Tag: Benched

Panthers bench Bryce Young, turn to former Saints QB Andy Dalton

The Carolina Panthers have benched Bryce Young and turned to former Saints quarterback Andy Dalton. He’ll start in Week 3 and potentially beyond:

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1835737829923491918

The Carolina Panthers have decided to go a different direction at the quarterback position after a tough start to the season for Bryce Young. They will now be starting former New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton for Week 3, and potentially beyond. The Panthers will visit the Las Vegas Raiders next, on Sept. 22.

Young has had a tumultuous first 18 games in his NFL career, going 2-16 in the games he started with 3,122 passing yards and 11 passing touchdowns against 13 interceptions, worth a 33.4 quarterback rating.

One of the last games he played before this benching was the Panthers’ 47-10 loss to the Saints in Week 1, in which Young went 13 for 30 with 161 yards (5.4 yards per attempt) and 2 interceptions without a touchdown, which yielded a 12.2 QBR. He was also sacked 4 times for a loss of 26 yards, and has been sacked 68 times for 518 yards in his career (on 10.45% of his dropbacks) which is also worth noting.

Ultimately this was a quick decision, as Young had very little opportunity to really grow under new head coach Dave Canales, and will now have to work to take that opportunity back from the veteran journeyman. Dalton unexpectedly started 14 games for the Saints in 2022 (in which they went 6-8) after replacing an injured Jameis Winston, completing 252 of his 378 passes for 2,871 yards (7.6 yards per attempt) with 18 touchdowns against 9 interceptions. He was sacked 25 times. In his career Dalton has started 163 games but he has a 83-78-2 record. We’ll see if he remains the starter when the Saints visit Carolina on Nov. 3.

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Mike Macdonald says Seahawks expecting ‘big things’ from Riq Woolen

Mike Macdonald says Seahawks expecting ‘big things’ from Riq Woolen

If there is a strength to this Seattle Seahawks defense, it is their secondary. Led by the No. 5 overall pick last year, cornerback Devon Witherspoon, the Seahawks have depth at this position.

One such asset, at least on paper, is third year pro Riq Woolen. Originally a fifth round selection, Woolen exploded onto the scene his rookie year as another lengthy, speedy cornerback. However, a tumultuous sophomore season (which saw him get benched) and the Seahawks picking two corners in this year’s draft has many wondering just how safe Woolen’s job is.

If early practices are any indication to Woolen’s status with the team, it seems concerns for him are unwarranted. At least right now. Head coach Mike Macdonald was nothing but positive when talking about Woolen. According to John Boyle at the team website:

“I think Tariq’s in a great spot… We had a great conversation today, and I’m expecting big things from him. just like everyone else on the defense and on the rest of the team, we’re going to be pushing him, because there’s greatness in there.”

Still, it is early, and drafting a pair of corners from Auburn in the draft cannot be overlooked. This will be one of, if not perhaps the biggest storylines for the Seahawks this summer. Are DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett more in line for what Macdonald wants in his defense? Or are they depth picks to help push Woolen to the greatness his head coach believes he has?

One thing is for certain: any starting jobs in this secondary will most assuredly be earned by merit, not by name recognition.

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Twitter reacts to Andy Reid’s decision to bench TE Travis Kelce

Twitter went wild after #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce was benched in Week 18 due to a coaching decision.

The Kansas City Chiefs have relied on tight end Travis Kelce to eat up yards and score touchdowns all season, but the star pass catcher was a healthy scratch due to a coaching decision for the team’s Week 18 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Kelce will fall just short of the all-important 1,000-yard mark for the 2023 regular season, and while he will be able to rest his legs ahead of the AFC playoffs later this month, Andy Reid’s decision to sit him had some Chiefs fans up in arms on Twitter.

Some took issue with Reid’s decision because of the 1,000-yard milestone, and others were displeased that they wouldn’t see their favorite player on the field.

A contingent of Kansas City’s fans supported the decision, though many of their voices were buried in the indignance of Kelce’s absence.

Check out some of Twitter’s top reactions to Andy Reid’s controversial decision:

Report: Pittsburgh benches Jurkovec, expected to start Veilleux next week

Phil Jurkovec, who has 2 TDs and 3 INTs over his past three games, will reportedly no longer be the starter for the Pittsburgh Panthers.

The Pittsburgh Panthers have made a change at quarterback, according to a Wednesday report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Noah Hiles.

The Panthers will trade senior Phil Jurkovec for sophomore Christian Veilleux when they next take the field against Louisville on Oct. 14.

Jurkovec, a three-year starter at Boston College who transferred to Pittsburgh before this season, has struggled so far in 2023. He’s completed a career-low 50.9% of his passes, he’s thrown more interceptions (3) than touchdowns (2) over his last three starts, and he’s been given a QBR below 35 in three of his five games.

Hiles reported Jurkovec told his teammates about the move during a players-only meeting on Wednesday morning.

Veilleux spent the past two seasons at Penn State before he also transferred to Pittsburgh this offseason. He’s thrown 27 passes in this season, completing 12 of them for 145 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Colts benching Matt Ryan for Sam Ehlinger

BREAKING: Colts to bench QB Matt Ryan in favor of starting Sam Ehlinger.

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The Indianapolis Colts are reportedly benching quarterback Matt Ryan and will start second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger, first reported by Mike Chappell of Fox59.

Through the team’s first seven games of the season, Ryan has dealt with a porous offensive line. But his play has reportedly worn the patience of the front office thin, according to Chappell.

Following Sunday’s 19-10 loss in which Ryan threw two interceptions, head coach Frank Reich said the veteran was still the strting quarterback. According to Chappell, that changed after a meeting with owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard.

Ehlinger was promoted to the backup role behind Ryan earlier this season and while Reich initially described the reasoning as schematic, Chappell reported the patience was wearing thin.

From Chappell:

Reich described it as for “schematic’’ reasons, but internally the team’s patience with Ryan was wearing out.

Ehlinger might have started against the Titans Sunday in Nashville if Ryan hadn’t engineered the 34-27 win over Jacksonville the previous week by passing for 389 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers.

But Sunday’s performance against the Titans forced the Colts’ hand.

After the game, Reich stressed “Matt’s our quarterback.’’

That changed after Reich, general manager Chris Ballard and owner Jim Irsay had time to reassess things.

Through seven games, Ryan leads the NFL with nine interceptions and 12 total turnovers. The offense has been shut out during the first half of games three times and they’ve failed to score at all on any of their opening drives.

Ehlinger brings much more mobility to the quarterback position after being selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft. He was the MVP of the preseason and has always been praised by the coaching staff and front office.

Staring at a 3-3-1 record but 1-3-1 in the division, the Colts may be shifting their focus to the future.

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Giants bench WR Golden Tate ahead of matchup vs. Washington

The Giants made the surprise decision to bench WR Golden Tate ahead of Sunday’s matchup against Washington, citing performance and effort issues.

The New York Giants have already been dealing with some injuries ahead of this weekend’s matchup with the Washington Football Team, but now it appears that they will also be without veteran WR Golden Tate, who has been benched for issues of effort and performance as of late.

Tate was seen working with the practice squad earlier this week, wearing a No. 17 jersey and likely mimicking the play of Washington’s Terry McLaurin. Now it appears that his services won’t be needed beyond the practice squad this week, as Giants coach Joe Judge has made the decision to bench him instead.

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Report: Haskins grew complacent as QB1, showing sloppy habits and poor effort

A report shows that those who watched Haskins in practice saw complacency at QB1, showing a lack of effort and little attention to detail.

To the football public, the news that Washington’s quarterback Dwayne Haskins had been benched after just four games in the 2020 season came as a pretty big surprise on Wednesday morning.

To anyone inside the organization in Washington, who had a first-hand look at how Haskins had committed to his job after winning the starting spot, it was just a foregone conclusion.

According to a report from The Washington Post, the work ethic that Haskins used to win the QB1 job in the first place had quickly deteriorated once the season started, and it led to growing frustration among players who had become tired of losing.

“Inside the team’s practice facility, momentum for the move had been growing, a person with knowledge of the situation said, in part because Haskins had fallen into poor study and practice habits,” wrote Les Carpenter. “The person said Haskins’ lack of preparation was hurting him in games, leading to overthrown passes and missed opportunities to hit open receivers.”

It all culminated in the Week 3 game vs. the Cleveland Browns, where Washington entered the fourth quarter with a lead on the road, holding a great chance for the upset win. However, down the stretch, Haskins’ four turnovers led to 24 of Cleveland’s 34 points, and it ended in a frustrating loss. This was seemingly the nail in the coffin, though it wouldn’t be until a week later that Haskins was eventually benched.

The concerns represented a departure from the effort Haskins had shown in winning the starting job during training camp, for which he had drawn praise from Rivera. Something seemed to happen to Haskins after winning the job, the person familiar with the situation said, and his work habits deteriorated. Another person who has seen Haskins at practice this season noticed Haskins being sloppy during pregame warm-ups, while Allen worked diligently in those same drills, even though he was unlikely to play in the game.

Players seemed to notice, as well. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that one Washington player had pushed Haskins to work harder, pointing out that Alex Smith — who hasn’t been active on gamedays but was promoted to the backup job as part of this week’s quarterback switch — had been arriving at the facility earlier than Haskins and preparing better.

The main thing that got Washington fans excited this season was hearing the news that Haskins had increased his work out efforts, dropped a bunch of weight to get into the best shape of his life, and completely bought into his craft, dedicating himself to be the franchise QB that everyone was looking for. It appears that, according to this report, he grew complacent once that starting job was his, and ended up letting it slip through his fingers.

Maybe this will be a wake-up call for him. Maybe he will learn from this and eventually get a second chance to lead Washington to victory down the road. Maybe he’ll be sent to a new team where he can try this all over again.

Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that the young QB still has a lot to learn about life in the NFL.

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Can Kyle Allen help Washington win the NFC East and make the playoffs?

Will Kyle Allen’s promotion spark Washington to a playoff run in 2020, or is it another instance of the team being lost at the QB position?

It sometimes happens where you ask a question that has an obvious answer to one set of people, but a much larger group is left with doubts.

That’s our current feeling on the Kyle Allen vs. Dwayne Haskins situation in Washington right about now, with the latter being benched after four games of the season.

Why did the move take place? That’s simple. For no other reason than the coaching staff in Washington feels that, in a down year in the NFC East where the current leader sits at 1-2-1, Allen gives the team a better chance to get to 7 or 8 wins and earn a spot in the playoffs.

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While it’s clear that Ron Rivera and his staff may believe that Allen is the guy, is it true? That’s left to be seen, and hard to predict at this point. During his time in Carolina, where Allen started a total of 13 games and finished with a 6-7 record, he threw 19 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Compare that to Haskins, who has a 3-8 record as a starter with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, it’s unclear how much of a boost you’re getting with the former.

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Sure, Allen will be working under his former coaching staff, so he arguably has a leg up when it comes to knowledge and comfortability in the offensive scheme, but will that be enough to lead Washington on some charge to the postseason? It may be.

No. 8 will absolutely have a chance to start things off on the right foot as QB1, with three of the next five games coming against extremely beatable teams. Still, the belief that Allen is heads above Haskins in terms of quarterback skill and prowess is far-fetched.

A couple of months from now, will we be looking back at this morning of October 7th and view it as the day that Washington’s season turned around, spurring a stretch of success that sparked their playoff run? Or rather, will it be yet another instance where the team was unable to make up their minds on the QB situation, leaving them with their 30th QB1 since 1993. 

My money is on the latter, but I would love to be wrong in this instance.

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What exactly went into the decision to bench Washington QB Dwayne Haskins?

It’s not the most surprising news that Haskins was benched for Kyle Allen, but the timing of it all is a bit precarious, to say the least.

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It’s been a wild Wednesday morning in Washington, with roster moves taking place and a prominent player getting sent packing all the way to the end of the bench. Let’s try to unpack some things that have left us with a host of questions.

Here’s what we know:

Here are a few questions that have yet to be answered:

  • Was this move really performance-based? If so, why was Haskins moved all the way to QB3?
  • Did the move have anything to do with the COVID news in the locker room?
  • What was the final straw for Rivera, and what didn’t he see from Haskins on Sunday that he wanted to?
  • Is Haskins’ time in Washington now over?

To sit here and pretend that we can accurately answer all of these questions is far-fetched, but the move from QB1 to QB 3 seems a bit precarious, and the news coming alongside Rivera’s announcement that one of the QBs in the QB room has at one point dealt with COVID-19 smells fishy. Could the two be linked? There is no evidence to suggest that. Could something have happened between Haskins and Rivera that demoted the former? Again, we need more information to accurately answer.

Despite all of this, the fact that we have so many questions about the move is the most notable of all. Many see Rivera as an extremely smart and calculated individual; one who thinks methodically through every move and tends to make the right call when the time is right.

To us, the time didn’t seem right for this call. In a day or two, we might learn more about why it happened, but for now, we are just left with a lot of questions.

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Seahawks at Packers: Inactive players for Sunday’s divisional round

The following players have been designated inactive for the divisional-round contest between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers.

The Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers will square off Sunday afternoon in the final game of the weekend’s divisional playoff round.

Here’s a look at the inactive players for the Seahawks and the Packers.

Seattle inactives:

Green Bay inactives:

WR Ryan Grant

RB Dexter Williams

CB Ka’dar Hollman

CB Josh Jackson

FB Danny Vitale

T John Leglue

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:40 p.m. P.T. at Lambeau Field.

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