The Colts confirmed McDaniels’ decision in a statement Tuesday night after reports emerged that the Patriots’ offensive coordinator had opted to stay in New England with coach Bill Belichick.
McDaniels had agreed to contract terms with the Colts to replace the fired Chuck Pagano, and a news conference had been scheduled for Wednesday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Just a few hours later, the Colts said McDaniels informed them he would not sign the deal.
”Although we are surprised and disappointed, we will resume our head coaching search immediately and find the right fit to lead our team and organization on and off the field,” the Colts said in the statement.
The Patriots and McDaniels’ agent, Bob LaMonte, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
”I’m speechless,” former Colts receiver Reggie Wayne told NFL Network. ”I’ve talked with people in the Colts organization and they feel like they’ve been hoodwinked.”
It’s also not clear how the Colts will proceed from here.
By spurning Indy after it waited 22 days for the playoffs to end, McDaniels leaves the reeling franchise as the only one without a coach – in early February. New England’s defensive coordinator Shareef Miller Jersey , Matt Patricia, left Belichick’s staff a day after the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss to become coach of the Detroit Lions.
Indy had interviewed several candidates for the job, including two that were hired by other teams – Matt Nagy went to Chicago and Mike Vrabel to Tennessee. Another potential candidate, Baylor coach Matt Rhule, had already announced he was returning to the college ranks before the Colts had settled on McDaniels, who at age 41 is considered one of the game’s best young minds.
He’s been considered a top-tier head coaching candidate for several years even though his only other coaching stint with Denver ended badly. He went 8-8 with the Broncos in 2009 and 3-9 in 2010 before he was fired with three games left in the season. He worked with the St. Louis Rams in 2011 before returning to New England in 2012, where he has been the offensive coordinator ever since.
And turning down his second chance, after agreeing to a deal with Indy, could make other teams outside of New England more hesitant to hire McDaniels. His decision will also have ramifications for the coaches who were set to join his staff.
It’s unusual but not unprecedented in league history for a deal with a new coach to fall through at the last minute. McDaniels’ move was eerily reminiscent of his mentor Zach Brown Jersey , Belichick, who resigned as coach of the Jets with a handwritten note less than a day after he was hired in 2000.
Although McDaniels never signed his contract with Indianapolis, his stint was even shorter. The team announced his hiring on its Twitter account late Tuesday morning. Hours later, the Colts had deleted the tweet and replaced it with the statement about his withdrawal.
Pagano was fired Dec. 31 after the team finished 4-12 in a season without injured quarterback Andrew Luck.
Within days of Pagano’s ouster, Colts general manager Chris Ballard interviewed McDaniels during the Patriots’ postseason bye week. Two weeks later, reports indicated the deal was all but finished and potential suitors, like the New York Giants, started hiring other coaches.
Now the Colts find themselves in perhaps the toughest position of all – finding a new coach in February.
In Indianapolis, where the fan base already loathed the Patriots Devin Bush Jersey , McDaniels’ sudden change of heart didn’t go over well.
The City of Noblesville, a northern suburb of Indy, put this on Twitter: ”Unlike Josh McDaniels, we stay true to our commitments. Noblesville street crews will be out tonight once winter weather hits you can `do your job’ tomorrow.”
—
The NFL is fascinating not only for it's on-field action and feats of athleticism and skill, but for the rich history involved in drafting, utilizing free agency, and trading with other teams to assemble the best possible combination of players for a given team in a given year. This year-round jockeying for position has lead to some incredible moves that gave teams the edge in a division race, has spawned superteams that have enjoyed years of success...and has resulted in some pretty spectacular, mind boggling mistakes. While at the time these moves might have seemed like the right decision http://www.steelerscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-diontae-johnson-jersey , hindsight lets us pick apart some particularly awful decisions, by coaches, owners, and GMs that had the complete opposite effect than desired.This offseason has been no different, with many big moves already made and many still to come. For most fanbases, these moves bring a sense of excitement and optimism, and any fan can tell you why their team's latest trade or signing has them primed for a playoff run. However, as history tells us, many of these moves will fall flat on their face and look like pretty dumb decisions in just a few years.Every NFL team Justin Layne Jersey , from the cellar-dwelling Browns to the annoyingly good Patriots, has had some moments of terrible management, poor decisions, and awful trades that they'd rather us forget. This article won't allow them that privilege, as we open up the history books and dive into the Biggest Mistake In Every NFL Team's History.
TORONTO — A year ago at this time Michael Jordan Jersey , Francisco Liriano was pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays amid speculation that he would be traded.
The left-hander is again a subject of trade speculation as he returns to the Rogers Centre on Friday night as the starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, who will try to end a nine-game losing streak in the opener of a four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Tigers (36-46) lost 4-2 to the Oakland Athletics at Comerica Park on Thursday afternoon. The Blue Jays (37-43) had the day off after completing a 3-4 trip with a heartbreaking 7-6 loss to the Houston Astros on Wednesday on Alex Bregman’s two-run, walk-off homer.
Both teams are expected to trade some veteran players by the July 31 deadline for deals without waivers.
Liriano (3-3, 3.94 ERA) will face Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman (0-5, 6.80). Both pitchers will make their second start after returning from the disabled list.
The Blue Jays did trade Liriano on July 31 to the Astros, who went on to win the World Series. In the deal, Toronto received outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who has become a regular.
Liriano signed with the Tigers as a free agent on Feb. 23.
He will make his 12th start of the season in the series opener. Liriano went on the DL with a strained right hamstring after making his start on May 26 and did not pitch again until Saturday when he took the loss at Cleveland, allowing three runs (two earned), four hits and three walks in four innings.
All of the runs came in a 40-pitch first inning. He did not allow another hit in the next three innings.
“I was rushing things,” Liriano said. “I hadn’t pitched in a while and I was trying to do too much, trying to do more than I can do, and I ended up missing pitches. … Everything feels great. Leg feels good http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-hunter-renfrow-jersey , body feels nice.”
The 34-year-old has faced the Blue Jays seven times in his career, including five starts, going 1-4 with a 5.40 ERA. He last pitched against Toronto on Aug. 5 with Houston when he took the loss after allowing one run, one hit and one walk in two-thirds of an inning in relief.
In 18 career appearances, including 17 starts, at the Rogers Centre, Liriano is 8-4 record with a 4.03 ERA and 98 strikeouts.
Stroman also returned from the DL on Saturday when he allowed six hits and one walk while striking out five in five scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels. He did not factor in the decision of a game the Blue Jays won 4-1.
He had not pitched since May 8 because of inflammation in his right shoulder, a problem that shortened his spring training. Stroman believes that in retrospect he probably should have taken a couple of more weeks to build up the shoulder before starting to pitch in the regular season.
“When I’m going good, I feel like I’m pitching at 80, 85 percent and that’s where I’m at right now,” Stroman said. “Earlier in the season, I was max effort, I was pitching at 100 percent every pitch and now I’m back to being very free and easy. Once I’m free and easy Zach Brown Jersey , I can do whatever I want.”
Stroman said the shoulder “feels way better.”
“I’m moving way easier, I can pause, I can mess with my delivery now, I can do many things I wasn’t able to do previously in the year,” he added. “Feels great.”
In two career starts against the Tigers, he is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA.
The Tigers won two of three games against the Blue Jays at Comerica Park on June 1-3. Detroit will try to win its first season series against Toronto since 2013. The Tigers lost two of three games at the Rogers Centre last season, the fourth straight series they have dropped in Toronto.
On a steamy day that proved too daunting for Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs, 38-year-old Albert Pujols coolly delivered the game’s pivotal hit.
Pujols’ RBI double highlighted a five-run eighth inning, and Los Angeles beat the Orioles 6-2 Saturday to extend Baltimore’s latest losing streak to seven games.
Gametime temperature was 93, and the humidity was unforgiving. Sweating profusely, Skaggs asked out after using 79 pitches to get through five innings.
”It’s definitely one of the hottest games I’ve thrown in a long time,” Skaggs said. ”I was just tired. I told (manager Mike Scioscia) I rarely come out and say this, but I’m exhausted.”
Skaggs added: ”I probably could have gone another inning Shareef Miller Jersey , but there was no point. My team picked me up.”
Playing their 3,000th game under Scioscia, the Angels trailed 2-1 before using three hits, three walks and a hit batter to take control against the free-falling Orioles.
After Mychal Givens (0-6) issued a pair of one-out walks, Pujols tied it with his 632nd career double , a drive that handcuffed right fielder Danny Valencia. The hit tied David Ortiz for 10th place on the all-time list – and tied the game.
An intentional walk followed, and the go-ahead run scored when Chris Young hit into a force play at third base. Tanner Scott hit Martin Maldonado with a pitch to force in a run, and David Fletcher capped the uprising with a two-run single.
”It was good clutch-hitting that inning,” Scioscia said. ”I think the biggest hit there was Albert.”
The Angels lost six straight before coming to Baltimore, and now they appear to have their mojo back.
”Whenever you can grind out runs late in the game to come back and win, it’s exciting,” Fletcher said. ”It’s definitely something to give us confidence.”
Justin Anderson (2-2) pitched 1 1/3 innings to earn the win.
The Orioles’ shoddy play in the eighth inning explains why Baltimore owns the worst record in the majors. Baltimore has five losing streaks of at least six games, is 0-15 against the AL West and has lost 17 of 18 at home.
Afterward Devin Bush Jersey , manager Buck Showalter was straining to find the positive aspect of another dreadful defeat.
”When you only score two runs – again – you’re going to have to pitch real well, which we really did for seven innings,” he said. ”So, I’ll take that out of it.”
Baltimore’s Andrew Cashner threw 105 pitches. He gave up one run in six innings and left with the lead, but now has gone six straight starts without a victory.
”To say I’m not frustrated, I’d be lying, but for me, wins and losses are out of my control,” the right-hander said.
MILESTONE
Scioscia is the sixth manager in major league history to manage 3,000 games with one team.
”You don’t think about it,” Scioscia said about his longevity. ”It’s 3,000, one game at a time.”
Angels: RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani, who has a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament of his right elbow, batted in a simulated game Saturday and did not experience any setbacks, Scioscia said. The team hopes Ohtani can avoid Tommy John surgery. . LHP John Lamb has a torn ulnar collateral ligament and will undergo surgery in Los Angeles. . RHP Jake Jewell will be out at least six months after undergoing right ankle surgery Friday. . RHP Garrett Richards (hamstring) allowed five runs over 3 1/3 innings in a rehab start Friday with High-A Inland Empire. ”He lost some of his command as the outing went on, but physically he felt great,” Scioscia said.
Orioles: RHP Darren O’Day opted for surgery to repair a left hamstring strain, ending his season. … RHP Chris Tillman (back) was scheduled to make his third rehab start, this time with Triple-A Norfolk, on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Angels: RHP Deck McGuire (0-0, 6.08 ERA) makes his third major league start in the series finale Sunday.
Orioles: RHP Kevin Gausman (3-6, 4.20 ERA) lost his last four decisions and has not completed seven innings in any of his last eight starts.
HOUSTON 鈥?The Houston Texans are in a much different place now than the first time they faced the Indianapolis Colts this season Tashaun Gipson Jersey , when they were 0-3 and desperate for a win.Ka’imi Fairbairn made a field goal as time expired in overtime to lead the Texans to a 37-34 victory in that game and they haven’t lost since, reeling off a franchise-record nine straight wins entering Sunday’s rematch.The Texans led 28-10 in the third quarter in that first meeting before Andrew Luck threw three second-half touchdowns to rally the Colts and set up the wild finish.The Colts failed to convert a fourth-and-4 with 24 seconds left in overtime to give Fairbairn a chance to win it.“Being up 28-10 … and then letting them come back and being down in overtime and pulling through the adversity, it kind of slingshot us to where we are now,” Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson said.聽“That was one game where we went through all types of phases and situations that put us through this nine-game win streak. It was the start of everything.”Defensive end J.J. Watt said that Sept. 30 game seems as if it was a long time ago and noted how difficult it has been for the Texans to win in Indy, where they’re just 3-14 all time.“We needed one to get started. That was the one to get us started on this streak,” Watt said. “Bit of an unorthodox way to get it, but we got it. So, here we are.”The Texans (9-3) are coming off a 29-13 win over the Cleveland Browns while the Colts (6-6) were shut out 6-0 by the Jaguars last week to end a five-game winning streak.“The Jacksonville game was tough,” Luck said. “They outplayed us. There’s not much else to say about it. As a defense against our offense, they just flat outplayed us. … We took a good look at it and we’ll improve. I know we will.”TOUCHDOWN THOMASHouston rookie tight end Jordan Thomas has a knack for scoring with four touchdown catches despite having just 14 receptions this season. His four touchdown receptions are tied with Andre Johnson for second-most TD receptions by a rookie in franchise history. The 6-foot-6 Zach Fulton Jersey , 277-pound Thomas has been a favorite target of Watson’s in the red zone; all of his scores聽have come on catches of 13 yards or less.NEW BALANCECoach Frank Reich has stressed the need to find balance since he took the Colts’ job in February.When these teams met previously, Luck set single-game franchise records with 40 completions and 62 attempts and became the 11th player in league history to throw for 450 yards and four TDs. He wound up with 464 yards, second in franchise history, and four scores.Since then, an improved ground game helped lessen the burden on Luck’s arm 鈥?until last week, when he threw 52 passes, including 14 straight during one stretch, in the loss to Jacksonville. Don’t expect the Colts to be so one-dimensional in Houston.“You never want to have to drop back and pass it 52 times,” offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni said. “We always want to run it more. Just in that scenario, the way we were running it Senio Kelemete Jersey , we had some plays on our call sheet that we felt were going to be good to hit, some chunks in the pass game, and that’s the way we went.”THE BIG DHouston also will see a different defense.After allowing an average of 30 points over their first six games, the Colts cut that number to 16.8 points over the past six. Indy is the only team to have forced at least one turnover in every game this season and is second in the league in tackles for loss (71.0). Rookie linebacker Darius Leonard leads the league in tackles (122) and is tied for fourth in forced fumbles (four).First-year defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus sees it as a good start.“We feel we have set the standard of how we want to play in terms of the style. Now we just need to execute on a consistent basis and just keep doing that week in and week out,” he said. “There are a lot of things that we have to improve on, but we have come a long way.”DEANDRE’S ARTOn a TV show this week, Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis said the way DeAndre Hopkins catches a football “is an art.” The Houston star agrees.“There’s more to it than just going out and catching a football,” he said. “There’s a lot of factors that go on before that. It’s for sure an art, and repetition makes perfect.”Hopkins routinely makes nearly impossible catches look run of the mill, and Watson has said he believes Hopkins will catch anything聽thrown his way. His latest nifty catch came last week against the Browns on a 24-yard reception near the sideline that came after T.J. Carrie grabbed his dreadlocks to try聽to slow him down.Hopkins knows that he makes it look easy Seantrel Henderson Jersey , but wanted to make clear that it is not.“It’s harder than people think,” he said. “Especially like me, I usually have a defender on me or close to me, so catching the football isn’t easy for me like it is for some people who are wide open. It’s a challenge for me to play through that and still catch it.”100View Gallery Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta The Texans have never beaten the Philadelphia Eagles. They’ll have to wait four more years to get the chance again. Hopefully the Earth still exists then. SUBSCRIBE BELOW.This week, Matt and BFD discuss the Texans 32-30 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Other topics include Nick Foles, Super Bowl M.V.P., the Texans’ secondary, Jadeveon Cloweny devouring souls, Deshaun Watson’s wizardry, a potential AFC South title Max Scharping Houston Texans Jersey , and our picks for Texans versus Jaguars. SUBSCRIBE BELOW.The show has changed a little bit. We still need questions from you. Post whatever you have for us below. No matter how intelligent, silly, or trivial they may be, we will get to them at some point during the show. We are recording at 5:30 p.m. CST today, so put the money in the piggy bank early.SUBSCRIBE BELOW.The direct link is here, and the embedded player is below:MAKE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE:You can subscribe on iTunes here.You can subscribe on Android/Google here. You can subscribe/listen on Spotify here.You can subscribe/listen on Stitcher here.Please subscribe, and write a lovely review and give us that three stars out of five rating we deserve. Keep that in mind when you download the episode this week. I’m trying to buy some kombucha.Thanks for staying awhile and listening. Enjoy the show while you do whatever it is that you do.
The Packers Darnell Savage Green Bay Packers Jersey , who meet with Ole Miss offensive tackle Greg Little Monday, will also visit fellow O-line prospect Kaleb McGary on Tuesday."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football AdviceCDTShareTweetShareSharePackers to host Kaleb McGary for pre-draft visit, per reportThe Green Bay Packers have multiple pre-draft visits planned this week with offensive linemen. In addition to meeting with Ole Miss’ Greg Little Monday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the team has a visit scheduled with Washington’s Kaleb McGary on Tuesday.A 6-foot-7, 317-pound offensive tackle, McGary has started 42 games during his Washington career, all at right tackle. He earned All-Pac-12 honors each of the past two seasons as well as the 2018 Morris Trophy, an award for the conference’s best offensive lineman. A strong showing at the NFL Scouting Combine -- 5.05 second 40-yard dash, 33.5-inch vertical leap, 111-inch broad jump Darnell Savage Jersey 2019 , and 4.58 second short shuttle -- further inflated McGary’s draft stock.McGary’s athleticism and experience could make him a viable candidate to eventually succeed Bryan Bulaga, the Packers’ longtime starting right tackle scheduled to hit free agency next offseason. Getting a player like McGary in Green Bay in 2019 would ease the transition process as well as provide depth along the offensive line during the upcoming season.The Packers currently hold four picks in the opening three rounds of the draft, including three selections within the top 45. Though McGary’s exact range remains somewhat unclear, the team should have multiple chances to take the offensive lineman should they so choose. GREEN BAY, Wis. 鈥斅燚etroit Lions聽kicker聽Matt Prater聽lined up for a field goal but seemed a little antsy, gesturing with his arms like a quarterback calling for a shotgun snap.Packers CoverageGreen Bay Packers 2019 NFL draft capsulesPackers close out 2019 draft, select LB Summers in seventh roundPackers add CB Hollman, RB Williams in sixth roundPackers address defense in fifth round, select DL Kingsley KekePackers use third-round pick to select TE Jace SternbergerPackers draft versatile OL Elgton Jenkins in second roundPotential Packers Day 2 picks in 2019 NFL draftTop Tweets: New Packers LB Gary emotional after NFL dream realizedPackers trade up, draft safety Darnell Savage at No. 21 overallPackers select Rashan Gary with 12th overall pick in 2019 NFL draftIt turns out that was exactly what it was.Prater’s 8-yard pass on a fake field-goal try was a high and a little wobbly Darnell Savage Jersey Mens , but聽Levine Toilolo聽was so wide open in the end zone that it didn’t matter.The Lions’ beleaguered season ended on a high note on Sunday, when almost everything went right for Detroit in a 31-0 win over the聽Green Bay Packers.“Basically I was trying not to screw it up,” Prater said. “It worked out, so it was fun.”Not so much for the Packers (6-9-1), who trailed 21-0 at the half and lost聽Aaron Rodgers聽early in the second quarter after to a concussion. The quarterback was sacked and lost his helmet on the second play of the game.Rodgers played two more series before departing. The offense never got going even when he was behind center.“Yeah, it was hard. We just didn’t have any rhythm,” interim head coach Joe Philbin said.Both teams had long been eliminated from playoff contention. But the Lions (6-10) at least got a little positive push at the end of Matt Patricia’s first season as coach.Matthew Stafford聽threw for 266 yards and two scores, both to聽T.J. Jones聽.聽Zach Zenner聽had a 13-yard touchdown run for the Lions, who have won four straight against their NFC North rival for the first time since 1982-83. That was one bright spot for a last-place Detroit team.“I think those guys fought all year. I think they’re tough 鈥?mentally and physically tough,” Patricia said. “It showed up in the game today.”SHORT ON RECEIVERSThe Lions’ passing game clicked despite a depleted receiving corps Youth Darnell Savage Jersey , with聽Kenny Golladay聽missing the relatively meaningless game with a chest injury. The Lions had decisive edges in total yards (261-67) and first downs (16-3) by halftime, with 11 of the first downs coming through the air.Zenner finished with 93 yards on 21 carries. Stafford was 20 of 32, while rookie Brandon Powell had six catches for 103 yards“It was an opportunity for them and obviously it was a big stage,” Stafford said about working with the young receivers. “Not an easy day to catch the football, wind swirling, cold, Lambeau Field.”FINE FAKEPrater’s touchdown pass gave the Lions a 14-0 lead with 10:36 left in the second quarter.“Slow delivery, lollipop, but it was on target so that was a plus,” Stafford joked when asked about the kicker’s throw.OVER AND OUTRodgers walked back to the locker room around the same time his teammates were getting over the shock of Detroit’s trick play.It was unclear exactly when Rodgers got hurt. He was 3 of 5 for 26 yards Jamaal Williams Jersey , not the way he wanted to finish even in a meaningless game.“I said, ‘How long are you playing?’ He said, ‘I’m going the distance,'” linebacker聽Clay Matthews聽said, recounting a pregame talk with Rodgers. “I said, ‘All right, I’ll be out there with you in the fourth.’ But it didn’t play out like that.”The Packers were also without receiver聽Davante Adams, who missed practice this week with a knee injury. Adams finished the season with 111 catches, one shy of tying the single-season franchise record set by Sterling Sharpe in 1993.Backup聽DeShone Kizer聽finished 16 of 35 for 132 yards and an interception, while聽Jamaal Williams聽managed just four yards on eight carries.Green Bay didn’t top 100 yards in total offense until the third quarter.UNCERTAIN FUTUREThere is uncertainty in Titletown following a second straight losing season and the firing of coach Mike McCarthy in early December. Philbin White Darnell Savage Jersey , the offensive coordinator, went 2-2 as interim coach.When asked when he would interview for a chance to take the job permanently, Philbin deferred any questions to team president Mark Murphy, who is leading the search.Rodgers and Adams have each voiced support over the past couple weeks for Philbin.“I was very appreciative of all the things they did all season and in the four weeks that I was leading them,” Philbin said in recounting his postgame message. “And that we would get together tomorrow, we’re going to have a brief team meeting tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”
Detroit Lions lose Jeremiah Ledbetter Womens Theo Riddick Jersey , Marcus Lucas to other teams’ practice squad The Detroit Lions are still trying to build their 10-man practice squad, and they’re going to have a little tougher time than they may have anticipated. Though every player they waived this weekend cleared waivers, not all will be returning to the Lions’ practice squad.According to The Detroit News’ Justin Rogers, defensive tackle Jeremiah Ledbetter turned down an offer to join the Lions’ practice squad and will be signing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 10-man team. Ledbetter joined the Lions as a sixth-round draft pick in 2017. He made the team in his rookie year Womens Matthew Stafford Jersey , and appeared in all 16 games last year, totalling 14 tackles and 0.5 sacks along the way. Additionally, the Lions won’t be getting tight end Marcus Lucas back, either. Rogers is reporting the former Missouri tight end will be joining the Seahawks. It’s unclear whether the Lions tried to keep Lucas around Danny Amendola Jersey , but the 26-year-old did haul in 10 passes during the preseason. If the Lions are considering bringing in another defensive tackle for the practice squad Josh Fatu and Christian Ringo both are eligible. Unfortunately, the only other tight end that was on the Lions’ roster this offseason was Sean McGrath, and he is no longer practice squad eligible. Lions running back Kerryon Johnson snapped a long streak by running for more than 100 yards in Detroit’s Week Three win over the Patriots, but that breakthrough didn’t result in a change to his role in the running back committee in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys.Johnson played 20 of the team’s 55 offensive snaps Christian Jones Jersey White , which placed him squarely between Theo Riddick and LeGarrette Blount in the team’s rotation. He was the most productive of the three backs on the ground with nine carries, 55 yards and a touchdown, which led to a question for head coach Matt Patricia about how Johnson will be used in the future.Patricia did not sound like he was planning any big change to how things stack up in the backfield.“I think we have a lot of really good running backs and I think we try to use them appropriately,” Patricia said Ricky Wagner Jersey White , via the Detroit Free Press.聽“I think Kerryon played a significant amount of the game. He played 20 snaps of 55, that鈥檚 a good amount. Plus, we have two other running backs, plus we have two-minute drives and other two-minute personnel packages and things like that. There was quite a bit of reps in there for Kerryon.”Johnson said that he’s fine with any work that comes his way and needs to “make them count” for more than they did in Dallas.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Hue Jackson’s timeout from coaching didn’t last long.Fired last month after a brutal run with the Browns Anthony Munoz Jersey , Jackson will rejoin Cincinnati’s staff under Marvin Lewis, a person familiar with the hiring told The Associated Press on Monday night.Jackson, who was dismissed by Cleveland on Oct. 29 with one year left on his contract after going 3-36-1 in two-plus seasons, will take an unspecified position with the Bengals, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the move.It’s a homecoming of sorts for Jackson, who served as Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator under Lewis in 2014 and 2015 before he was hired by Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam. Jackson also worked with the Bengals as a defensive assistant and wide receivers coach and is extremely tight with Lewis and a favorite of Bengals owner Mike Brown.And it won’t be long before the Browns see him again. Following a bye week, Cleveland visits Cincinnati on Nov. 25. The Browns (3-6-1) will host the Bengals (5-4) on Dec. 23.This is the second time Lewis has re-hired Jackson, who returned to Cincinnati in 2012 after he was fired as Oakland’s coach.Jackson’s hiring came a few hours after Lewis fired defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, a day after an embarrassing 51-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Bengals are allowing a league-high 454.6 yards per game.Jackson figured to land on his feet at some point following his dismissal in Cleveland Michael Johnson Jersey , where he was brought back for a third season despite going 1-31 in his first two. However, the team continued to struggle and Jackson had issues with offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who was also let go.Since his firing, Jackson has done several TV interviews in which he has maintained he should have never given up play-calling duties to Haley. Having only traded up just three times this century, the Bengals are conservative in the NFL Draft for a reason."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections #BITESIZEFilm RoomRoster Transactions and ContractsOrange & Black InsiderSalary Cap And CBABreaking NewsKeep track of the 2019 Bengals draft脳Duke Tobin explains why Bengals are hesitant to trade up in the draftNew,244commentsHaving only traded up just three times this century, the Bengals are conservative in the NFL Draft for a reason.EDTShareTweetShareShareDuke Tobin explains why Bengals are hesitant to trade up in the draftTrevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY SportsWhen reports came out earlier this week that Kentucky EDGE Josh Allen was planning on visiting the Bengals, some wondered if they would trade up for him.Allen is going to be off the board by the fifth overall pick at the latest, and most mock drafts having him going third. The only way the Bengals would get him is if they trade up.The Cincinnati Enquirer spoke with Bengals’ Director of Personnel Duke Tobin http://www.thebengalslockerroom.com/authentic-sam-hubbard-jersey , and Tobin seemed to answer questions people have about trades.“That’s not something we felt is a best practice for our team to do that,” said Tobin. “We feel like you get your main line, best players, guys that cause you to win in the draft so we want to maintain our flexibility to do that.“You find your long-term staples in this league in the draft. That’s the way it always has been. I don’t think that’s a secret.”That’s the way the Bengals have always operated; consistently among the league leaders in players on the active roster acquired via draft. Tobin and the front office just don’t think it’s worth giving up valuable draft capital.“A lot of times with trades you have to give up draft capital and at high levels you have to give up draft capital that’s highly meaningful,” Tobin said. “That’s why we are slow to go on getting rid of those picks. When it’s just a pick there is not a name associated with it. So, sometimes people can give up on those pretty quickly. When there is a name associated with it, it becomes a real person, a real player and ability level there. We feel pretty good about our chances at picking players that will help our team in the middle rounds.”So what are the odds the Bengals might trade up for someone like Josh Allen?“Trading up in Round 1 becomes a very expensive proposition,” said Tobin “Unless you are pursuing somebody who can totally change your team Tyler Kroft Jersey White , it’s hard to convince yourself it’s worth giving up the players you have to give up to do that. There are enough good players who can get to 11 and get what you want without having to go any higher.”Trading away draft capital isn’t worth it just to move up a few spots in the draft.“You don’t want to be in a position you are completely void at certain spots going into the draft,” he said. “That kind of lays out your hand there. We want to have options on our team prior to drafting. That frees up our opportunity to take the best players.”“We got enough needs where we could upgrade at a number of different positions,” Tobin continued. “We feel like this draft is going to provide us an option at two or three different positions at 11. How we parse through that will be part of the discussions we have this next month.”Empirical evidence shows that the Bengals’ front office truly believe what Tobin is saying. They clearly value draft picks, which is why they try to acquire more when they do engage in trade talks.11th overall isn’t a bad place to be. There will still be plenty of talented prospects on the board. Some Bengals fans are probably hoping Tobin is saying all of this because Bengals are trying to trade up for Dwayne Haskins without tipping their hand. In any case, if the Bengals do trade up in the draft, be surprised. Be very surprised.
SANTA CLARA Womens Dante Pettis Jersey , Calif. (AP) — It took Marcell Harris longer than he hoped to make an impact in the San Francisco 49ers‘ secondary.The rookie is making up for lost time now.Harris’ development at strong safety is one of the encouraging late-season storylines for the 49ers (4-10), who shoot for their third consecutive victory Sunday when they host the Chicago Bears.A sixth-round draft pick out of Florida, Harris missed his entire senior season with the Gators because of a torn Achilles. Then a hamstring injury suffered in training camp this summer set him back further and he began the season on injured reserve.When he finally took the field in Week 9 against Oakland, it marked Harris’ first game since the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2, 2017, a span of 22 months.“Football is football,” he said Thursday. “Once you get back at it, nothing’s changed as long as you play at a fast level and fast pace. The game’s going to eventually come to you.”With injuries continuing to decimate San Francisco’s secondary, Harris has started the past three games at strong safety and shown improvement to the point that he might challenge for the starting spot next season.Veteran Jaquiski Tartt, sidelined in recent games with a shoulder injury, is the incumbent strong safety but it’s conceivable that Tartt could shift to free safety next season depending on how San Francisco’s roster shakes out.After a rough effort in his first start Dec. 2 at Seattle http://www.49erslockerroom.com/authentic-frank-gore-jersey , when he missed three tackles, Harris has improved steadily. In last Sunday’s rematch with the Seahawks, he made six solo tackles, including one for a loss, in the 49ers’ 26-23 overtime win.His play is justifying the 49ers’ faith in drafting him though he didn’t play a single snap as a college senior.“It’s his violence, the speed at which he played,” 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. “We felt he was very instinctive, a sure tackler. He had no hesitation in his game. All that stuff is showing up.”Harris isn’t the only rookie who’s stepped up in the secondary.After starting right cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was lost to a knee injury in the first quarter Sunday, third-round pick Tarvarius Moore filled in and held his own despite the Seahawks targeting him 10 times.Moore gave up five receptions but steadied himself as the game wore on. With Witherspoon to miss San Francisco’s final two games, Moore draws his first start Sunday against the Bears.He’s from Quitman, Mississippi Steve Young Jersey White , a town so tiny that “we didn’t get a McDonalds until 2014” as Moore put it. He attended Southern Mississippi, where he was a teammate of current 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens.The 49ers converted Moore from safety upon drafting him, and Moore said veteran cornerback Richard Sherman has helped him tremendously with the transition. Like Harris, he’s trying to use these final games of 2018 to position himself for next season.“It’s been kind of a learning curve all season transitioning from safety to corner,” Moore said. “I’ll have a little blunder sometimes, but other than that, I feel everything’s been going good right now and I feel I’m definitely heading in the right direction.”NOTES: Tartt and linebacker Mark Nzeocha (groin) didn’t practice Thursday. … Running back Matt Breida (ankle) and linebacker Malcolm Smith (Achilles) were limited. Every pick, every trade in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft will be updated live. The 49ers pick No. 104 overall, No. 176 overall, and No. 30 overall"Welcome to Niners Nation’s 2019 NFL Draft live blog! We will be providing updates throughout Friday evening as the draft gets underway. It’s the final day of the NFL Draft and the San Francisco 49ers hold the No. 104 overall, No. 176 overall Joe Staley Jersey , and No. 30 overall. The draft kicks off at 9 a.m. PT. We’ll be updating trades, picks, and all the other crazy that happens.One important rule: No tipping of picks in the comments. ESPN and NFL Network media will not be tweeting picks ahead of the commissioner’s announcements, but I believe Jason LaCanfora and others will. Do not post those tweets in here.We’ll have new articles for the 49ers pick(s) and any notable news, but this will serve as our primary spot for general draft discussion. We’ll update the spreadsheet below with each pick. It should be a busy evening, so we’ll see how it all shakes out. I do hope for a crazy night, but big talk can often lead to a letdown, so I’m not getting my hopes up too much.2019 NFL Draft Day 3PickTeamPlayerPositionPickTeamPlayerPosition
Dirk Koetter seemed resigned to his fate.The coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was fired Sunday night a little more than three hours after the Bucs concluded a disappointing season with a 34-32 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.Koetter was promoted from offensive coordinator to his first NFL head coaching position when Tampa Bay fired Lovie Smith in January 2016. He led the Bucs to a 9-7 record that year Devin White Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jersey , but followed up with consecutive 5-11 finishes.His successor will be the sixth coach will be the fifth coach the team has had since firing Jon Gruden after the 2008 season. The Bucs have missed the playoffs 11 straight seasons and haven’t won a playoff game since their Super bowl run under Gruden in 2002.“I’d love to finish out my contract, of course I would,” Koetter said during his postgame news conference.More Tampa Bay Buccaneers newsBucs rebuild on defense, surround Jameis Winston with playmakers in NFL DraftBuccaneers take Lou Groza Award winning kicker Matt Gay in 5th roundBuccaneers select Central Michigan CB Sean Bunting 39th overall in NFL draftBuccaneers take LSU’s Devin White with 5th overall pickBuccaneers Draft Preview: Filling holes in leaky defense priority for new coach Bruce Arians, GM Jason Licht“Whatever is going to happen is going to happen, and that’s just the way this business works,” he added. “If this is the last one for me, I appreciate the opportunity they gave me. It’s awesome to be a head football coach in the NFL. Coaching in the NFL period is awesome. It’s the best of the best.”The Bucs started 2-0 this year, and then lost 11 of 14 down the stretch, including four straight games to finish the season.Koetter, who had a 19-29 record Terry Beckner Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jersey , was dismissed after meeting with team ownership after the news conference.“We sincerely appreciate the hard work and commitment shown by Dirk over the past several years,” Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said in a statement.Glazer said general manager Jason Licht would begin the search for a new coach immediately.Koetter was asked if he believed he deserved to keep his job after constructing an offense that ranked among the league leaders this season, including No. 1 in passing yards.‘There is no such thing as deserve in the NFL,” he said. . Numbers are nice but this is a winning league. I’ve been fired before and I’ve been hired before. I know this, if look yourself in the mirror at end the day and know you did everything you could, then I’ve no problem holding my head up.”Licht, whose record since taking over as general manager five years ago is 27-53, apparently is keeping his job despite a spotty track record in the draft and free agency, where Tampa Bay has made numerous mistakes 鈥?especially in Licht’s effort to overhaul a porous defense.Defensive coordinator Mike Smith was fired in October with the Bucs yielding a NFL-high 34.6 points a game through the first six weeks of the season.The team also must decide this winter whether Jameis Winston is the team’s quarterback of the future. Koetter was named coach, in part, because of his relationship with the No. 1 overall pick from the 2015 draft Jameis Winston Jersey , however Winston has not blossomed into the dominating quarterback the team envisioned him becoming under Koetter’s guidance.Winston, finishing his fourth season, is due to earn $20.92 million next season in the final year of the contract he signed as a rookie.“It’s an empty feeling when you lose, no matter how you lose. It was an up and down year and didn’t turn out how we wanted it to turn out,”” Winston said, adding he has not been told if he will return in 2019.Winston and other teammates continued to express support Koetter right up to the end.Receiver Mike Evans, who set a club single-season record for receiving yards this year, called playing for the former coach “awesome.”“The fans might put stuff on him. That’s how sports works. You look at the head coach, Evans said. “I’m very fortunate to have played for him. “He took my game to new heights.”Will Dirk Koetter call plays? If you think Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter should give up play calling, you aren’t alone. Koetter was often criticized for his play calling last season. That may be why Koetter allowed offensive coordinator Todd Monken to called plays this preseason, and the offense has looked more explosive and efficient. But it’s just the preseason Mike Evans Jersey , right? Even if you focus on the process and not the results, it seems as though Monken does a better job leveraging down and distance and the skill sets of Tampa Bay’s very talented receiving corp. But with it only being preseason it’s hard to really judge if Monken is any better.But recently Koetter made statements that show he still hasn’t decided:And that he’s really struggling with the decision:Koetter has been noticeably cantankerous towards the media this preseason and has answered sarcastically or refused to answer at all, like he did on an innocuous question about the team captains. It’s hard to say if he’s already made up his mind, or if he’s really struggling with the decision. I’m sure Koetter has complicated feelings about this. If you let your coordinator call plays, and he’s worse than you, no big deal. But if he does it better than you, how can you go back? That’s where he finds himself right now. If he does take back play calling, at this point it might look like he’s putting his ego before the team. But he got to where he is as an NFL head coach by calling plays, and he truly enjoys doing it, so one could see how he would feel conflicted.
While players were getting their NFL starts in the draft on Friday night J.R. Sweezy Jersey , word came that one veteran member of the Seahawks might have played his final snap.Wide receiver Doug Baldwin has had knee, shoulder and sports hernia surgeries this offseason and a report indicated he may retire from the game as a result of the accumulated injuries. General Manager John Schneider confirmed Baldwin is “considering” retirement in a Friday night press conference and said “there’s a process to go through” before a final call is made.“He has been an extraordinary part of this program since we’ve been here,” head coach Pete Carroll said, via Curtis Crabtree of PFT and KJR. “He has given us everything he has had, been a great competitor, player and all that. We believe in him so much and trust in him so much that wherever this goes, we’re going to support him forever. He’s been a great contributor in so many ways, not just on the team, in the community and everything else. He’s been awesome. We’ll see what happens. He’s working through it and we’re going to follow Doug on this one.”There are cap implications to Baldwin’s ultimate decision and different ways to deal with the fallout, which Schneider acknowledged while repeating that everything remains under consideration as Baldwin goes through the process of figuring out his next steps. The Seattle Seahawks’ 10-game winning streak against the San Francisco 49ers came to a disappointing end, as the now 4-10 Niners beat their rivals 26-23 in overtime to deny the Seahawks a playoff berth for at least one week. Yes, there was bad officiating, but also sloppy play, sloppy weather, and other factors that contributed to Seattle’s demise.But when you look at what has happened around the league this week... maybe it was inevitable?Week 15 started off with the Kansas City Chiefs losing to the Los Angeles Chargers on the game’s final offensive play, blowing a 28-14 lead and thus the AFC West. As it turns out, a Chiefs win would’ve clinched the #1 seed in addition to the division (more on that later). It was the Chargers’ first win against the Chiefs since Week 17 of the 2013 season Michael Dickson Jersey Green , when a first-team Chargers side had to beat a second-string, Chase Daniel-led Kansas City squad in overtime just to make the playoffs. A great time for the Chargers to snap a nine-game losing streak vs. KC, and they could end up as the #1 seed in the AFC if all breaks right for them.Saturday night, the Cleveland Browns’ feint playoff hopes were kept alive courtesy of a 17-16 win over the Denver Broncos, whose head coach Vance Joseph ought to be fired for this mindlessness. It was Cleveland’s first win over the Broncos since 1990. Two iterations of the Browns have had 11 cracks at Denver over a near-three decade span, but couldn’t beat them. Denver’s fading playoff hopes, which took a hit when they had their own loss to the 49ers last week, are done now. At the same time as the Seahawks-49ers, the Pittsburgh Steelers held off the New England Patriots for a pivotal 17-10 win, when a loss would’ve momentarily knocked them out of the playoffs. It snapped a five-game losing skid against the Patriots for Mike Tomlin’s bunch, marking his first win over New England since 2011. It’s also the first time since 2002 that the Patriots have lost consecutive December games. New England might very well fail to get a first-round bye, and as alluded to earlier, a Steelers win was what the Chiefs needed to clinch the #1 seed in the AFC... except they didn’t beat the Chargers, so their playoff seeding is still up in the air.Sometimes “shit happens,” and I think that’s an apt description for Week 15. A lot of long droughts all just ended within a 72-hour span, and you just have to move on and look at the next opponent.
The Crow’s Nest: Evans’ good deed Jameis Winston Jersey , Nassib reactions, and Vea not ready Raiders fumbled their season right out of the end zone in a loss to the Cowboys - SBNation.comOakland couldn’t overcome their mistakes and bad luck in their 20-17 loss to the Cowboys.Bucs Add Nassib To DL - JoeBucsFan.comJoe has to admit this is a head-scratcher.Mike Evans Says Bucs' Indoor Facility Has Prepped Him For New Orleans - JoeBucsFan.comHe’s an excellent receiver, but he has admitted to an aversion to playing in domes.Mike Evans of Tampa Bay Buccaneers helps Jacksonville shooting victims - ESPNBuccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans played Shay Kivlen, aka "Young Kiv," in a Madden game Monday to raise funds for victims of the Jacksonville shooting on Aug. 26.Buccaneers claim 'Hard Knocks' notable Carl Nassib - NFL.comThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are investing in former Cleveland Browns defensive end Carl Nassib. The team claimed the "Hard Knocks" standout off waivers on Monday.Bucs claim Carl Nassib off waivers – ProFootballTalkThe Buccaneers claimed defensive lineman Carl Nassib off waivers from the Browns, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Nassib, who became a star of Hard Knocks by offering financial advice to his teammates, was waived by the Browns on Sunday after they made some waiver claims of their own.Saints favored by a touchdown against Buccaneers in opener | NOLA.comNew Orleans is a 7-point favorite at homeTampa Bay Buccaneers say 1st-rounder Vita Vea still not ready to playBuccaneers coach Dirk Koetter said Monday that rookie Vita Vea's ins't ready to resume practicing, putting his availability to play in Week 1 against the Saints in jeopardy. Web links on the Buccaneers."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 2016 NFL DraftInjuriesFree AgencyGame FilmThe Crow’s Nest: Brice reactions, a heart condition, and mock roundupsNew,259commentsWeb links on the Buccaneers.EDTShareTweetShareShareThe Crow’s Nest: Brice reactions http://www.buccaneerslockerroom.com/authentic-vernon-hargreaves-iii-jersey , a heart condition, and mock roundupsPhoto by John Babiak/Bucs NationNFL Mock Draft Monday: Will Devin White be Kwon Alexander 2.0 for the Buccaneers?If Tampa Bay chooses the linebacker in the first round, it likely will be passing on the chance to upgrade its pass rush.Bucs sign former Packers safety Kentrell Brice to 1-year dealThe Buccaneers added to their collection of low-priced free agents, signing former Green Bay Packers safety Kentrell Brice to a one-year contract.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Heart condition holding top prospect back?After a monstrous performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, Montez Sweat popped onto the radar for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers they must now reconsider.Peak offseason: Buccaneers’ 327-pound Beau Allen climbs Mount Kilimanjaro for charityAs a 327-pound defensive tackle, Beau Allen is used to operating in tight spaces, moving in short bursts and staying close to home.Bucs Mock Draft Roundup 7.0Many draft analysts still have the Buccaneers taking an edge guy, with most settling on Mississippi State’s Montez Sweat now.Potential Bucs’ Draft Target DE Sweat Has Heart ConditionMississippi State defensive end Montez Sweat, a potential 2019 draft target by the Buccaneers, was recently diagnosed with a preexisting heart condition at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, according to a report on NFL.com.“That’s Just What We Need As A Team And As A Unit”It sounds like Donovan Smith wants or needs a proverbial kick in the ass.
49ers have decision to make with suspended WR Victor Bolden in Week 5 Fooch’s update: The 49ers have a week to decide Weston Richburg Jersey White , so can wait until after the Cardinals game if they want.The San Francisco 49ers have an assortment of injury issues, and head coach Kyle Shanahan said they might have to look at bringing in some healthy bodies at various positions.While they figure out who to bring in for Tuesday workouts, the 49ers have a decision to make with regard to wide receiver Victor Bolden. Over the summer, the NFL suspended Bolden for four games due to a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. He was allowed to take part in training camp and the preseason, but the 49ers then placed him on the Reserve/Suspended list as they cut down to 53 players.Bolden’s suspension is over, and the team has until Wednesday to figure out what to do. He currently does not count against the 53-man roster, and the 49ers get a two-day exemption to figure out if they want to release a player to make room for Bolden, or release Bolden to free agency.A year ago, Bolden spent the first 13 games of the season on the 53-man roster, and the final three games on injured reserve. In his 13 games on the roster, Bolden was active for nine games and inactive for four games. He was primarily a special teams player, appearing in 122 special teams snaps and 27 offensive snaps. He was the team’s starting kick returner, with 19 returns for 396 yards (20.8 yards per return).The 49ers held onto him through the suspension, and while there was nothing lost in keeping him around, it does suggest they might have a spot for him on the roster. At the time of the suspension announcement Womens Dwight Clark Jersey , Bolden said he unknowingly used a supplement on the NFL’s banned substance list. He acknowledged needing to take full responsibility for not verifying the ingredients of the supplement, and the 49ers seemed to accept that it was an unintentional mistake.D.J. Reed is currently the team’s starting kick returner, averaging 30.3 yards per return on nine kickoffs. The rules have changed in terms of the kick coverage players being delayed getting down the field, but Reed is fourth in return average, so he’s finding success in the role.There are currently six wide receivers on the depth chart: Pierre Gar莽on, Marquise Goodwin, Trent Taylor, Dante Pettis, Kendrick Bourne, and Richie James. Through four games, James has been active once, playing seven offensive snaps and no special teams snaps.If the 49ers want Bolden back on the roster, my guess is they would release James in hopes he gets through waivers and they can sign him to the practice squad. James was an explosive option in the preseason, but has not been able to earn a spot on the game-day roster aside from the one game active when Marquise Goodwin was hurt.The 49ers have two days to make a decision, and I suspect any roster move does not formally happen until Wednesday. What did Kyle Shanahan think of the pass interference no-call on Sunday? Just about the same as everyone else. It’s now Wednesday and the world is still waiting for an answer from the NFL regarding the blunder in the NFC Championship game on Sunday. By blunder Alfred Morris Jersey White , we mean when Saints wide receiver TommyLee Lewis was drilled in a helmet-to-helmet hit by Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman before a Drew Brees pass arrived. It was an obvious pass interference call. Well, obvious to everyone but the ones who could throw the flags, the referees. The Saints weren’t the only ones surprised, Robey Coleman could be seen looking for a flag as well after knocking Lewis to the ground. The lack of the call is something that’s going to be talked about long into the offseason, but Kyle Shanahan talked about it during his Senior Bowl press conference on Tuesday. The 49ers have had their share of awful pass interference calls. Some no calls come to mind, but one of the more blatant ones called was an offensive pass interference on Trent Taylor in 2017. Coincidentally, the cornerback he “pushed off” of was none other than Robey-Coleman. Robey-Coleman got the flag, but it was against the 49ers and also ended their chances of winning the game. If anyone knows the frustration of this, it’s Shanahan. There’s been some talk about the NFL considering how they can implement reviews to PIs and other penalties in the offseason. Some steam might pick up with Saints head coach Sean Payton being on the competition committee. Bill Belichick has also been vocal about reviewing everything. If Kyle Shanahan had a say for any of this, he’d may be in for it as well: If judgment calls like this—blatant or not—are subject to review, hopefully personal fouls are brought in. Some are worried the game will get even slower, but it can’t be much more difficult than someone watching in New York buzzing down and asking for another look. The league could cut the TV timeout duration from five to 2.5 minutes and use that commercial inventory to air during review timeouts. Which would give them incentive to check their work since the NFL and the network affiliates are depended on to get commercials aired. They wouldn’t want to return that advertising money because they didn’t air enough commercials—or review enough plays by extension. Just a thought. Checking PIs and personal fouls could slow down the game, but if it’s obvious and changing the outcome of games then so be it.As Shanahan says, do whatever it takes.
Seattle punter Michael Dickson took the snap and drifted across the back of the end zone http://www.seahawkslockerroom.com/authentic-david-moore-jersey , content to take a safety in the final minutes with his team up by 14.When nobody came all that close to him, he ran 9 yards for a first down.That was the final indignity for the Detroit Lions in a 28-14 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday. Detroit had won three of four and looked like a team that was making progress, but the Lions gave their home crowd little to cheer about against Seattle, falling behind in the second quarter and then making too many mistakes to rally."Had a little bit of success early in the game, but doesn't matter," Detroit coach Matt Patricia said. "We've got to stay focused for the entire game and play 60 minutes. As the head coach, that's my job."Detroit turned over the ball three times and was outrushed 176-34. The latter stat was significant because the Lions added defensive tackle Damon Harrison during the week in a trade with the New York Giants.Detroit's first turnover came immediately after Seattle tied the game at 7 in the second quarter. Ameer Abdullah fumbled on the ensuing kickoff return, and the Seahawks quickly took the lead.Down 28-14 in the fourth, the Lions crossed midfield with plenty of time remaining, but quarterback Matthew Stafford had to scramble a bit and lost the ball. Seattle (4-3) recovered that fumble, too.Detroit got the ball back and drove to the red zone, only for Stafford to throw a pass that was intercepted at the 1-yard line."Fumble, I'll have to look at. Obviously I got loose with it and had one hand on it. Should have two. If I have two, probably don't fumble it," Stafford said. "And then the interception, just a bad decision."It was probably the ugliest defeat for the Lions since their 48-17 loss to the New York Jets in the season opener. Detroit has only forced six turnovers all season. The Lions hadn't committed many since that game against the Jets, but the three Sunday were too tough to overcome."We can't have turnovers in any phase. It doesn't really matter," Patricia said. "We're certainly not getting any on defense either, so we're not helping ourselves. So, in general overall, the turnover situation (was) not good enough here today. We have to get more, we have to generate more on defense, and we can't give them up here, special teams or offensively."Both the Lions and Seahawks came into this game at .500, but it didn't look like a very even matchup. Detroit (3-4) is now in last place in the NFC North, with a tough matchup at Minnesota next weekend."I just hope that everybody comes in on Monday locked in. From this day forward, Monday, everybody comes locked in every Monday and getting ready to play," defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois said. "You play this game five to six times before you play it on the actual day. Mentally, physically, you're going to play this game multiple times. I don't know, their focus is killing me, that's the only thing I can think off of my head, that we weren't focused."Seahawks-Chargers 2018 NFL preseason: Kickoff time, TV schedule, radio, live streaming, and more The 2018 Seattle Seahawks preseason continues tonight (Saturday, August 18th) down in Southern California, as the Seahawks take on the Los Angeles Chargers at the StubHub Center.Neither team came away victorious in their respective opener last week, but it’s preseason Richard Sherman Jersey Green , so it’s not like we’re supposed to care. The second preseason game should see an increase in playing time for available starters, and in some cases preseason debuts. Expect Russell Wilson to play no longer than the entire first-half, whereas Phillip Rivers may only get a couple of series after not appearing in LA’s loss against the Arizona Cardinals. On the injury front, the Seahawks will notably be without running back Rashaad Penny, as well as receivers Tyler Lockett, Doug Baldwin, and Amara Darboh. The Chargers, led by second-year head coach Anthony Lynn, won’t have the services of DE Joey Bosa or CB Trevor Williams. Here are all the details you need on tonight’s matchup, including broadcast information, live streaming options, radio commentary, and more:TV ScheduleDate: Saturday, August 18th, 2018Time: 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT Channel: KCPQ-13 (FOX) | NFL NetworkAnnouncers: Curt Menefee and Brock Huard | Spero Dedes and LaDainian Tomlinson (NFL Network/Chargers broadcast)Location: StubHub Center | Carson, CaliforniaRadio: 710 ESPN Seattle/97.3 KIRO FM (click here for additional TV and radio affiliates outside of the Seattle area)Radio Announcers: Steve Raible, Dave Wyman (Reporters: Jen Mueller and John Clayton)Online Streaming: NFL Game Pass (Free 7-Day Trial) | Seahawks.com (within 75-mile radius of CenturyLink Field only) | Watch NFL Network liveCurrent 90-man roster: Click hereOpponent Blog: Bolts from the BlueFollow Field Gulls on social media!Twitter - @FieldGullsFacebook - Field Gulls: For Seattle Seahawks News and AnalysisSeahawks preseason schedule 2018Thursday, Aug. 9 — L 19-17 vs. Indianapolis ColtsSaturday, Aug. 18 — at Los Angeles Chargers, 7 p.m.Friday, Aug. 24 — at Minnesota Vikings, 5 p.m.Thursday, Aug. 30 — vs. Oakland Raiders, 7 p.m.Seahawks regular season schedule 2018September9/9: at Denver Broncos (1:25 PM PT, FOX)9/17: at Chicago Bears (5:15 PM PT, ESPN)9/23: vs. Dallas Cowboys (1:25 PM PT, FOX)9/30: at Arizona Cardinals (1:05 PM PT, FOX)October10/7: vs. Los Angeles Rams (1:25 PM PT, FOX)10/14: “at” Oakland Raiders in London (10 AM PT, FOX)10/21: BYE10/28: at Detroit Lions (10 AM PT, FOX)November11/4: vs. Los Angeles Chargers (1:05 PM PT, CBS)11/11: at Los Angeles Rams (1:25 PM PT, CBS)11/15 (Thu): vs. Green Bay Packers (5:20 PM PT, FOX/NFL Network)11/25: at Carolina Panthers (10 AM PT, FOX)December12/2: vs. San Francisco 49ers (5:20 PM PT, NBC)12/10 (Mon): vs. Minnesota Vikings (5:15 PM PT, ESPN)12/16: at San Francisco 49ers (1:05 PM PT, FOX)12/23: vs. Kansas City Chiefs (5:20 PM PT, NBC)12/30: vs. Arizona Cardinals (1:25 PM PT, FOX)
Buccaneers at Dolphins preseason 2018: Time Deone Bucannon Jersey White , TV schedule, online streaming, and more The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally kickoff their 2018 preseason from Miami as they take on the Dolphins. The first preseason game usually features the started in a limited role and we may see just that. The change here from a year ago would be quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick getting the start down in Miami in preparation for the season. We may see the veteran quarterback play into the second quarter with Jameis Winston coming in behind him.There will be a lot of eyes on several players where fans and media have been anxiously awaiting to see play in a game. Newcomers Jason Pierre-Paul, Vinny Curry, Ryan Jensen, and others will have a lot of eyes on them. Rookies Ronald Jones II, Carlton Davis, and Justin Watson will be among the rookies where we’ll be curiously watching. But this is where many bubble players can begin making an impression.INFORMATIONGame time: 7:00pm ETLocation: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FLWeather: 85藲F, Possible ThunderstormsTV: WFLA (NBC/8 - Tampa)Announcers: Chris Myers, Ronde BarberOnline streaming: NFL Sunday Ticket (paid DirecTV service - one-week trial); NFL Game Pass (paid service - shows preseason games live, replays of regular season games)NFL Network Replay: Saturday at 6:30am ET; Tuesday at 4:00amOdds: Dolphins -1.5 | O/U: 34All-time record: Buccaneers 6-5 (Regular Season)Most recent regular season meeting: Buccaneers 30-20 at Miami (Week 11 2017)Streak: Buccaneers 2 wins (2013, 2017); Buccaneers 5 of last 6Most recent preseason meeting: Buccaneers 22-17 at Miami (PS Week 4 2015)Twitter: @Bucs_NationFacebook: Please like us!Buccaneers after the bye: Last 10 years The bye week is always a good time to reflect on the start of the season, but it also serves as a reset. For the Buccaneers, this year’s bye came pretty early in the year. Even still, the team has plenty to reflect on and improve upon before the next time it takes the field.Over the last decade Womens O. J. Howard Jersey , Tampa Bay hasn’t been particularly successful as a whole. But in most of the last 10 seasons, the bye week hasn’t served as much of a reset at all. There has been far more failure than success after the off weeks. Let’s take a look at how the Bucs have fared after the bye since 2008:2008Tampa Bay went into its bye week with a record of 6-3 in 2008. After the week off, the Bucs came out with three straight wins to get to 9-3. Hot streak, huh? Well, they went on to lose their next four games to miss the playoffs. Jon Gruden was fired after the collapse. Post-bye record: 3-42009The 2009 season was the beginning of a new era for the Bucs, but it didn’t start out all that well. They were 0-7 heading into the bye week. The team did something right in the week off as it came out and picked up win No. 1 on the year the following week. Unfortunately, the winning didn’t last. The next five games ended in defeat and the Bucs finished 3-13.Post-bye record: 3-62010Raheem Morris and the Buccaneers turned the corner a bit in 2010, just barely missing out on a playoff berth. There was an early bye for Tampa Bay that year, coming in week four after a 2-1 start. From week five on, the Bucs won five of their next seven. Overall, the team finished 10-6 in Morris’ second year. Early bye weeks can cause trouble for the final stretch of the season, but it wasn’t too much of a problem in 2010.Post-bye record: 8-52011The 2011 season was a mess all around. A 4-3 start before the bye was promising, but going 0-9 the rest of the way led to the firing of Raheem Morris. Post-bye record: 0-92012Greg Schiano took over as head coach before the 2012 season and got his new team out to a 1-3 start. It was another early bye week for Tampa Bay, but the rest of the season wasn’t so bad. The Bucs played to a .500 record the rest of the way to finish 7-9, which wasn’t all that discouraging after the previous year’s struggles.Post-bye record: 6-62013Schiano and the Bucs had another week five bye in 2013 and approached that break with an 0-4 record. It didn’t get much better immediately after, as the team dropped to 0-8 before finally picking up its first win of the season. Going 4-4 over the final eight games isn’t awful by any stretch, but it wasn’t enough to save Schiano’s job.Post-bye record: 4-82014The Lovie Smith era began in 2014 with a thud. The Bucs were 1-5 going into their week seven bye and won just one game after it. The continuous losing was enough to secure the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft Chandler Catanzaro Jersey , which was spent on current quarterback Jameis Winston. There were winnable games down the stretch, but Tampa Bay failed to come through. That landed Smith on thin ice after just one season.Post-bye record: 1-92015With Winston under center from the start, the Bucs got out to a 2-3 start in 2015. They went on a little run after the bye week, winning four of seven, but then lost four straight to end the season. A 6-10 record wasn’t enough to keep Lovie around. Dirk Koetter got the promotion to head coach after a huge year from the offense.Post-bye record: 4-72016A 2-3 start in 2016 wasn’t all that promising, but the bye week shot some life into the Buccaneers, even if it took a while to translate to victories. They lost two of three following the week off, but then won five straight to get into the playoff conversation. Losing two of three to finish 9-7 kept Tampa Bay out, but it was still a pretty strong finish for Koetter in his first year as a head coach.Post-bye record: 7-42017Last season is an exception, as Hurricane Irma postponed the Bucs’ week one game at Miami and took away the team’s bye week. Not playing in the season’s opening weekend doesn’t exactly count as a bye, so this won’t be included in our overall breakdown.OverallSince 2008, the Bucs are 36-58 after their bye weeks.Since 2008, Tampa Bay is 5-4 in the week immediately following a bye. The Bucs won three straight post-bye games from 2008-2010, then lost three straight post-bye games from 2013-2015.What do you think comes next for the Bucs after their 2018 bye week?
The Titans officially have a tight end problem Five weeks in to the 2018 NFL season Malcolm Butler Jersey , the Titans top receiving tight end is Luke Stocker with 5 catches for 63 yards. Delanie Walker — who was injured midway through the opening game in Miami and is unlikely to return any time soon — is second with 4 catches and 52 yards. The guy that everyone expected to step up when Walker went down, second year tight end Jonnu Smith, has just 2 catches for 21 yards for the entire season. The Titans entire tight end room has been blanked in the box score two weeks in a row and has just 4 catches for 35 yards combined over the last four weeks. The problem extends far beyond catching passes though. The Titans aren’t getting much from their tight ends as run blockers either. Luke Stocker ranks 30th among tight ends in run blocking on PFF, while Jonnu Smith checks in at 42nd. The Tennessee running game is being hurt by missed blocks from this position group far too often right now.The fallout from the tight end struggles ripples through the rest of the roster as well. The lack of a viable receiving threat out of this group puts more pressure on the young receivers and depth receivers like Darius Jennings and Nick Williams. We’ve seen how that has worked out to this point. The blocking failures have virtually crippled the play that should be the staple of this rushing offense, the outside zone. That’s been reflected in Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis’ statistics through five weeks. Bad tight end play is hampering virtually every aspect of this offense right now.Jonnu Smith played pretty well during his rookie season as the No. 2 to Walker’s No. 1, leaving most to believe that he could prove to eventually be become the team’s top option at the position. He followed that up with a great offseason, finishing a close runner up to Derrick Henry for the coaching staff’s offseason recognition. By all accounts — including my own — Smith looked like a player poised to take the next step in 2018. All that build up makes his performance over the last four weeks that much more frustrating. His blocking has been a problem and he’s not offsetting it with any production in the passing game. Worse, it seems as if he may have lost some of Marcus Mariota’s trust when he dropped that easy 3rd down pass against the Eagles. Since that drop, there have been multiple plays where Mariota has seemingly passed up an open Smith to throw elsewhere, including the ill-fated throw to Nick Williams in Buffalo. The coaches may be losing some faith in their young tight end as well. Smith’s snap count dropped to 78% of snaps against the Bills, marking the first time it’s been under 90% since Walker got injured. Stocker was the primary beneficiary, jumping from 35% in Week 4 to 59% in Week 5. It’s not as if Stocker has been tearing it up this season either. He’s clearly a better blocker than Smith Marcus Mariota Jersey , but even on his best day he’s not a serious threat as a receiving option. Playing Stocker more and Smith less could yield more consistency at least, but it certainly lowers the ceiling of what the offense can be. The only other options on the roster currently are MyCole Pruitt and Anthony Firkser who was just promoted from the practice squad. Pruitt has gotten a little playing time over the last couple weeks, primarily as a blocker, but he entered the league as a big time athlete who was quite productive as a receiver in college. Firkser may be the best receiving tight end on the roster right now given what we’ve seen from Smith to this point. He’s not strong enough to hold up as a point of attack blocker though which limits what the team can do with him on the field. The free agent market is pretty barren at tight end. The two options that have performed at the level of a TE1 previously in the NFL are Coby Fleener and Martellus Bennett. Fleener was last seen being released by the Saints after failing to be medically cleared to return from a concussion. Bennett has recently tweeted that he won’t be planning on returning to the NFL because he can’t pass a drug test. Neither of those guys are realistic options. There isn’t a Kenny Vaccaro type free agent tight end that can come to the rescue. A trade for a tight end could be possible in theory, though midseason player trades are pretty rare in the NFL. Cameron Brate would make the most sense in my opinion. O.J. Howard has supplanted him as the top tight end in Tampa Bay which makes him somewhat expendable. He also has ties with Titans GM Jon Robinson who was part of the front office that brought Brate to Tampa as an undrafted free agent in 2014. We’ve seen Robinson come back to guys he has connections with before so that model fits here. The problem is that Brate just signed a 6 year, $41M contract extension earlier this offseason so it would appear that the Bucs see him as a part of their long term future, even if he’s not the top tight end. As the Titans are proving right now, a second tight end can be pretty important. That’s also a big contract for the Titans to take on considering they just handed out an expensive extension to Walker earlier this offseason and will have possible extensions to discuss with Mariota and Kevin Byard this spring. I just don’t see how a Brate deal gets done realistically and there isn’t another deal out there that makes a ton of sense for both sides.So what do the Titans do to make it better?Obviously, the Titans were never going to replace Delanie Walker. You don’t just lose a 3-time Pro Bowler and rattle right along like nothing happened. This was always going to be a team effort to pick up the large amount of slack left by his injury. Wide receivers like Corey Davis, Taywan Taylor, and Tajae Sharpe must continue to improve. The Titans need their offensive tackles to get healthy and stay healthy so the tight ends don’t have to chip and help in pass protection so often. However, Tennessee is going to need to find a way to get something out of the tight end spot. The most optimistic solution would be to stay the course with Smith and continue to coach him up and that’s ultimately what I expect they’ll do. He’s a young player with plenty of physical ability. It’s just about getting the mental side of the game to slow down for him. If I was Matt LaFleur or Marcus Mariota Ryan Tannehill Jersey , I would be trying to find a way to get Smith an easy catch or two early on in the Ravens game to try to get him jump started and build a little confidence. Another option is to elevate Stocker to the TE1 role. That at least improves the team from a blocking standpoint. They could then bring Smith on for certain packages or even take a look at Pruitt or Firkser in a potential “3rd down tight end” role if Smith continues to struggle. It’s a less than ideal solution because it limits how multiple you can be out of the same personnel package, but being multiple may not be a luxury the Titans have right now.Tight end is one of the toughest positions on the field to play. You have to know the route tree as well as pass protections. You have to run like a receiver one play and then block like an offensive lineman the next. Right now Smith is offering neither and it’s really hurting this offense. I don’t think it’s time to give up on him altogether, but it is time for the Titans to admit that there is a problem at this position and start addressing it one way or another. Washington safety D.J. Swearinger hasn’t been shy about airing his grievances with his team this season and he was in the Festivus spirit after Saturday’s loss to Tennessee.Swearinger was critical of defensive coordinator Greg Manusky’s calls on the drive that ended with Tennessee’s go-ahead score. He had particular scorn for the decision to have the team playing man-to-man on a third down play that resulted in a holding penalty on cornerback Fabian Moreau.Swearinger thought the call was “horrible” and wasn’t much kinder about the coordinator’s decision to put Moreau in that position against Titans backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert.“In that type of situation, you got a backup quarterback, I wouldn’t call man-to-man to make it easy for him,” Swearinger said, via NBC Sports Washington. “He hadn’t practiced all week. So, disguise a zone and let him throw the ball right to us. We didn’t make the plays we needed to, but when it’s crunch time, put us somewhere where we can make a play. Don’t put us in man-to-man where it’s easy for the quarterback. It’s too easy for the quarterback.”After one of Swearinger’s previous blasts, head coach Jay Gruden said he spoke to the safety about keeping his thoughts inside the team rather than sharing them with the outside world. Swearinger chose to go a different way on Saturday.
After reviewing the Houston Texans and New England Patriots game A.J. Brown Tennessee Titans Jersey , the Titans have a real chance of earning a home field win against their division rival.But, it won’t be easy.Even with an ailing Marcus Mariota, a recovering Taylor Lewan and the likelihood to be without Jack Conklin for another week, a win is not outside the realm of reality. The CheckdownThe Patriots offensive attack didn’t change much since last season. QB Tom Brady still targets TE Rob Gronkowski no matter how many opposing jerseys are surrounding him. What Brady will also continue to do is utilize his stable of running backs in the passing game. Brady exposed the Texans coverage mishaps by dink-and-dunking to the running backs underneath. His second passing touchdown of the day was a short dump-off to RB James White. The play looked like a blown coverage assignment by DB Kevin Johnson - who had a dismal day throughout. David Butler II-USA TODAY SportsBut, we’ll get to Johnson later.The Titans witnessed first hand what former Patriot Dion Lewis could do as a receiver. Expect OC Matt LaFleur to continue to increase Lewis’s workload - especially against a Texans team that struggled covering running backs. Lewis is capable of inflicting the same amount of damage as White did, especially if Johnson continues to have lapses in coverage.Brady tried to hit White prior to the touchdown coming across the middle, but newly acquired DB Tyrann Matheiu snagged the ball for his first pick as a Texan. This is the instance the Titans should steer clear of targeting their running backs - when Matheiu is covering them.Containing RPOThe Texans use a lot of RPO in their offense. The Titans will be prepared - or should be, at least - considering the defense sees a ton of those looks in practice. The Quality Control Coordinator Chandler Hendley will have to ensure his plan for the scout team is air-tight and will provide a comprehensive sample of what the Titans defense can expect.Houston will allow QB Deshaun Watson the freedom to use his legs when his instincts beg him to. That’s a given. The Titans have to be able to set the edge and deliver some punishment (within the legal limit) to Watson when he makes himself a ball carrier. The Titans defense has to discourage Watson from using his legs in order to take away one dimension of his game.David Butler II-USA TODAY SportsAgainst the Patriots, the Texans tried to get WR DeAndre Hopkins going early. Bubble screens and quick read slants were dialed up early and were effective. The Titans secondary has to avoid giving too much cushion to Hopkins and the ILBs must be prepared to linger in the spaces where Hopkins sees targets coming over the middle. The Texans will not shy away from attempting a deep strike downfield. Watson connected with TE Jordon Thomas deep. He tried to go deep again on a second and short, but threw an interception in the end zone.Expect Houston to test the Titans defensive backs ability to cover deep. The Texans will use Watson’s legs to gain some of the Titans’ defenders respect and attention. This will create some opportunities downfield that the defensive backs must be ready for. The communication will be paramount. Containing the Pass RushAs of today Will Compton Jersey , it is unclear who will line up at both starting tackle positions on Sunday. An optimist would guess LT Taylor Lewan clears the protocol and is available while RT Jack Conklin is given another week of rest.The offensive line graded well in handling the Dolphins edge rushers considering they were without two starting tackles for the majority of the game. The duo of defensive ends in Houston is a much different animal. The combo of DE Jadaveon Clowney and DE J.J. Watt can induce migraines. Clowney was a nuisance against the Patriots. He had his way a few times with tackle Trent Brown. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY SportsThe Patriots made some adjustments and were able to keep Clowney from doing more damage than he was already doing. FB James Develin destroyed Clowney on a clean-up chip block in which Brown made the initial contact. The Titans will have to attack Clowney in a similar way to keep him from getting to whomever is under center. The Texans also were able to create pressure against the Patriots interior front. C Ben Jones and company must be able to withstand the pressure and avoid enabling an interior collapsing pocket.Attack Kevin JohnsonI mentioned Johnson earlier as I believe he is a weak link the Titans can expose. He was on the wrong end of a few touchdowns and was visibly deflated following his coverage errors that turned into points. Gronk is Gronk, let that be said. No matter who is covering him or how many defenders there are, sometimes the guy is just flat out uncoverable. Johnson wasn’t in terrible position at times and had the help, but Gronk still hauled in some catches for big gains. Outside of a controversial catch that Gronk made nearing the tail end of the first half - a catch that moved the chains and contributed to the Patriots putting up 7 before the break - Gronk was unstoppable. The Titans had their own version of Gronk in TE Delanie Walker, who could’ve been lethal in the game plan heading into Houston. Now, the Titans must hope TE Jonnu Smith can muster up the confidence in his own abilities to keep the tight end position an area of concern for the Texans defenders. Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY SportsThe Titans can scheme match-ups of Smith vs Johnson early, which could boost the confidence of Jonnu assuming he capitalizes on Johnson’s blunders. That’s also assuming Johnson doesn’t bounce back from his performance against Brady, who routinely makes defensive backs look bad anyway. Johnson allowed some big gains underneath and was on the opposite end of the James White touchdown early. He also was on the wrong end of the Phillip Dorsett touchdown.Brady was like a shark smelling blood in the water. He continued to attack Johnson and rattle his confidence throughout the game. The Titans need to be familiar with where Johnson is on the field and scheme for mismatches that could result in new sets of downs, big plays and points.Whether it is QB Marcus Mariota or QB Blaine Gabbart set to start, the offensive game plan should be unwavering. To beat Houston Kenny Vaccaro Jersey , the Titans must contain Watson, avoid the deep pass plays, utelize their backs in the passing game and attack Johnson. The first game against Houston last season was horrific. The Titans must use that as motivation and lean on the blueprint the Patriots laid out to help the team be at .500 and securing a much needed division win. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota officially is questionable for Tennessee's regular season finale against Indianapolis with a playoff berth on the kube.Mariota was limited Friday for a second straight day at practice after a stinger late in the first half of last week's 25-16 victory over Washington affected his right, throwing arm. If Mariota can't play, backup Blaine Gabbert would start his third game this season for the Titans (9-6) who host Indianapolis (9-6) on Sunday night with the winner clinching at worst an AFC wild-card slot.Coach Mike Vrabel says Mariota's workout "was about the same" as it was Thursday. Vrabel says they "limited" the QB's workout and that the Titans will "just keep seeing where it goes and find out who gives us the best chance, and how he feels. We want to make sure he can go out there and do his job at a high level." The Titans ruled Brian Orakpo out for a third straight game after the linebacker was limited again Friday with an injured elbow.
Welcome to Week 7 of the 2018 NFL regular season Womens Lee Roy Selmon Jersey , folks! We’re halfway to when most of you will hopefully be competing in your league’s fantasy football playoffs, so the games are getting more and more important both on the field and off.Here’s hoping you did better than I did in fantasy football last week. I went 2-2 in my leagues, but still have a hold on third place in my money league, so that’s good. Although, in one league I already witnessed Emmanuel Sanders throw and catch his way to 24.32 points against me already this week.Kudos to you if you had him and started him, and especially if you went in with the Broncos defense!Before we get into this weekend’s festivities, let’s recap how last weekend went for the players in this very column.QUARTERBACKS (1/3): A rough start to our weekend as we missed on our starter (Jared Goff) and our sit (Mitch Trubisky). In the process, Goff dropped to fantasy football’s QB8 for the season after coming in as QB5. Jameis Winston saved the weekend though and we came away with a QB1 out of the sleeper slot.RUNNING BACKS (2/3): James Conner came through as the starter and turned in 29 points in Week 6. Ezekiel Elliott did enough to make his league owners happy, but you daily fantasy players who ignored our advice are wishing you hadn’t right about now. Our miss came as Marshawn Lynch failed to find success in his overseas business trip.RECEIVERS (3/3): Austin Hooper came through with TE1 points as our starter last week, and Jimmy Graham turned our sleeper projection into TE8 production. Not bad. Kelvin Benjamin made good on our sit projection as well. Maybe just sit him for the rest of the year.DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS (3/3): The Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens both turned in Top-4 D/ST performances last weekend, and the New England Patriots unit got predictably worked by the very young and very real Kansas City Chiefs offense.OVERALL (9/12): Not a bad rebound from our terrible Week 5 projections. Quarterback was the sore spot while we shot 100% on receivers and defenses this past weekend. Let’s try and replicate that late success to the earlier picks as well, shall we?WEEK 7 FANTASY FOOTBALL PROJECTIONSQUARTERBACKSGreg M. Cooper-USA TODAY SportsSTART: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (vs Cincinnati Bengals)If Mahomes was going to have a bad week this season, it likely would have been last week. Alas, the sights and sounds of Gillette Stadium didn't derail his amazing season, so why should a home game against the seventh friendliest fantasy football defense to quarterbacks this year?SIT: Derek Anderson Beau Allen Jersey White , Buffalo Bills (@ Indianapolis Colts)Two weeks ago, Anderson was out of football. Now, he’s the starting quarterback of the worst franchise in the NFL. There’s a reason they need a quarterback was just as involved with an NFL game plan as your mailman was three weeks ago. There won’t be any Ander-Magic here.SLEEPER: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (@ Kansas City Chiefs)Do you play in one of those atrocious fantasy football leagues where you have two starting quarterbacks every week? Gross.If you do though, having Mahomes and Dalton would mean you could probably just play quarterbacks and still be competitive. The Chiefs defense has shown no reason to believe they’ll stop anyone, so Dalton should have a good game too.RUNNING BACKSNorthJersey.com-USA TODAY NETWORSTART: Saquon Barkley, New York Giants (@ Atlanta Falcons)Peyton Barber of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hadn’t had a relevant fantasy football performance all year long. Then he played against the Falcons. In Atlanta.Barber ripped off 82-yards on thirteen carries and added another 24-yards and a touchdown on four catches. Barkley will do even better.SIT: Duke Johnson and Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns (@Tampa Bay Buccaneers)I know, it sounds crazy, if you have either one of these guys you’re sure he’ll be the one to benefit from the Browns trading Carlos Hyde to the Jacksonville Jaguars right before they head in against the top defense to have a running back play against.Here’s the problem. Chubb owners and Johnson owners are equally confident in their guy becoming the main eater here.Honestly, in my opinion, volume is going to go to Chubb but the bigger stat line will belong to Johnson. Sit both until you figure out what the Browns are thinking.SLEEPER: Kenyan Drake, Miami Dolphins (vs Detroit Lions)Drake had almost as many carries as Frank Gore did last week and actually played more snaps. Gore is older, and the Dolphins have to split the work to keep him active during the remainder of the season. While Drake almost - and should have - lost the game for his team last weekend, he’ll redeem himself here. This one is a bit bolder than most, as PFF has Drake projected as their RB23 this weekend.RECEIVERSScott R. Galvin-USA TODAY SportsSTART: Jarvis Landry Vita Vea Jersey , Cleveland Browns (@Tampa Bay Buccaneers)Landry is one of the best receivers in the NFL, but comin in to Week 7 he’s WR28 in fantasy football this season.He’ll climb the ranks a bit against a young and inexperienced secondary in Tampa Bay. He’ll see some of Brent Grimes, sure. But he’ll also see plenty of Carlton Davis, M.J. Stewart and Ryan Smith.SIT: Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins (vs Dallas Cowboys)This one was hard. Honestly, I think it’s going to be a big weekend for tight ends and most of your household names should do pretty well. But, there has to be someone on the outside looking in, right?Reed has had some good games against the Cowboys in the past, but I just don’t feel like Washington has enough to keep Dallas from ensuring Reed doesn’t beat them this weekend.SLEEPER: Josh Gordon, New England Patriots (vs Chicago Bears)From a Cleveland Browns receiver at the starting block to a former one in the sleeper. Josh Gordon was targeted nine times against Kansas City and brought in five of those for 42-yards. Not great fantasy football numbers, but you like those targets.He and Tom Brady should get a little more in synch this weekend, and with Khalil Mack suffering from an ankle injury, it should lead to something fruitful.DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMSKirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsSTART: Los Angeles Rams (@ San Francisco 49ers)The 49ers offense did some amazing things last weekend, and lost. Because they aren’t good. Missing their star quarterback isn’t helping, but those issues aren’t going to suddenly disappear. Rams defense should dominate this divisional game.SIT: Atlanta Falcons (vs New York Giants)Before you hit the ‘duh’ button and leave, hear me out. Not only am I saying you need to sit the Falcons defense against New York - because http://www.buccaneerslockerroom.com/authentic-ali-marpet-jersey , obviously - but I’m saying this as well: If you only have Atlanta available because your main defense is on a bye and you don’t stream well. Go with no defense. You’ll score more points with an empty D/ST slot than you will if you put this Falcons unit in.SLEEPER: Indianapolis Colts (vs Buffalo Bills)The Buffalo Bills are allowing the most points to opposing D/ST units in fantasy football this year. The last time I projected a big game against them, they stomped the Vikings and Josh Allen somehow didn’t get tested for performance enhancing substances. I joke.Buffalo is a dumpster fire because they are in a rebuild one-year after making it to the playoffs for the first time since I started shaving.Tyrod Taylor may be on the bench in Cleveland, but he’s having a better year than Buffalo is, and Andrew Luck is going to prove it. The 2019 Buccaneers are going a Cardinals flair to them as head coach Bruce Arians has filled out the staff with assistants who worked for him when he was in Arizona from 2013 to 2017.Among those coaches is Todd Bowles, who was the defensive coordinator in Arians’ first two seasons with the Cardinals and will be running the defense in Tampa. One of the players he’ll be coaching is linebacker Deone Bucannon and that furthers the connection to the Arizona days.Bucannon was Arizona’s first-round pick in 2014 and signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers last week. He said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he immediately knew Tampa was the right place for him and that playing for Bowles again was a big reason why he feels that way.“Honestly, it just gives me space … it allows me to play fast and it allows me to hit hard, and those are my two strengths within the defense,” Bucannon said. “And I feel like how Coach Bowles coaches the game, how each and every person individually, he puts them in a position to win. He puts them in the best position, according to the player.”Bucannon’s playing time dropped significantly with the Cardinals last season after a change in defensive scheme. If returning to the familiar leads to better results for Bucannon, he may be in line for a longer deal around this time next year.
For the second straight weekend the NFL Playoffs continue without the Seattle Seahawks http://www.seahawkslockerroom.com/authentic-richard-sherman-jersey , whose season came to an end two weeks ago in Dallas, and this weekend the participants in Super Bowl XLIII will be decided. There should be some fun and entertaining football on Sunday, with the conference championships set to take place late Sunday. The action will kick off first in the cozy confines of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, where the New Orleans Saints will host the Los Angeles Rams for the right to represent the NFC when the Super Bowl is played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in two weeks. Both teams bring high powered offenses to the table, as the Rams and Saints are the number two and number three scoring teams in the NFL. When these two teams met in Week 9 they combined to score 80 points with the Saints coming away with a 45-35 victory. Oddsmakers don’t seem to expect quite the same kind of offensive explosion this time around, as the over/under at 56.5 as of late Saturday, but even that would represent an above average scoring game. In the other conference championship it’s the Kansas City Chiefs facing the ever present New England Patriots for the right to represent the AFC. Kansas City has long faced postseason woes, having not won a Super Bowl since the 1969 season. On the flip side, the Patriots have won basically every Super Bowl this millennium. The offenses of both of these teams come in highly ranked as well, with the Chiefs boasting the highest scoring offense in the NFL and Patriots the fourth highest scoring offense in the league. In short, all four of the highest scoring offenses in the league are playing for the conference championship today and not a single one of the four teams in the conference championships has a top three or top five defense. If, however, you are a believer that defense wins championships Kam Chancellor Jersey , then let me present to you the New England Patriots, who enter their showdown with the Chiefs boasting the highest ranked defense in terms of points allowed of the remaining team. Their ranking of seventh in this category comes in ahead of the Saints (14), the Rams (20) and the Chiefs (24). Seven of the top ten scoring defenses made the playoffs in 2018, but the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts combined to go 3-6, leaving the Patriots as the top remaining scoring defense. If one prefers their defensive rankings to be of the DVOA variety, then there are no top ten teams left and New Orleans (11) is the best defense left. Behind them would be the Pats (16), Rams (19) and the Chiefs (26). As for my thoughts on the games today, my proprietary metrics have the Patriots and Saints advancing to take on one another in Atlanta. Obviously, that’s nothing more than playing the probabilities based on my models J.R. Sweezy Jersey Green , but that’s what the models say, so that’s what I’m going with. Who are you rooting for? The Seattle Seahawks season is over, and John Schneider is off to Mobile to scout at the Senior Bowl, but a handful of Hawks have made the trip to Orlando to take part in the Pro Bowl. But of course, the most important thing going on in Orlando is the skills competition, where Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck are set to face off in a skills competition to finally determine who is the best quarterback to come out of the 2012 NFL Draft. Nine time Pro Bowler, four time First Team All Pro DeMarcus Ware posted the following clip of Wilson warming up for the skills competition, so hopefully Wilson is on his game and represents the Hawks well. Also visible in that clip are running back James Conner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith of the Arizona Cardinals and Eric Ebron of the Indianapolis Colts. Wilson is not the only Seattle player who will be taking part in the Skills Challenge, as linebacker Bobby Wagner is also a member of the NFC squad for the showdown when it takes place Wednesday. However, in spite of taking place Wednesday, it will not be broadcast until Thursday at 9 PM Eastern Time on ESPN.
The Battle of the Bay Area in prime time is more like a skirmish for a high pick in next April's draft George Kittle Jersey White , perhaps even the first overall selection.Yep, that's how bad the Raiders and 49ers have been so far. When they meet in Santa Clara, California, on Thursday night, how much of the nation will show interest is problematic. How much the folks by the bay and its environs would care is debatable.The 49ers (1-7) are ranked 31st in the AP Pro32, ahead of only the Raiders (1-6). San Francisco is a 3-point favorite over its neighbor."We're looking for more consistency. We're looking for somebody to step up, not only on game day but during the week," says Raiders coach Jon Gruden, whose return to his dream job has turned very sour."We're still working through who are the best corners, who is the best combination for us in every situation. Hopefully we can settle on it soon."The Niners would settle for any sort of victory. My goodness, they've been swept by Arizona, which hasn't beaten anyone else.At least they have been close in many of their defeats."It's something we've got to do to get better and get over that hump," coach Kyle Shanahan says. "It comes down to, you can do a lot of things throughout a game, but when it comes down to the end when we need to close people out and we need some closers to do that. We've had some opportunities to do it."Opportunity knocks this week for ...RAIDERS, 20-13KNOCKOUT POOL: KANSAS CITY made it a little closer than we expected Frank Gore Jersey , but survived. Next up: how about CHICAGO?No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers (plus 1 1-2) at No. 11 SeattleSeahawks getting physical, remain resourceful, should handle this one at home.BEST BET: SEAHAWKS, 27-20No. 7 Pittsburgh (plus 3) at No. 16 BaltimoreSteelers hitting their stride in time for NFL's best rivalry renewal.UPSET SPECIAL: STEELERS, 23-20No. 1 Los Angeles Rams (plus 2) at No. 4 New OrleansSaints will put the Big Hurt on unbeaten Rams in the Big Easy.SAINTS, 36-32No. 17 Atlanta (plus 2) at No. 8 WashingtonStrange line; Redskins should be bigger favorite. What does Las Vegas know?REDSKINS, 21-20No. 10 Houston (plus 2 1-2) at No. 23 DenverAnother strange line; Texans are far better, but altitude a factor here.TEXANS, 28-22No. 25 Tampa Bay (plus 7) at No. 6 CarolinaPanthers coming off two impressive victories.PANTHERS, 35-30No. 15 Chicago (minus 8 1-2) at No. 28 BuffaloWonder if Bills will be favored again this season.BEARS, 22-6No. 2 Kansas City (minus 8 1-2) at No. 27 ClevelandKC's not exactly the team for any new coach to make debut against.CHIEFS, 30-24No. 12 Green Bay (plus 6) at No. 3 New EnglandPackers aren't scared of anyone. Neither are Patriots.PATRIOTS, 37-27No. 19 Detroit (plus 4) at No. 9 MinnesotaFirst of three straight division tests for Vikings. They'll barely pass this one.VIKINGS, 27-24No. 21 Tennessee (plus 6 1-2) at No. 18 Dallas, Monday nightMan, has Tennessee been a disappointment.COWBOYS http://www.49erslockerroom.com/authentic-fred-warner-jersey , 20-19No. 26 New York Jets (plus 3) at No. 20 MiamiAs usual, New England's patsies are sinking in AFC East.DOLPHINS, 30-162018 RECORD:Last Week: Against spread (8-6). Straight up (12-2)Season Totals: Against spread (56-58-4). Straight up: (81-38-2)Best Bet: 3-5 against spread, 7-1 straight upUpset special: 5-3 against spread, 4-3-1 straight up Welcome to Week 9 of the NFL season. The San Francisco 49ers finished their Thursday Night Game against the Oakland Raiders which means we are treated to a full slate of NFL games of our choosing. Most of them aren’t that intriguing though. It’s a lot of divisional matchups that could be interesting, but I’m worried they may be duds. There is one game that I’m very very interested in, and that’s the Los Angeles Rams against the New Orleans Saints. Both offenses have been white hot and putting them against each other is going to be a very fun game to watch. Obviously, I’ll root for the Saints because it’s the Rams, but this will be a game to watch. The other game is the intriguing Sunday Night matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots. A Rodgers v. Brady game would always get exposure because no matter what the team is, you know it’s going to be a fun one to watch. What do you want to watch? Chicago Bears at Buffalo Bills, 10:00 A.M., FOXTampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers, 10:00 A.M., FOXKansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns, 10:00 A.M.CBSNew York Jets at Miami Dolphins, 10:00 A.M. Womens Ronnie Lott Jersey ,CBSPittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens, 10:00 A.M., CBSDetroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings, 10:00 A.M., FOXAtlanta Falcons at Washington, 10:00 A.M., FOXHouston Texans at Denver Broncos, 1:05 P.M., FOXLos Angeles Chargers at Seattle Seahawks, 1:25 P.M., CBSLos Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints, 1:25 P.M., CBSGreen Bay Packers at New England Patriots, 5:20 p.m., NBC
St. Louis Blues (41-27-8 Nick Holden Jersey Womens , third in the Central Division) vs. New York Rangers (29-34-13, seventh in the Metropolitan Division)New York; Friday, 7 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: New York faces St. Louis at Madison Square Garden in a non-conference matchup.The Rangers are 17-13-8 on their home ice. New York serves 10.2 penalty minutes per game, the most in the league. Brendan Smith leads the team serving 61 total minutes.The Blues have gone 20-12-6 away from home. St. Louis has converted on 20.5 percent of power-play opportunities, recording 46 power-play goals. In their last matchup on Dec. 31, New York won 2-1.TOP PERFORMERS: Mika Zibanejad leads the Rangers with 30 goals, adding 40 assists and totaling 70 points. Pavel Buchnevich has totaled five goals and three assists over the last 10 games for New York.LAST 10 GAMES: Blues: 6-2-2, averaging 3.4 goals Paul Stastny Jersey Womens , 5.9 assists, 2.4 penalties and 5.4 penalty minutes while giving up 1.8 goals per game with a .936 save percentage.Rangers: 2-6-2, averaging 2.1 goals, 3.7 assists, 4.3 penalties and 11.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game with a .905 save percentage.Rangers Injuries: Chris Kreider: day to day (lower body), Marc Staal: day to day (lower body), Jesper Fast: out for season (upper body).Blues Injuries: Sammy Blais: out (undisclosed), Joel Edmundson: out (lower body). DENVER (AP) — For a brief moment Max Pacioretty Jersey Womens , the Minnesota Wild lost track of the super speedy Nathan MacKinnon.That’s all it took. MacKinnon had a tap-in goal off a nifty pass from Mikko Rantanen to give Colorado the lead, Semyon Varlamov stopped 20 shots and the Avalanche beat the Wild 4-1 on Thursday night in the opener for both teams.“His vision is awesome,” MacKinnon said of his linemate. “I just drove the net and Mikko made a great play.”Minnesota goaltender Devan Dubnyk didn’t have much of a chance on MacKinnon’s second-period goal that gave Colorado a 2-1 advantage. Rantanen skated down the left side and sent a pass through a sea of sticks to MacKinnon, who tapped it in before Dubnyk had a chance to fully turn his head.“He was in a good place and he made a good play,” Dubnky said.Wild coach Bruce Boudreau offered another explanation.“It’s MacKinnon. He’s going to get a lot of goals like that,” Boudreau said.MacKinnon picked up right where he left off from last season, when he tallied 39 goals and 58 assists on his way to finishing second in the Hart Trophy vote. He led the team in shots Thursday with eight. Carl Soderberg scored, while Rantanen and J.T. Compher added empty-net goals for the Avalanche Nic Dowd Jersey Womens , who moved to 15-5-3 in home openers since moving to town from Quebec.Varlamov returned to net after missing the playoffs last season with a knee injury he suffered late in the regular season. He made his eighth opening-night start in a burgundy-and-blue sweater, surpassing Patrick Roy for the most by an Avalanche goaltender. This also was Varlamov’s 400th career NHL game.“He’s grown so much as a goalie,” MacKinnon said. “His mindset is he can play a low-shot game and stay sharp, and he was great.”Colorado thought it had a two-goal lead when Colin Wilson scored 1:36 into the third after knocking in a puck out of the air. The goal was reviewed and disallowed after it was determined Wilson’s left glove batted the puck in.No matter, Varlamov protected things with save after save. None bigger than stopping an Eric Staal wrist shot with his right shoulder on a 2-on-1 with just under 5 minutes remaining.Rantanen added an empty-net goal with 1:53 remaining and Compher another in the waning seconds to seal the victory.Colorado outshot the Wild 40-21. Zach Parise gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead on a backhand pass from Mikko Koivu early in the first period. Parise missed the opening 39 games a season ago due to a back ailment that required surgery. After steadily working his way back into form, Parise suffered a broken sternum in the playoffs.Minnesota is coming off a season in which it posted 101 points before losing to Winnipeg in the first round of the playoffs.“There was some sloppiness that’s not going to be seen in game 20,” Boudreau said. “Pucks bouncing over the sticks and over-skating the puck and things of that nature. … I think they did know how quick the pace was going to be, faster than the preseason www.officialducks.com , but took us a while to get up to it.”As for the Avalanche, general manager Joe Sakic has modest goals this season after his team returned to the postseason for the first time since 2013-14. Their average age this season is 26.3. They ended last season at 25.8.“Our goal is to make the playoffs, but the most important thing for us is to see the growth of this group,” Sakic said. “We’re excited to see who makes that next jump.”NOTES: Wild F Marcus Foligno was tripped by D Tyson Barrie late in the second period. Foligno went to the bench favoring his left leg but returned a few minutes later. … F Vladislav Kamenev (lower body) and D Anton Lindholm (upper body) were taken off injured reserve and reassigned to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. … Avs F Sheldon Dries made his NHL debut. He had two shots. … Soderberg also had an assist.UP NEXT:Minnesota: Starts a three-game homestand Saturday against Las Vegas.Colorado: Hosts Philadelphia on Saturday.
Players take note: Referees aren’t swallowing their whistles so far in the 2018 NHL playoffs.Penalties are up more than 17 percent over the same time a year ago and are playing a substantial role in several series. Through 19 games in the first round Antoine Roussel Jersey Womens , there have been nearly 10 penalties per game. Last year, there was an average of eight penalties called through 20 games.”The penalties that have been called in the series so far is an indication of how the referees are calling the game,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said Monday. ”They’re calling it as they see it. I think discipline is of the utmost importance.”While the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions haven’t been perfect in that regard against Philadelphia, they haven’t been derailed by a lack of discipline. Around the rest of the NHL, penalties and the ensuing power-play goals are making a big difference: There have been 38 power-play goals through Sunday’s games compared with just 21 in 2017.The NHL wants officials to call playoffs at the same standard as the regular season, which is happening with penalties actually going up from the first period through the third. Each of the 10 pairings of referees working the playoffs has at least one who has worked the Cup Final, so the hope is having that experience helps maintain consistency.The Washington Capitals blew two-goal leads in back-to-back overtime losses on home ice to Columbus because of ill-advised penalties and go into Game 3 on the road (7:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, NBCSN) knowing it’s a problem that needs immediate fixing.”We need to be a little smarter,” center Nicklas Backstrom said. ”We need to play with better discipline – especially when we have the lead twice. … It’s obviously going to hurt you in the playoffs. That’s the way it is. It’s just fact.”Nine of the 14 regulation goals in the Washington-Columbus series have come on the power play. The Blue Jackets, who surged into the playoffs by not taking a lot of penalties to tax one of the worst special teams units in the league, lead the playoffs in penalty minutes per game.Coach John Tortorella said the Blue Jackets ”have to cure that” because it’s too dangerous to keep taking so many penalties. His players know it even if they’re unsure of the standard.”We need to stay out of the box, but you never know what’s a call and what’s not anymore,” forward Cam Atkinson said. ”But that’s the game right now.”In the West Tim Schaller Jersey Womens , where Winnipeg leads Minnesota 2-1, the teams realize how tight things are being called.The Wild took five penalties in the first 31 minutes Sunday night and stymied the Jets’ power play in a 6-2 comeback win. The teams combined for 19 penalties – including some fights and misconducts – in the second game of their series.”We’ve just got to watch taking penalties,” Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau said. ”Both teams were really emotional at the beginning and you’ve got to worry about taking penalties and getting behind the eight ball.”It’s chippy between the Golden Knights and Kings, too, with Vegas up 3-0 going into Game 4 (10:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, NBCSN) in Los Angeles. All three games so far have been decided by a goal, L.A. defenseman Drew Doughty was suspended for an illegal check to the head of William Carrier and Kings coach John Stevens is none too happy about a missed call on Vegas forward Erik Haula for hitting Anze Kopitar in the face with the butt end of his stick Sunday night .”We get a guy suspended for making a hockey play, and he butt-ends one of the best players in the world in the face,” Stevens said. ”That’s an intent-to-injure play.”COMEBACK KINGS?Los Angeles is the most recent team to come back from a 3-0 series deficit, doing so in 2014 against the San Jose Sharks on the way to winning the Stanley Cup. Stevens, who was an assistant four years ago, said his team has ”had some resilience all year,” and the tightness of the games against Vegas combined with the excellence of goaltender Jonathan Quick certainly makes an turnaround possible.INJURIESThe Jets lost Tyler Myers to a lower-body injury that coach Paul Maurice thought was avoidable Jay Beagle Jersey Womens , and the big defenseman’s status is uncertain going into Game 4 (8 p.m. EDT Tuesday, CNBC). Young Tucker Poolman could draw into the lineup in place of Myers if necessary.The Capitals won’t have forward Andre Burakovsky for at least Games 3 and 4 in Columbus because of an upper-body injury. Coach Barry Trotz said Burakovsky is going to ”miss some time” after being crunched into the boards by Boone Jenner in Game 2. Speedy winger Jakub Vrana, a surprise scratch for Washington on Sunday, goes back in for Burakovsky.WHO STARTS?Trotz said he has decided who will start in goal for the Capitals in Game 3 but hadn’t yet told Braden Holtby and Philipp Grubauer. After Grubauer allowed eight goals on 49 shots before being yanked at the second intermission of Game 2, the smart money is on Holtby, the 2016 Vezina Trophy winner.BARTON OUTLinesman Steve Barton, who was injured when he inadvertently clipped skates with Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson and had to be helped off the ice by trainers, dislocated his kneecap and tore a quadriceps muscle in his left leg. Barton will require surgery but didn’t tear ligaments in his knee, which doctors said is good news because they expect him to make a full recovery.— LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NHL and NHL Players’ Association held a lengthy meeting to discuss keeping the current collective bargaining agreement past 2020 and agreed to meet again next week to continue the talks.The sides met for more than two hours Thursday to talk about a CBA extension that could pave the way for a World Cup of Hockey in 2020.“I think we had a constructive dialogue,” Commissioner Gary Bettman told The Associated Press on Thursday night. “But beyond that, we have nothing to announce and I have nothing to add.”The current CBA runs until 2022, but the league and players each have the option this September to terminate it effective Sept. 15, 2020. Because a World Cup would happen in the fall of 2020 Curtis McKenzie Jersey Womens , the league has linked labor peace to the ability to put on another version of the tournament, which returned in 2016.Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly have said previously a CBA agreement would need to be in place by around the end of January to begin planning a World Cup. It’s not clear if enough progress has been made to make that a realistic objective, though NHLPA special assistant to the executive director Mathieu Schneider voiced some positives about the situation.“We went longer than we thought (we would),” Schneider said. “We’re having another meeting. So I think that speaks for itself.”Daly said the discussions were “substantive” enough to keep talking next week in Toronto.Among the issues players have expressed concerns with in the current CBA are escrow payments to confirm to a 50/50 split of revenue that decrease their paychecks and no agreement to participate in the Olympics.The World Cup of Hockey, where revenues were split evenly in 2016 between owners and players, would seem to be a subject of agreement. But because of escrow, the Olympics and other issues, there’s no simple path to a solution.“It’s too early to really predict success or failure,” Daly said. “But I think there’s a commitment by both sides to try to meet again and see if we can move forward on something that might work for a CBA extension.”
Sie sind vermutlich noch nicht im Forum angemeldet - Klicken Sie hier um sich kostenlos anzumelden
11.06.2019 09:47
