Tag: backup

Report: Pro Bowl Saints guard Andrus Peat ‘week-to-week’ with pectoral muscle strain

Report: Pro Bowl Saints guard Andrus Peat ‘week-to-week’ with pectoral muscle strain

That’s not ideal, but it could be worse. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that the New Orleans Saints are expected to be without left guard Andrus Peat in Thursday night’s kickoff with the Arizona Cardinals; Peat suffered a pectoral muscle strain in Sunday’s tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals that has his availability “considered week-to-week” moving forwards. Any snaps played without the three-time Pro Bowl alternate are going to be rough, but that’s the reality for New Orleans.

With just a few days to rest up between their games in Week 6 and 7, the Saints are playing it conservatively with Peat and other players managing injuries. And it makes sense given his injury history. Peat tore a pectoral muscle last year that ended his season. Taking a safer approach to this should help avoid any aggravation that worsens his injury. Hopefully he and other injured starters like Jameis Winston, Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Marshon Lattimore will be ready to return after a longer break between Weeks 7 and 8 (when the Saints return home for a matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders).

In the meantime, look for young backup Calvin Throckmorton to again step into Peat’s spot at left guard. The former Oregon Duck spent most of the 2021 season replacing Peat in the starting lineup, and though he isn’t a blue-chip talent he is a capable stand-in. He just needs to watch out for false start penalties that have been a recurring problem throughout his career.

As for Peat: this latest injury situation has led to some grumbling within the fanbase considering his contract status and past availability issues. Peat never played a full 16-game slate before the NFL expanded the regular season, and if he misses the Cardinals on prime-time as expected he’ll have appeared in just 26 of 41 possible games since 2020, including the playoffs.

Because the Saints restructured Peat’s contract early this year, he’s on the books with an $18.3 million salary cap hit in 2023. Releasing or trading him prior to June 1, 2023 would only save $1.3 million against the cap while leaving behind $16.9 million in dead money, so he’ll be in New Orleans for at least another year. It’s a shame that the conversations surrounding Peat have come to this rather than his impressive moments as a blocker (he was instrumental in setting up several Taysom Hill touchdown runs a week ago), but you can’t ignore the cap commitments going his way when he’s missing so much time with injuries. It’s an unfortunate situation for both the player and the team.

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Geno Smith never lost confidence in journey back to NFL starter

On Monday, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith will become the first quarterback in 50 years to log an eight-gap between NFL starts.

On Monday night, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith will become the first NFL quarterback in 50 years to log an eight-year gap between season-opening starts. Originally selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, Smith has had quite the journey back into the spotlight.

“It was just the hard work and I understand that there has been a gap,” Smith said during his Friday press conference. “But I’ve never lost confidence in my ability or the things that I can do on the field. My first two years I had some really great games and put a lot of great things on tape. But I was able to grow over that course of that time just being with Eli Manning and Philip Rivers and then obviously being here with Russell.”

Smith has now come full circle, preparing to square off Monday night against the quarterback he was relegated to back up over the last three seasons. For Smith, his time over the years on the bench was all about the valuable lessons learned.

“All three of them are Hall of Fame quarterbacks in my opinion,” Smith continued. “And being in the room with those guys and just learning football, being in different football systems, being around different coordinators, I was able to gain a ton of knowledge.

“That really was the most important thing to me other than anything else.”

Smith and his Seahawks are set to kick off against the Broncos Monday at 5:15 p.m. PT.

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Lewis Kidd is the only undrafted rookie to make the Saints’ initial 53-man roster

Lewis Kidd is the only undrafted rookie to make the Saints’ initial 53-man roster, but time will tell if he hangs on:

Former Montana State offensive lineman Lewis Kidd was the only undrafted rookie to make the New Orleans Saints’ initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, but time will tell if he hangs on. The Saints will continue to churn its roster over the next week and assemble their practice squad, with some players moving on and off the team in procedural moves. A couple of players will also go on injured reserve, where they can return to the active roster after being sidelined for at least four weeks (up to eight players can do this in 2022).

But Kidd is in a good spot. He impressed as a run blocker in preseason but needs to work on his pass protection reps, and he has time to improve behind Ryan Ramczyk and Landon Young at right tackle. With injuries thinning out the position group — backup left tackle Trevor Penning is one of those players who will miss time with an injury, while the starter, James Hurst, as well as Young have also been on the mend — retaining Kidd was an easy decision.

Hopefully he can continue to do his part to stick around. Kidd has held his own at right tackle after converting from left tackle in college (he has some experience lining up at right guard, which may have helped with the transition), and it speaks more to the strengths of the team than the quality of this year’s undrafted rookie class that he’s the last man standing. It’s possible the team ends up waiving him to try and sneak him on the practice squad after other squads are established around the league, but he’s passed the first test. It’s on Kidd to keep it up in the days and weeks ahead.

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Alexander Volkanovski quiere ser el peleador de reserva para la pelea de peso ligero de la UFC 280

Alexander Volkanovski, campeón de peso pluma de la UFC, tiene planes de ser una opción de emergencia para la próxima pelea para el título de peso ligero, solo en caso de que algo saliera mal antes de la UFC 280. El evento de pago por evento será el …

Alexander Volkanovski, campeón de peso pluma de la UFC, tiene planes de ser una opción de emergencia para la próxima pelea para el título de peso ligero, solo en caso de que algo saliera mal antes de la UFC 280.

El evento de pago por evento será el 22 de octubre en Abu Dhabi y el evento más esperado es la pelea por el título vacante de la división de peso ligero que se disputará entre Charles Oliveira e Islam Makhachev.

Volkanovski se rompió la mano izquierda en su reciente defensa del título contra Max Holloway en la UFC 276, y dice que planifica estar listo para subir al octágono en lugar de alguien y pelear por su segundo título de la UFC.

“Quiero volver a estar adentro”, fue lo que dijo Volkanovski en entrevista en el canal de YouTube de Daniel Cormier. “Aunque no lo crean, como yo sigo entrenando, en realidad estoy pensando que si necesitan a alguien de reserva, yo seré quien estará ahí. … Les digo que yo quiero estar ahí, quiero ser el de reserva. Voy a estar en suficiente forma, voy a tener el suficiente entrenamiento para estar en buena forma y lo haré. Soy ese tipo de persona.”

Siempre he dicho que me aseguraré de que nadie más me pueda quitar esa oportunidad. Porque si alguien más va y lo hace, ¿saben a lo que me refiero?, entonces me hace a un lado y entonces tengo que esperar aún más. Eso no me gusta. Estoy feliz de sentarme aquí y que si alguien se lastima o no llega al peso o lo que sea, yo me puedo colar.”

Si la pelea se realiza según los planes, Volkanovski también dio su predicción de quién cree que ganará la pelea y qué le pasaría a la división a partir de ese punto.

“Yo creo que si gana Charles, él peleará a principios del año que entra”, fue lo que dijo Volkanovski. “Si gana Islam, siento que sería más hacia mediados de año y yo no quiero esperar tanto tiempo. … ¿Que quién creo que se quedará con el cinturón después de esa pelea? Probablemente será Islam. Pero, estaré al pendiente en caso de que necesiten que entre en lugar de alguien”.

Volkanovski todavía tiene una férula en la mano lesionada, pero ha seguido haciendo lo que puede para mantenerse en forma para tener una oportunidad para el peso ligero. Mientras tanto, siente que algunos de sus compañeros de peso ligero cerca del grupo principal deberían hablar más sobre sus deseos de participar en la siguiente lucha por el título cuando él regrese a las 145 libras, incluso si eso significa una pelea por el título interino.

“Aquí estoy con la mano rota así que nadie me puede quitar mi lugar, pero entraría poco preparado”, dijo Volkanovski. “Aún así estaré preparado, pero estoy dispuesto a ser una peleador de reserva para los asesinos de la división de peso ligero para que nadie me quite esa oportunidad. … Estoy seguro de que no soy tan diferente, estoy seguro de que todos piensan así.

“Muéstrenme. Muéstrenme que ustedes creen en ustedes. Vayan y tomen el puesto No. 1, no me dejen oportunidad. Me quedaré aquí sentado y diré que ustedes son los campeones, ustedes tendrán esa oportunidad. Es así de sencillo”.

 

Artículo traducido por Ana Lucía Toledo

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Colin Kaepernick: Could he fit for the Seahawks as a backup quarterback?

Now that he’s willing to return to the NFL in a backup role, is quarterback Colin Kaepernick a good fit for the Seattle Seahawks after all?

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Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick hasn’t given up his plans to return to the league but he has tweaked them just a bit. During an interview on the I AM ATHLETE YouTube channel on Monday, Kaepernick stated he’s willing to assume a backup role for now.

“Yeah. I know I have to find my way back in,” Kaepernick said. “So, yeah, if I have to come in as a backup that’s fine, but that’s not where I’m staying. And when I prove that I’m a starter, I want to be able to step on the field as such. I just need that opportunity to walk through the door.”

After re-signing Geno Smith on a one-year deal last week, the Seattle Seahawks now have three quarterbacks under contract heading into the 2022 season and are not likely to add another free agent to the mix this offseason. However, all that could change in an instant and Kaepernick could be just the man Seattle is looking for. Both have unfinished business.

“I’ve been to the Super Bowl; we were one play away,” Kaepernick said. “Well, I need to finish that. My mentality isn’t just to go out and compete. No, I want to win a championship. And I know that it may take different paths to get there, but I wholeheartedly believe I’m going to make that happen.”

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Free-agent quarterback Geno Smith to re-sign with Seahawks

Free-agent quarterback Geno Smith is re-signing with the Seattle Seahawks, where he spent the last three years backing up Russell Wilson.

The Seattle Seahawks have now added another quarterback to the mix to spice up the competition this offseason. The latest signee is a very familiar face, however, having backed up Russell Wilson for the last three years. Free-agent quarterback Geno Smith is re-signing with the Seahawks as first reported by Jordan Schultz.

Smith was originally selected by the Jets in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft out of West Virginia and played four seasons in New York. He next spent a year each with the Giants and Chargers before signing with Seattle in 2019.

Smith was called up last year when Wilson suffered his hand injury and completed 65 of 95 passes attempted for 702 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception.

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Seahawks hope QB Geno Smith signs to capitalize on chance to start

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll hopes free agent quarterback Geno Smith re-signs with Seattle so he can capitalize on the chance to start.

Geno Smith finally has the chance he’s been waiting for . . . the opportunity to compete to earn the starting quarterback position. With QB Russell Wilson traded to the Denver Broncos and only a couple of QBs on the Seahawks roster, the spot is wide open for the taking.

However, Smith remains a free agent and has yet to sign a new contract with Seattle.

“It just hasn’t happened,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters at the league meetings this week in Palm Beach, FL. “It’s a negotiation . . . It would be a shame if he misses this opportunity. He has invested a lot with us, he knows our system the best. He performed well at it once he got going last year. Can he take off from where he finished up?”

Smith has been a steady backup for the Seahawks over the last three seasons, especially stepping up last year when Wilson suffered an injury to his throwing hand. Carroll is just hoping he can come to terms on a new deal to stay in the Emerald City and compete for a possible starting job.

“The opportunity he has been waiting for has finally arrived, so I just can’t imagine he’s going to miss it, but we’ve got to get it done still,” Carroll continued. “We’ve got to keep working it in case it doesn’t happen. We’re competing there.”

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Pete Carroll: Seahawks want to re-sign Geno Smith for 2022 season

Here’s what head coach Pete Carroll said about Smith at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine yesterday.

The trade speculation regarding quarterback Russell Wilson will continue to dominate this offseason for the Seattle Seahawks, but the team is reportedly looking to bring back his backup from last year as well.

Here’s what head coach Pete Carroll said about Geno Smith at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine yesterday.

Smith first saw the field for Seattle in Week 5 after Wilson suffered his gruesome finger injury. He initially played well, but he struggled in the ensuing weeks leading up to the team’s 31-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

However, he dug himself into a particularly deep hole with his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence in January, which he is currently under investigation for.

The Seahawks find themselves in need of a decent backup for next season, but whether or not Smith will be in blue and green again will most likely depend on the outcome of his legal issues.

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QB Geno Smith’s experience with Seahawks is real advantage for Seattle

Now that he’ll be starting in place of the injured Russell Wilson, QB Geno Smith’s experience with the Seahawks is a real advantage.

Every NFL team’s worst nightmare is watching a starting quarterback go down with an injury and the Seattle Seahawks experienced just that Thursday night. Now that QB Russell Wilson has undergone surgery to repair his injured finger and will be out for a while, it’s backup quarterback Geno Smith’s time to shine.

Fortunately for Seattle, the veteran signal-caller’s history and experience with the team is a real advantage for the Seahawks.

“He’s been through everything that we have done, and he’s gone every step of the way with Russ, they have been shoulder to shoulder through the process,” Carroll said on Monday afternoon. “He has been a great help to Russ, a great sounding board for Russ, and he’s just been an asset.”

Because Wilson has suffered virtually no injuries throughout his career, the Seahawks have rarely ever had to turn to a backup. But now that they will, Carroll is ultra-confident in what Smith brings to the table.

“What he’s done also is that he’s prepared to play every single week that we have ever been out here,” Carroll explained. “He’s always been prepared to go, always worked hard at it, knew how important it was to do that, and he embraced the role of it. You can see it, look at how sharp he was for jumping in there. He was prepared to do that.”

Smith’s next test will be in Pittsburgh this Sunday night in prime time when the Seahawks square off against the Steelers.

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Seahawks in ‘good hands’ with Geno Smith if Russell Wilson misses time

The Seahawks will be in good hands turning to backup quarterback Geno Smith if starter Russell Wilson misses time with a finger injury.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson left the Week-5 contest against the Los Angeles Rams in the third quarter when he suffered a badly sprained finger on his throwing hand.

Wilson is now headed to see a specialist and if the injury turns out to be a mallet finger condition, he could miss some significant time while he recovers.

Backup quarterback Geno Smith took over when Wilson exited the game and coach Pete Carroll has faith the veteran will be able to carry the weight going forward should his number be called.

“If Geno is going to play for us some as Russ comes back, you know, he showed that we’re in good hands,” Carroll said during his postgame press conference. “I was just proud for him and the fact that he hung with us all this time and believed in being part of this program. Then when he got his chance, he did really. That was pretty good.”

Smith finished Thursday night completing 10 of 17 passes attempted for 131 yards, one touchdown and one interception that only came as a result of Tyler Lockett – the intended target – stumbling and falling on the play.

“I went right to Geno afterwards and said, you been waiting a long time for your opportunity,” Carroll told reporters. “The faith you’ve shown in our program and us to stay with us, so proud that when he got in there, he did great. He really looked good. He’s been working for that. He’s a talented football player. He knows our system.”

The Seahawks have a mini-bye before they are set to square off against the Steelers in Week 6, when Smith may very well be leading the charge.

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