Chiefs sign OT Jackson Barton off Colts practice squad

Jackson Barton joins the Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs signed offensive tackle Jackson Barton off of the Indianapolis Colts practice squad on Monday.

Barton was a seventh-round pick with the Colts in the 2019 NFL Draft but didn’t make the initial 53-man roster during final cuts following the preseason. Barton will now be moved to the Chiefs active roster.

Barton attended Utah where he spent most of his time at left tackle. He also saw some work at right tackle as well during college.

Barton likely wasn’t going to see the active roster for the Colts anytime soon. Though he has great size for the position, his pad level and inconsistent technique made him a project.

Davis says shoulder is ‘fine’ and hopes to play Tuesday at Phoenix

Davis added that he won’t know for sure that he will play against the Phoenix Suns until going through shoot around on Tuesday.

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Anthony Davis told reporters after the Los Angeles Lakers first loss in over two weeks that he does feel discomfort in his shoulder fairly often when he’s playing after aggravating it on a block attempt in Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. But come Monday afternoon, Davis was already past his discomfort while also admitting he’s not 100 percent sure he will play Tuesday night against a strong Phoenix Suns group.

Davis told reporters on Monday that he hopes to play Tuesday at Phoenix but won’t make the final call on whether he will play until he goes through shoot around in Phoenix, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

Davis also suggested that his shoulder is much better than it was when he initially injured it on a missed dunk during the team’s victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Oct. 27, according to Mike Trudell for Lakers.com.

We can forgive Davis for holding saying two disconnecting thoughts at once because it seems like his shoulder is going to be a day-to-day thing as the season goes on, so his outlook on his shoulder will likely vary from one day to the next.

Until Sunday night’s game, Davis had gone quite a while without enduring a shoulder discomfort but it’s been something he’s had to deal with for a long time. He had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder after the 2015-16, but it’s his right one that is currently ailing. Either way, it looks like it will be something he’s going to deal with all season. Sometimes like Monday, it will be simple for Davis. But as Sunday showed, there will be complicated moments as well.

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Raiders tried to claim DJ Swearinger last year, now need him to ‘put it all together’ quickly

Raiders tried to claim DJ Swearinger last year, now need him to ‘put it all together’ quickly

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Safety was a bit of a question mark for the Raiders late last season. So, when Washington waived DJ Swearinger on Christmas Eve, Jon Gruden hopes his brother had sent him a Christmas gift. Jon put in a claim for the former second-round pick. But it was the Arizona Cardinals who swooped in like a game of White Elephant and claimed Swearinger instead.

Swearinger started at safety for the first four games for the Cardinals. That’s when the Cardinals thought 5th round supplemental draft pick Jalen Thompson was ready to take over, so they cut Swearinger loose.

For five weeks, Swearinger was unemployed, waiting for an NFL team in need of his services. Last Thursday, his opportunity knocked when, on the last play of the game, Karl Joseph suffered an ankle injury and was lost for the season.

The former top pick safety is the second starting safety the Raiders have lost this season after first-round rookie Johnathan Abram was lost in the opener.

Joseph had played nearly every single snap at safety and made the game-sealing play of the game the past two weeks. So, losing him is significant. After him and fellow starter Erik Harris, there’s just Curtis Riley and Dallin Leavitt, who play almost exclusively on special teams.

Swearinger has started 70 games in 90 appearances in seven NFL seasons, but he has switched teams six times in that span. There’s a reason why a safety as once highly touted as Swearinger has been unable to stick with a team for long. Some have suggested it is his character that is most concerning. The Raiders don’t have the luxury of worrying about personality issues. They need what he can bring on the field. And they need it now.

“He’s got to put it all together,” said Gruden. “That’s what he needs to do. He’s got to start that process today. We need the very best of Swearinger.”

Despite some solid stints over 31 starts in Washington, Swearinger was waived just before the season finale. In his four starts in Arizona this season, the Cardinals weren’t getting the “very best” of Swearinger, and that was ultimately why he was let go this time.

Last season, Swearinger would have been a claim for the future. Now, in the thick of the playoff chase, he will be looked to bolster their lineup for the stretch run.

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8 observations from the Packers’ win over Panthers

A collection of observations from the Packers’ 24-16 win over the Panthers at Lambeau Field.

The Green Bay Packers talked all week about bouncing back from a disappointing effort in Los Angeles and going into the bye week with a win over the Carolina Panthers.

Matt LaFleur’s team delivered on Sunday, even if it took all 60 minutes to get it done. A goal-line stop with no time left cemented the 24-16 win over the Panthers at Lambeau Field.

Here are a few observations from Sunday’s win in the snow:

1. All Pro 97: Kenny Clark got it going early and never really quit. Overall, Sunday was easily his best performance since the first month of the season. On the second play of the game, Clark drove center Matt Paradis three yards into the backfield and then lassoed Christian McCaffrey down after a short gain. Paradis had trouble with Clark all night. McCaffrey gained 108 rushing yards, but Clark was a big reason why he didn’t have more. And he terrorized everyone in front of him in the passing game. According to Pro Football Focus, Clark finished with a career-high 10 pressures. He abused Paradis on a late third-down sack by Preston Smith. The struggling Packers defense needed an All-Pro performance from Clark, and he delivered one.

2. Fantastic finish: The final three plays of the Packers’ first touchdown drive are worth a re-watch. On 3rd-and-9, Aaron Rodgers bought time to his right and found Allen Lazard, who now has at least three catches in five straight games, to extend the drive. There’s a serious trust forming between No. 12 and No. 13. He was targeted on four different third downs. A play later, the Packers got Davante Adams lined up against a linebacker, and he made quick work of the matchup. Watch the patience of the route. Adams does so many subtle things with his feet, shoulders and head to trick defenders. Easy completion. Finally, the Packers dialed up a play Rodgers loved, a split zone run with Marquez Valdes-Scantling serving as the jet action. The design froze many of the Panthers’ second-level defenders. Jace Sternberger crashed down and cut off the backside, and Aaron Jones made Luke Kuechly miss in the hole and scored. Beauty.

3. Rodgers to Davante: The 38-yard completion from Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams in the second quarter was a work of art. The throw and the catch were both sublime, but so was everything else. Jace Sternberger blocked an edge rusher one-on-one. Aaron Jones picked up a blitzer. David Bakhtiari looked beat off the snap but recovered. Rodgers held the safety just long enough. The placement of the football was about perfect, and Adams waited until the very last second to put his hands up and make the catch, giving the cornerback no chance to know the ball was coming. Matt LaFleur talks all the time about all 11 doing their job. This big play was the perfect example.

4. Give away: The final play of the first half might have been doomed from the start. Panthers defensive lineman Gerald McCoy said he picked up on a few pre-snap keys and knew when to jump the snap. As a result, he got off the ball in an instant. That left David Bakhtiari grasping for air as McCoy blew past him and smacked Jamaal Williams for a loss. Coach Matt LaFleur said he regretted the call. The play was in trouble regardless of McCoy’s effort. And one other thing: Allen Lazard wasn’t set at the snap and should have been penalized. Just bad execution on a critical play.

5. Sternberger shows up: Rookie tight end Jace Sternberger has likely earned himself a legitimate role over the final six games of 2019. He proved capable as a blocker in a variety of roles on Sunday. As the game went on, he looked more and more comfortable. It looked like the Packers were setting up some kind of action play for Sternberger, but it never arrived. Watch for one coming out of the bye. There will be creative ways to get him running down field and in the open, especially if he keeps blocking effectively.

6. Elgton dominates second half: The Packers rookie left guard keeps looking more and more impressive. He was utterly dominant during the third quarter Sunday. Watch any of the explosive runs from Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams and Jenkins was at the point of attack clearing away a defender. Williams was especially effective running off the left side. On one 9-yard run by Jones, Jenkins blocked his man right to the turf. He also pitched another shutout in pass protection. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst found a really good one.

7. Campbell dime: The Packers gave Ibraheim Campbell plenty of snaps as the dime linebacker. The results were mixed. He certainly gave the run defense a boost. He plays downhill with aggression and tackles well in space and in a crowd. The issues came in coverage. The Panthers found ways to get him thinking with crossers and combination concepts, and it created a few big plays. He did have good coverage on a double move from Christian McCaffrey on the game’s second-to-last play, forcing a wide throw.

8. Martinez, Fackrell scramble: Huge credit goes to Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell on the final play. Martinez realigned Fackrell right before the snap and it saved the day. The entire defensive line was out of position, and neither Fackrell nor Kenny Clark was all that ready for the snap, but Fackrell still found a way to swim past left guard Greg Van Roten and hit McCaffrey in the backfield, allowing Preston Smith to get there and clean it up in time. The Panthers must’ve loved their call, especially with a left guard on Fackrell and everyone scrambling up front before the snap. It took an excellent individual effort to prevent what should have been an easy touchdown.

Redskins rookie QB Dwayne Haskins to run offense for remainder of season (Redskinswire)

Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins is going to run the Redskins offense for the remainder of the season, interim head coach Bill Callahan announced Monday.

Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins is going to run the Redskins offense for the remainder of the season, interim head coach Bill Callahan announced Monday.

Redskins rookie QB Dwayne Haskins to run offense for remainder of season

Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins is going to run the Redskins offense for the remainder of the season, interim head coach Bill Callahan announced Monday.

Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins is going to run the Redskins offense for the remainder of the season, interim head coach Bill Callahan announced Monday.

Jorge Masvidal’s team channels ‘Scarface’ in official response to Nick Diaz

Jorge Masvidal’s team issued a prompt response to Nick Diaz’s apparent callout for a fight.

[autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]’s team issued a prompt response to [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag]’s apparent fight callout.

Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) surfaced for a rare interview Monday which seemingly served as the building block for his return to the octagon after an abcense of four years. He had some words for Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) throughout the conversation, indicating that he would like to fight the man who won the “BMF” title with a third-round TKO of his brother Nate Diaz at UFC 244.

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Not long after the interview aired, Masvidal’s manager Malki Kawa issued a direct response on social media (via Instagram):

@gamebredfighter official response to nick diaz. #supernecessary #baptized #bmf

This isn’t the first time a matchup between Diaz and Masvidal has been broached.

The UFC announced a fight between the two for UFC 235 in March, but it was never made official. Diaz insisted from the beginning that he never committed or signed a contract to end his hiatus from the sport.

In the aftermath of Masvidal’s UFC 244 victory over his brother, though, it appears Diaz may have rediscovered his motivation to fight.

Masvidal has never shied away from a fight, and while he seems to have a bevy of options that could include a welterweight title shot or Conor McGregor, it appears “Gamebred” is willing to beat his second Diaz brother, too.

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AP poll: Texas basketball just misses out

After defeating Purdue on Saturday, the Longhorns narrowly miss out on the top 25. Three other Big 12 teams are ranked, including No. 5 KU.

After the first week of college basketball, the second AP poll of the season was released Monday morning. Even after defeating previously ranked Purdue, the Longhorns are still on the outside look in, receiving 95 votes.

Here is the new poll:

  1. Kentucky
  2. Duke
  3. Michigan State
  4. Louisville
  5. Kansas
  6. North Carolina
  7. Maryland
  8. Gonzaga
  9. Virginia
  10. Villanova
  11. Texas Tech
  12. Seton Hall
  13. Memphis
  14. Oregon
  15. Florida
  16. Ohio State
  17. Utah State
  18. Saint Mary’s
  19. Arizona
  20. Washington
  21. Xavier
  22. Auburn
  23. LSU
  24. Baylor
  25. Colorado
Others receiving votes:

Virginia Commonwealth 137, Florida State 112, Texas 95, Marquette 67, Tennessee 49, Providence 23, Purdue 21, Houston 18, Utah 14, Missouri 13, Arkansas 11, Mississippi State 9, Georgia 4, Liberty 3, San Diego State 2, Creighton 1, Dayton 1, Vermont 1

Three Big 12 teams are inside of the Top 25, as Kansas is the highest ranked at No. 5. Last year’s runner up Texas Tech lands at No. 11, while Baylor slides to No. 24 after a Friday night loss to Washington.

The ACC dominates the top of the poll, as five teams are inside of the top 10. If Texas can beat Georgetown in the 2K Empire Classic, there is a good chance they will face No. 2 Duke in the championship game.

Facing Cal Baptist and Prairie View at home this week, both games can be seen on Longhorn Network. Those two games are 2K Empire Classic campus games, before the real tournament that starts Nov. 21.

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Oklahoma does sense when home crowd thins out, per Lincoln Riley

As the time started to wane in Oklahoma’s game against Iowa State, the crowd was thin—something OU can sense, according to Lincoln Riley.

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley didn’t call out Oklahoma fans … until he did.

The Sooners’ head football coach is as calculated in terms of relaying a message as it gets. When asked about the crowd thinning out after halftime of Saturday’s game, Riley didn’t initially touch it.

After halftime, Oklahoma was in control or up by three touchdowns for most of the second-half.

 

“It’s our job as coaches and players that we gotta play to our level no matter what,” he said at his press conference Monday. “That is certainly our job, and I would never put that on our fans or anybody else’s fans or any atmosphere or any stadium.”

Then the crowd thinned out, and it’s clear he noticed it.

“Now, the flipside of that, like I’ve said up here many times, we have one of the great stadiums in America, we have one of the great fan bases in America, and when it’s rocking in there, does our team feel that? Hell yeah, they do,” Riley said. “And when it’s not, do they feel that? Hell yeah, they do. Yup.”

With a win this week against Baylor, the Sooners may be in play for another night game in its final home game against TCU on Nov. 23 as the Big 12 conference

So … Yup.

Freddie Kitchens blames goal-line stall vs. Bills on O-line

Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said the team’s goal-line offense stalled in Week 10 because the line didn’t block well enough.

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Eight straight times, the Browns snapped the ball inside the Buffalo 2-yard line in Week 10. The offense failed to score a touchdown, even when given bonus chances by defensive penalties.

Five of those plays were runs with Nick Chubb, one of the NFL’s best at breaking tackles. Those five carries netted minus-2 yards, including the 4th-and-goal play where Chubb was bowled under for a loss almost as soon as he got the toss from quarterback Baker Mayfield.

It was an embarrassing series for the offense and for Freddie Kitchens. During his conference call with reporters on Monday, the rookie coach offered an explanation of what went wrong on the epic red zone failure.

“Yeah, we have to do a better job of maintaining our blocks,” Kitchens stated. “We were on the right people for the most part. We just have to win our one-on-one matchups a lot of times down there. When you get down in goal-to-go situations, you would like to be able to run the ball in. To do that, you have to win your one-on-one matchups.”

The Bills defensive front did dominate the line of scrimmage the entire series. Kitchens was not pleased with the mentality of his offensive line in the tight quarters and close-range combat.

“This is just my personal belief: You are dealing with different types of scenarios when you are at the 1-yard line as opposed to the 12. It is a lot more about being precise in landmarks, execution, timing and things like that when you are in red zone offense because the field diminishes. When you are down there at the 1, it is almost like being in a phone booth. It is more of a mentality thing.”

It’s something the Browns need to fix quickly. The Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of four games in a row, visit FirstEnergy Stadium on Thursday.