Tag: 2023

Chargers’ Brandon Staley wants to get Keenan Allen more involved on early downs

Chargers HC Brandon Staley suggested he wants Keenan Allen involved on early downs more often.

Head coach Brandon Staley spoke about how wide receiver Keenan Allen has been performing at training camp so far.

“He’s been so consistent. I think for Kellen (Moore), who’s worked with a lot of good guys, he’s that guy that you know is gonna be able to get open no matter what the situation. He’s been a great mentor for the young receivers. He’s still making plays at a high level, he’s still able to get the separation.”‘

None of what Staley said should come as a surprise considering how well Allen’s game and route-running prowess have aged as he enters his 11th NFL season. What was interesting to hear from Staley though were his thoughts on Allen’s usage situationally.

You guys know what a big threat he is on 3rd down, but I think on early downs we’re trying to get him going a little more than he has been in years past.

For reference, Allen’s third-down production relative to first and second down was decently higher under former offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi relative to the rest of his career. Comparing it to the year he had under former OC Shane Steichen yielded interesting results:

Perhaps a 5.1% uptick in Allen’s production on money downs doesn’t sound terribly significant, but keep in mind that the Chargers led the league in third down attempts in 2022. Becoming more predictable on third down while simultaneously facing most of those situations in the league isn’t sustainable.

Using Allen more regularly on early downs while mixing in more of Mike Williams or Quentin Johnston on later downs could make the offense a lot more versatile. Moore having Williams working out of the slot to seek out mismatches could play into exactly what Staley’s said about Allen’s usage.

When asked about who the third receiver was on the roster last week, Moore replied that the Chargers have “four starters” in this league, referring to Allen, Williams, Johnston, and Joshua Palmer. Considering what we’ve seen in camp so far and heard from the coaches, that statement seems to be indicative of the Chargers wanting to be multiple in their approach instead of overly relying on Allen to bail them out on money downs.

Packers training camp report: Live updates from Practice No. 5

News and updates from the Packers’ fifth training camp practice of 2023.

Let training camp unofficially begin for the Green Bay Packers. After four practices in helmets and shells, the Packers will put on the pads for the first time this summer.

It’s a big moment because real football is about to begin in Green Bay.

What will Day 5 bring at Ray Nitschke Field?

Here’s everything to know from Monday, July 31, the fifth training camp practice of 2023:

College football 2023: Projecting the preseason top-25 rankings

We all expect Georgia to be No. 1 but what about 2-5?

We’ve reached the end of July which means college football is less than a month away from its regular-season kickoff. Actual games – it feels like it’s been forever.

With that in mind, we know we’ll soon see the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and Associated Press Top 25 polls. How will those rankings look?

We took a look at four major college football outlets and how they ranked teams so far this preseason. Using a very complex formula (25 points for No. 1, 24 points for No. 2, and so on) in each poll, we put together a composite score to predict what the preseason top 25s will look like.

We can safely assume Georgia will be No. 1, but who else will be in the top-five?

Top 10?

Will Notre Dame sneak in there or not after a 9-4 campaign last year?

And where will the voters seemingly put the tiers?

Find out below as we used preseason rankings from Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, Lindy’s and the ESPN FPI to determine these.

Observations and takeaways from Packers fourth training camp practice

All the observations and takeaways from the Packers’ fourth training camp practice.

The Green Bay Packers were back on the practice field at full speed on Saturday after doing a jog-through on Friday. After focusing on third down and red zone installs earlier in the week, the emphasis today was a two-minute drill before halftime.

Here are my key observations and takeaways from what I saw from Green Bay’s fourth training camp practice.

— Wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks was still not participating and hasn’t since Wednesday with a reported concussion. The only other injury note is that Tucker Kraft dropped out of the practice and was seen wearing an ice wrap around his right thigh.

— Before that, Kraft was seeing his fair share of snaps with the starting offense, something that was new for him. During the first three practices, he was behind Luke Musgrave, Josiah Deguara, and Tyler Davis. Kraft was on the field when the Packers were in their 12 personnel, which continues to be often.

— Zach Tom continued to start at right tackle, and played some center snaps with the third team offense, which has become normal for him in training camp. Justin Hollins was back to starting, initially, with Preston Smith, but we also saw Lukas Van Ness taking his fair share of snaps with the starters. Rudy Ford and Darnell Savage were again the starting safeties, with Jonathan Owens and Tarvarius Moore with the second defense. It appears, that the Packers go-to nickel alignment at the interior defensive line position is Kenny Clark and TJ Slaton.

— During individual position drills, Keisean Nixon was seen catching passes with the offense. LaFleur was asked earlier this offseason about Nixon taking some snaps on offense giving his dynamic playmaking ability with the ball in his hands — most likely as a motion/gadget player — but also added that first he must be consistent on defense and special teams before more is added to his plate.

— Tyler Davis continues to hold up really well as a blocker. He had a nice pass-blocking rep against Van Ness. If he can continue to do this throughout the summer, he is going to carve out a role. Right now, it really feels like all four tight ends are going to see a decent amount of snaps this season.

— I thought today was the best performance by the interior offensive line. There were a number of good sized running lanes for the ball carriers.

— As LaFleur has said, when it comes to young players, it is about consistency. But when Devonte Wyatt flashes, he really makes some noise as a pass rusher.

— I cannot wait to see Van Ness with the pads on. His burst and power that he attacks offensive linemen with is something else. On one play, he drove Deguara into the backfield and wrecked the play. Also, while what he does as a pass rusher will stand out most, going back to offseason programs, he has put together several nice run defense snaps, including one today, where he sealed off the edge, forcing AJ Dillon back inside to Slaton.

— Anders Carlson had been fairly steady in the small sample size we had seen from him during minicamp and the start of training camp, but today was a going. Between 40 and 45 yards, he was 0-for-3, and then just 1-for-3 from 50 to 55 yards. He has a big leg, but as LaFleur has said, he needs to find the consistency. Pat O’Donnell was the holder on the first three kicks, followed by Daniel Whelan on the next three.

— I would still consider O’Donnell the favorite to be the Packers punter, but Whelan had a nice performance today. According to Rob Demovsky, on 12 punts Whelan averaged 52 yards and an average hang time of 4.56 seconds. Like Carlson, he packs some power. To read more about the potential battle between him and O’Donnell, click here.

— Tyler Goodson has already been used in so many ways on this offense. Just today, he lined up in the backfield, slot, and out wide. Was a ball carrier, pass catcher, and used as the motion man. He could very well fill that Tyler Ervin-like role from a few seasons ago.

— On punt return duties were Jayden Reed, Keisean Nixon, Tyler Goodson, and Samori Toure. Nixon and Ford were the opening fliers for the punt coverage team, followed by Innis Gaines and Corey Ballentine.

— I thought Lew Nichols had a really nice day as a ball carrier. Excellent burst, vision, and a physical runner.

— This was Jordan Love’s best all-around performance in practice. Demovsky tracked Love’s day and had him completing 16 of 22 passes. Here is a play-b-play look at that drive that started at the Packers’ 20-yard line.

First play: Quick pressure from interior forces Love to throw the ball away.

Second play: Connects with Christian Watson on a crossing route.

Third play: Handoff to AJ Dillon who finds a whole behind Josh Myers and Elgton Jenkins.

Fourth play: Quick slant to Watson, but Rasul Douglas was all over it and records a pass breakup.

Fifth play: Beautifully ran out and up route by Samori Toure that the cornerback jumped on, helping to create space. Love found Toure down the left sideline for 33 yards. Ball was dropped in perfectly with the safety closing in.

Sixth play: Run to the left by Dillon.

Seventh play: From the five yard line with six seconds left, Love throws a quick out to Luke Musgrave, who catches the ball but is pushed out at the one yard line.

Eighth play: Anders Carlson makes 18-yard field goal as the first half expires.

— The two minute drills led by Danny Etling and Sean Clifford went nowhere, however, which resulted in the defense winning the day, meaning more up downs for the offense after practice.

— Something to watch is the exchange between Myers and Love. There was another fumble today on a botched snap between the two, the second since training camp began.

— It’s a talented and deep cornerback room but a name to watch is Kiondre Thomas. If you recall, he had a really nice preseason in 2022, both in coverage and as a run defender. Today he had two pass breakups.

— You can read more here, but the Packers offense led by Love is absolutely going to attack the middle of the field this season. That’s where the space often is, and the speed the Packers have between Watson, Reed, and Musgrave can lead to some big plays.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler: ‘We’re the only position being punished for our production’

Austin Ekeler continued to expand upon his viewpoints and the fight for the current running back market.

Austin Ekeler continued to expand upon his viewpoints and the fight for the current running back market. First, he was asked about the Zoom meeting that the top running backs in the league held last Saturday.

“I thought it was important to get together and talk about these issues,” Ekeler said. “These things aren’t going to change overnight. We want to put ourselves in positions as a union to protect ourselves as players.”

Ekeler further detailed the fight against media members using certain analytical figures to devalue the impact running backs have in the league.

“You can put statistics in one way or another to say someone’s worth something, or they’re not. These narratives are putting you down for, ‘well can you keep doing it?'”

Ekeler responded to a tweet from Colts owner Jim Irsay referencing the current CBA. There was some acknowledgment from Ekeler back that Irsay was right about the everyday use of the franchise tag having been agreed to back in 2020.

However, Ekeler said that the running backs must stay united in their messaging against such devices being used by executives and owners.

Using Giants’ Saquon Barkley as an example, Ekeler tried to demonstrate the unmeritocratic nature of the current market. “If Saquon Barkley runs for 3000 yards, ‘alright, we’re gonna franchise tag him again.'”

The quote that perfectly summarized Ekeler’s viewpoints in the presser was when he said running backs are “punished for their production.”

“You have that success, and then you get put into a situation where these narratives are putting you down as far as ‘Well, can you keep doing it?’ We’re the only position right now that seems to be getting punished for our production. It frustrates us.”

It should be noted that Ekeler sees his fight for the running back market and his relationship with the Chargers as two different entities. Ekeler stated his appreciation for the organization and referenced how they met him in the middle with incentives earlier this offseason.

In talking about the actual offense, he seemed visibly excited when answering questions about Kellen Moore. Ekeler cited good energy at camp practices that is “meshing” together Moore’s offense.

Kellen Moore gives insight into the Chargers’ offense

Kellen Moore responded to the media’s questions about his offense at Thursday’s Chargers’ media availability.

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore gave some excellent insight into the Chargers’ offense at Thursday’s series of press conferences.

When asked about deep ball opportunities and opening up the offense, he primarily gave the credit to Justin Herbert:

The Chargers have been taking more deep shots, as evidenced at today’s practice, with huge bombs flying all over the field to Keenan Allen, Quentin Johnston, and Mike Williams.

When explicitly asked if anyone’s won the third receiver job to this point, Moore said they had four receivers on the roster capable of being starters. That, of course, refers to Allen, Williams, Johnston, and Joshua Palmer:

Moore stated that Ekeler has been a pivotal part of both the run and pass games to this point in training camp, which is no surprise. When asked more specifically about the run scheme, Moore tended to defer to next week’s padded practices as a real litmus test. Regarding the running backs behind Ekeler, Moore stressed pass protection as an essential piece of the equation for Isaiah Spiller and Joshua Kelley.

Moore also said he’s developing relationships with all the rostered quarterbacks through constant communication. In addition to obviously Herbert, the former Cowboys’ coordinator also mentioned Max Duggan and Easton Stick being vital parts in communicating what they’re seeing at this stage of camp.

But perhaps the most interesting thing Moore said at his presser was about the use of Williams in the offense. For his entire career, Williams has been a true boundary receiver in every sense of the word. But today at practice, Moore had him line up in the slot to take advantage of mismatches:

On Williams being lined up in the slot, Moore said, “Mike’s a premier player in this league. The more you can line him up in different spots, the harder it is for a defense to focus on him.” If Williams is truly cross-training to play on the inside at times, it will give the Chargers a fourth receiver who can rotate inside and outside. Versatility is undoubtedly the name of the game in how Staley and Moore continue to build out this offense.

Observations and takeaways from Packers second training camp practice

From Paul Bretl, all the observations and takeaways from the Packers second training camp practice.

The Green Bay Packers were back on the practice field on Thursday for another full-speed practice session on a very hot day. Friday’s practice, which is closed to the public, will be more of jog through, said head coach Matt LaFleur.

As always, here are my observations and takeaways from what I saw take place on the practice field:

— Tarvarius Moore, Caleb Jones, and Tariq Carpenter, who were all on the non-football injury list with illnesses, were all back at practice. Dontayvion Wicks was out today with a concussion.

— Towards the end of practice, Jaire Alexander appeared to cramp up after a tackle he made on Luke Musgrave, according to Rob Demovsky. He was able to walk off on his own.

— Of note from a position standpoint, during individual drills, Innis Gaines, who is listed as a safety, was working with the cornerbacks. The bulk of his defensive snaps in 2022 came from the slot and he has routinely been working with the second team defense there this offseason. The safety room is crowded, but don’t forget about him, as I mentioned yesterday. He also brings special teams experience.

— The starting lineups were similar today as yesterday. Zach Tom was still at right tackle, which is of note considering him and Yosh Nijman often alternated days as starters during offseason programs. Nijman, instead, was at left tackle, with David Bakhtiari having a light day, something LaFleur that told us would happen Wednesday. Other changes included JJ Enagbare working with the starters instead of Justin Hollins, and at safety, Rudy Ford was still next to Darnell Savage. He seems to be the clear front-runner for the starting spot come Week 1.

— Danny Etling was again the second quarterback. As we see more practices, I tend to think the Packers rostering three quarterbacks this year is very much in play. The second-team safeties against included Jonathan Owens and Dallin Leavitt. Those two plus Savage and Ford seem locked in as the top four, but who between Anthony Johnson, Gaines, and Moore will push for that potential fifth spot?

— The second team offensive line was made up of Rasheed Walker at left tackle, followed by Royce Newman, Jake Hanson, Sean Rhyan, and Caleb Jones. In a crowded offensive line room, Hanson can be forgotten about, but he appears to be the second option at center right now.

— Rookie receiver Jayden Reed had an excellent day. We saw him used on an end-round that he broke for a big gain. Then during a red zone drill, from the slot, he ran an in-breaking route and found a soft spot in the defense. De’Vondre Campbell was the nearest defender. His speed and ability to find openings in the defense is evident.

— Tyler Goodson was being used heavily as a motion man in a gadget-like role. I wrote earlier this offseason how we could see this role being used a lot more this season with Jordan Love at quarterback.

— Yesterday’s emphasis was on third downs situations. Today, the focus was on the red zone. Overall, there were no egregious mistakes from Love. He made a few really nice passes and there were some drops from his pass catchers. Here is how each drive for Jordan Love ended:

First possession: Love resulted in the aforementioned touchdown pass to Reed on the opening play.

Second possession: Love through an interception off a deflected pass on the second play while under pressure.

Third possession: The offense didn’t turn the ball over, but failed to score, with three incompletions.

Fourth possession: On the second play, Christian Watson worked his way across the field from right to left and Love connected with him for a touchdown in open space that Watson found.

Fifth possession: On third down, Love throws a beautifully timed pass to the left sideline of the end and again connects with Watson. Rasul Douglas was a split second away from breaking it up, but the ball arrived beforehand.

Sixth possession: After two dropped passes, one by Tyler Goodson and another by Luke Musgrave, Love scrambled on third down. This set up fourth down where he found Musgrave on a stick-route at the goal line, but Jaire Alexander was able to keep him from crossing.

— The second team offense with Etling at quarterback went three-and out during the red zone drill. While the third team, led by Alex McGough, scored on third down. McGough was able to find Melton on a quick slant.

— Tyler Davis had a rough preseason in 2022 on offense, but based on what we’ve seen so far, he is going to see playing time on offense. He saw his share of snaps today with the starters. He is perhaps the best blocking tight end that the Packers have.

— Working with the first team offense during the red zone drills were Malik Heath and Lew Nichols. Without Wicks or DuBose practicing, the Packers needed added wide receiver depth with the starters. Nichols and Goodson have both taken some starting snaps when Aaron Jones or AJ Dillon aren’t on the field.

— Iron sharpens iron, as they say. During special teams drills, Watson and Romeo Doubs were off working to the side with Jaire Alexander.

— I mentioned this yesterday but want to reiterate it — again, there was a heavy usage of two tight end sets as well as some more two running back sets today as well. The versatility that this offense has will allow the Packers to run a variety of plays from just a few personnel packages, thus creating mismatches and keeping defenses guessing.

— There weren’t designed runs, but when the pocket began to collapse, Love wasn’t afraid to tuck the ball and pick up yards. We are likely going to see a lot more of that element in the offense this season.

— Not that this should come as a surprise, but Jaire Alexander has put together two fantastic days. The ball either isn’t coming his direction, or he’s all over it if it does.

— The added speed along the interior defensive line is evident. Devonte Wyatt, Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks, and of course, Kenny Clark, can really move sideline to sideline. With Brian Gutekunst’s recent additions along the defensive line, there has been an added emphasis on finding these gap penetrating players, which as I wrote about here, is a key element of the Joe Barry defense.

— For the second day in a row, the defense won the day. The pass rush, in particular, is what really stood out. The pocket around the quarterback was collapsing at a decent rate today. As Brian Gutekunst said on Tuesday, this defensive front has a lot of pass rush options.

Packers training camp report: Live updates from Practice No. 1

Follow along with the Packers first practice of 2023 training camp on Wednesday, July 26.

The Green Bay Packers are kicking off training camp in 2023 with an open practice at Ray Nitschke Field on Wednesday.

Let the preparation for the 2023 season officially begin for Matt LaFleur’s team, which is coming off a disappointing 8-9 season and now beginning the Jordan Love era at quarterback.

Here’s everything to know from Wednesday, July 26, the first training camp practice of 2023:

Twitter reacts to Justin Herbert becoming highest-paid quarterback in NFL history

Social media reacted to Justin Herbert becoming the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history.

Justin Herbert and the Chargers have agreed to an extension to make him the highest paid quarterback in NFL history.

Herbert’s average annual value eclipses that of both Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson at $52.5 million. His total guarantee of nearly $219 million is a historic figure only topped by Deshaun Watson in NFL history.

The rapid growth of the quarterback market has been pointed out by some:

Philip Rivers’ 2015 extension had $21 million in average annual value. Eight years later, that figure gets blown out of the water.

Some were quick to point out that Joe Burrow is next up on the market as the quarterback class of 2020 continues to get theirs:

The Chargers played it generally cool and calm throughout the process of the extension talks as Tom Telesco alluded to on the Pat McAfee show earlier this year:

With Herbert taken care of, the primetime level battles between him and Mahomes are largely guaranteed to take place twice a year until 2029:

And of course, it wouldn’t be a big Herbert day on Twitter without reposts of some of his best highlights:

Now that the contract’s ironed out, the team’s ready to turn all of its attention to 2023 tomorrow:

USA Today predicts Packers to finish 7-10 in 2023

Nate Davis of USA Today sees the Packers with a losing record and missing the playoffs in Year 1 of the Jordan Love era in 2023. And the Jets in the Super Bowl.

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Nate Davis of USA Today sees the Green Bay Packers finishing 7-10 and missing the postseason in the first year of the Jordan Love era in 2023.

In his annual league-wide predictions released Monday, Davis picked the Packers, Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings to all finish at 7-10 behind the Detroit Lions, the predicted division winner at 11-6.

Here’s Davis’ blurb on the Packers in 2023:

Coming off an 8-9 season with departed legend Aaron Rodgers, all eyes are on new QB1 Jordan Love, who has one unremarkable start in four NFL seasons. He’ll face the unavoidable pressure of extending a three-decade heritage of quarterbacking excellence behind Rodgers and his predecessor, Brett Favre. Both had strong maiden seasons as the starter, though neither took the Pack to the playoffs. Remains to be seen how much leeway Love gets at a time when young passers don’t tend to get a lot of slack. It would help if Green Bay proves it’s a much better running and defensive team than was displayed in 2022. Might not help that Love and Co. will only play at Lambeau Field three times prior to November.

Aaron Rodgers’ Packers finished 6-10 during his first season as a starter, so 7-10 is certainly within the range of possibility for Love’s Packers in 2023.

This year’s team is probably talented enough overall to win 10 or 11 games and capture the NFC North but also inexperienced enough at key positions (especially on offense) and unproven enough on defense to only win five or six games. The margins in the NFL are so small, and the Packers may need to use the 2023 season to learn how to win again under Love.

What about Rodgers in New York? Davis sees the Jets finishing second in the AFC East but also winning the AFC title game. He also has the Lions getting to the NFC title game but losing. His Super Bowl result? Eagles over Jets. We’ll see. Last year, Davis predicted the Packers would beat the Bills in the Super Bowl.

The Packers finishing with only seven wins and Rodgers taking the Jets all the way to the Super Bowl would make for a long 2023 season in Green Bay.