveland's Grant Delpit being ruled out for 2020 after suffering a torn Achilles tendon last week.

McKinney wasn't the only Giant included in the injury report Wednesday. Linebacker David Mayo suffered a torn meniscus, the team also announced. The expectation for Mayo going into surgery is that it'll be a meniscus trim, Rapoport reported, per a source, rather than the full repair. That could put him back on the field in three weeks or so, Rapoport added.

NFL.com

 

David Montgomery suffers groin strain at Bears practice; severity unknown

A cornerstone of the Chicago Bears offense went down with an injury during Wednesday's practice.

Running back David Montgomery was carted away from practice with a non-contact injury, NFL Network's Stacey Dales reported after Bears' practice ended. Montgomery is believed to have suffered a groin strain, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported.

Chicago is optimistic that the RB avoided a serious injury, although an evaluation is still ongoing. Bears coach Matt Nagy told reporters the team does not yet know the severity of the groin injury.

If Montgomery misses any time, it would be a massive blow to Nagy's offense.

The lead back is set to once again be the foundation of a thin backfield. As a rookie, Montgomery compiled 889 yards on 242 carries with six rushing scores and added 25 receptions for 185 yards and another TD. He was in line for an even bigger role in Year 2.

Montgomery projected as an early-down workhorse once again with Tarik Cohen working as the pass-catching back. The Bears moved return man Cordarrelle Patterson to the RB room this offseason, and he could potentially see an uptick in workload depending on Montgomery's injury.

If the groin injury to the second-year back lingers, the Bears would be in the market to bring in a free-agent option to work the early-downs. A player like Devonta Freeman (depending on salary demands) could be a fit if Monty is out for a while.

NFL.com

 

Report: David Montgomery expected to miss 2-4 weeks



When word first broke of Bears running back David Montgomery going down with a leg injury while cutting during a non-contact drill on Wednesday, there were likely thoughts that Chicago would have to look elsewhere for a lead back this season.

That feeling changed once head coach Matt Nagy provided an update about Montgomery after the practice session, however. Nagy said that Montgomery suffered a groin injury and that he was hopeful the back would be able to return to action soon.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Montgomery will miss some time, but it isn’t expected to be a very long absence from the lineup. Per the report, Montgomery is expected to miss between two and four weeks while he recovers from the injury.

The regular season starts two weeks from tonight, so that timeline could extend into the regular season. If the Bears do have to make do without Montgomery in the opening weeks, they could turn to Tarik Cohen, Cordarrelle Patterson, Ryan Nall, and Artavis Price.

PFT

 

I'll take 2-4 weeks over what was initially feared.

 

Andre Dillard headed to the IR. Looks like Peters is back to LT.

 

I'm not surprised.

 

Dolphins trade RB Kalen Ballage to Jets

Kalen Ballage will reunite with Adam Gase.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Miami Dolphins are trading the running back to the New York Jets, per a source informed of the deal. Miami confirmed the news, adding it is receiving a 2021 conditional seventh-round pick.

New York announced that, in corresponding moves, it has released running back Pete Guerriero and removed cornerback Bryce Hall from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Dolphins planned to cut Ballage, but before he hit the wire, the Jets swooped in with a late-round offer to pick up the running back without having to battle other teams.

Ballage, a 2018 fourth-round pick, played for Gase as a rookie, so the familiarity with the staff is there.

In 2019, the running back was woefully inefficient, earning 135 yards on 74 carries for a 1.8 yards per carry average, with three scores, in 12 games. The Dolphins' run game, on the whole, was putrid last season, so we can't pin it all on Ballage's inefficiency, as quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick led the team in rush yards with 243.

Under Gase, Ballage averaged 5.3 yards per carry on 36 totes (191 yards) with a TD as a rookie in 2018.

In New York, Ballage will still have to battle for a roster spot behind Le'Veon Bell and Frank Gore. Fourth-round rookie La'Mical Perine, Josh Adams and undrafted free agent Pete Guerriero round out Gang Green's RB room in which Ballage will try to earn a permanent seat.

NFL.com

 

Ya, they saved big bucks and drafted a kicker (Tyler Bass) for a reason anyway.

 

I would have had a different reaction prior to camp competition. Before actually playing, I think Will’s and Joe’s comments carried greater relevance.

But, the vet has been MUCH more effective. Since the vast majority of points-by-kickers come from inside the 50, reliability carries a lot more importance than leg strength. Bass has a MUCH stronger leg, but Haus has been schooling him inside the 50. I would not even have minded if the Bills were to carry both for a season. Haus for PAT’s and shorter FG’s and Bass for KO’s* and long FG’s. (* Even KickOffs have less importance after the recent rule changes, another reason to be concerned about reliability over leg strength.)

From ALL I can determine, Bass has everything you want in an NFL kicker - except the one thing that only time can provide. Reliability based on experience. For a team that belongs in the SB Contender discussion this strikes me as a rash and unnecessarily risky move. (It’s not like Buffalo is cap-restrained.)

 

I understand where your coming from. It is, in my opinion, a huge gamble and when your deemed a SB contender, you wonder why there is such a risk taking factor involved in the first place. This is going to make the brass who decided this look like geniuses if it pans out or really dumb, lol, if this back-fires.

 

I just saw this on the Google website WTF Brian Urlacher are you mad at the NBA? if true this is very sad that you think this is ok