Tag: Cleveland Browns

AFC North standings: Ravens resting easy at top after Week 11

The Ravens are miles ahead of everyone else in the AFC North standings after a Week 11 win and the debacle between the Steelers and Browns.

The Baltimore Ravens once again handled their business, defeating the Houston Texans in Week 11 handily. Though they were already at the top of the AFC North standings, the week wasn’t nearly as fun for the rest of the division.

It kicked off on Thursday night as the Cleveland Browns beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game marred by an ugly brawl at the end. Impact players from both teams are now suspended. Pittsburgh’s loss was already a huge deal, extending Baltimore’s lead in the AFC North standings. But with starters now missing time due to the fight, it’s going to make the next few weeks even tougher for both the Browns and Steelers, potentially putting them further in the hole.

The Bengals are officially out the running for the playoffs, losing to the Oakland Raiders to fall to 0-10.

Let’s take a look at the AFC North standings after Week 11.

AFC North standings:

Team Record Division Record Conference Record
Baltimore Ravens 8-2 3-1 6-2
Pittsburgh Steelers 5-5 1-2 4-3
Cleveland Browns 4-6 2-0 4-3
Cincinnati Bengals 0-10 0-3 0-6

The Ravens now hold a three-game lead over the Steelers for the top of the AFC North standings, a lead that is effectively 3.5 games thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker. With just six games remaining, it would take a complete collapse by Baltimore to not hold the AFC North crown by Week 17.

The Ravens can clinch the division in Week 13 if the following things happen:

[vertical-gallery id=37274]

Texans officially give up 2020 third-round pick to Browns from the RB Duke Johnson trade

The Houston Texans officially will give up a 2020 third-round pick to the Cleveland Browns as part of the trade for RB Duke Johnson.

Not only the Houston Texans lose 41-7 to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium, but they also lost a 2020 third-round draft pick.

One of the conditions of the trade with the Cleveland Browns for running back Duke Johnson was that the Texans would give up a third-round pick if Johnson was active for at least 10 games in 2019. On Sunday, Johnson was on the game day 46. As a result, rather than giving the Browns a fourth-round pick, the selection was upped to a third-rounder.

The Texans may not have got good value out of Johnson on Sunday as he caught two passes for four yards and rushed six times for 40. However, he has been a key part of a dual attack in the Houston backfield alongside running back Carlos Hyde that has helped the club stay diverse in their offensive attack despite Pro Bowl running back Lamar Miller being out for the season with a torn ACL.

Houston doesn’t have a third-round pick as they dealt their third-rounder obtained in the Jadeveon Clowney trade to the Oakland Raiders for cornerback Gareon Conley.

The 32 nominees for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

The players nominated for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award have been announced.

The 32 player nominees for the sixth annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award were announced last week. Each NFL team nominated one of its players for the award, which recognizes players around the league who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field.

The award is presented each year to an NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.

The nomineese:

2019 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award Nominees

» Arizona Cardinals C A.Q. Shipley
» Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones
» Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
» Buffalo Bills LB Lorenzo Alexander
» Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey
» Chicago Bears DB Kyle Fuller
» Cincinnati Bengals DE Sam Hubbard
» Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb
» Dallas Cowboys CB Byron Jones
» Denver Broncos LB Von Miller
» Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford
» Green Bay Packers CB Tramon Williams
» Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson
» Indianapolis Colts WR T.Y. Hilton
» Jacksonville Jaguars DL Calais Campbell
» Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
» Los Angeles Chargers LB Thomas Davis Sr.
» Los Angeles Rams S Eric Weddle
» Miami Dolphins C Daniel Kilgore
» Minnesota Vikings DE Danielle Hunter
» New England Patriots WR Matthew Slater
» New Orleans Saints T Terron Armstead
» New York Giants DL Dalvin Tomlinson
» New York Jets DL Steve McLendon
» Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr
» Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz
» Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner
» San Francisco 49ers T Joe Staley
» Seattle Seahawks LB K.J. Wright
» Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Lavonte David
» Tennessee Titans C Ben Jones
» Washington Redskins RB Adrian Peterson

A panel of former players — Warrick Dunn, Pro Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin, Karl Mecklenburg and Leonard Wheeler — will select eight finalists (four in the AFC and four in the NFC) from the 32 nominees.  The winner of the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award will then be determined by a vote of current NFL players.

Past recipients:

» 2018: Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
» 2017: Luke Kuechly, LB, Carolina Panthers
» 2016: Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts
» 2015: Charles Woodson, CB, Oakland Raiders
» 2014: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals

Report: Browns scuttled Myles Garrett interview with FOX

FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer was scheduled to interview Myles Garrett … and then he wasn’t.

The Myles Garrett incident with Mason Rudolph in Thursday’s Steelers-Browns game isn’t going away anytime soon. FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported Sunday he was scheduled to have a sitdown interview with the Cleveland defensive star … until the team squashed it.

That news came shortly after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the appeals in the incident will be decided upon prior to Wednesday and more players will be hit with fines, including Rudolph.

All this should make the teams’ rematch on Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh quite intriguing.

 

 

SNL had Myles Garrett attack Rudy Giuliani in cold open

Myles Garrett, played by Keenan Thompson, tries to explain himself.

“Saturday Night Live” brought NFL drama and a soap-opera vibe to the impeachment hearings.

After NBC called the hearings “lacking pizazz” and Reuters called them “dull,”  the comedians on SNL decided to turn the court proceedings into a soap opera called “Days of our Impeachment” on the cold open this week. It was an effort to capture the attention of the American public, because, as SNL said, “the only thing at stake is democracy.”

During the course of SNL’s hearings, we saw plenty of dramatic moments, including an appearance from Keenan Thompson, playing Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. Feeling “falsely accused,” Garrett explained why he swung a helmet at Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph on Thursday Night Football.

“You see what happened was, I saw another player who had lost a helmet somehow, and I thought, ‘Oh, he should be wearing a helmet.’ So I attempted to put it back on his head.”

When Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., played by Alex Moffat, told him Garrett was not on trial, he replied that he knew that.

“President Trump pardoned me from the war crimes,” Garrett said. “He said I could bring a helmet to Afghanistan and just go nuts.”

Moments later, Garrett uses his helmet to smack Rudy Giuliani in the head.

During the final moments of the Browns’ win over the Cleveland Steelers, Garrett and Rudolph got into a wrestling match on the ground after the defensive end hit the quarterback late. Garrett ripped off Rudolph’s helmet and swung it at his head, which started a brawl on the football field. Garrett, Rudolph and quarterback Baker Mayfield discussed the incident immediately after the game. The media response was significant, with NFL giving Garrett an indefinite suspension.

In a truly depressing piece of commentary, it seems SNL is willing to introduce whatever amount of drama necessary to make sure Americans are paying attention to the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

[vertical-gallery id=869963]

Ex-Giant Odell Beckham Jr. feels targeted by NFL over drug testing

Former New York Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. feels like he’s a target of the NFL’s random drug testing policy.

A year ago, Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid suggested that the NFL’s random drug testing policy wasn’t necessarily random at all, implying he was a target of the league.

Fast forward to this week and former New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who now plays for the Cleveland Browns, is echoing Reid’s sentiments.

“[The NFL] made me come in Monday when we had an off day. Had a drug test,” Beckham said, via Cleveland.com. “Made me come in Thursday after the game. Had another drug test.

“Nobody is getting tested like me. I know people who didn’t get tested for five months in the offseason and I’m getting tested every time.”

By the very nature of the system being randomized, some players will get tested more than others. Some will be tested repeatedly and others will never have to fill a cup to the yellow line — that’s just how a randomizer works.

Still, Beckham has felt like a target of the NFL for years and it has to do with a lot more than random performance-enhancing drugs checks — a test Beckham has never failed, by the way.

But the league maintains it has no control over the random names that are chosen for tests.

“Neither the union or the league are involved in the random selection of players to be tested,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy told Cleveland.com. “By means of a computer program, the independent administrator determines which 10 players will be randomly selected each week.”

An independent investigation into Reid’s claim revealed no wrongdoing, and Beckham is free to request a similar inquiry.

[lawrence-related id=632823,632846,632876]

Steelers, Browns melee may help Dolphins’ NFL Draft situation

The suspensions handed down in the Steelers/Browns melee will ultimately help assist the Dolphins’ hunt for higher draft picks.

The brawl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football was an ugly look for the NFL. The league made sure to make it abundantly clear that this kind of behavior wouldn’t be tolerated, suspending Cleveland’s Myles Garrett and Larry Ogunjobi, as well as Pittsburgh’s Maurkice Pouncey and fining both teams a combined $500k.

There are no silver lining for any of the parties involved — but the ugliness of the incident will potentially provide benefit to the Miami Dolphins in their hunt for higher draft picks. Is it ideal for the Dolphins to play the Browns next weekend without half of their starting defensive line? No, of course not. But the Browns will sorely miss Garrett for the rest of the season — losing him could potentially neutralize a late-season push from the Browns and help the Dolphins’ strength of schedule for any final record ties in the NFL Draft order.

And losing Maurkice Pouncey for three games is notable for Pittsburgh as well — especially given the lingering health issues with RB James Conner. The Steelers came into Thursday Night Football riding a 4 game win streak. The streak is over and the Steelers offense without Conner looked awful. Mason Rudolph folded under pressure against the Browns, and now Rudolph will play without one of Pittsburgh’s best offensive linemen for the next three games. Pittsburgh’s own push for the postseason is hurt by Pouncey’s suspension (and possibly by the NFL’s decision not to suspend Rudolph, given how poorly he played) and as a result, the Dolphins may see that Steelers’ 1st-round pick start to climb back up the NFL Draft order. The Steelers play Cincinnati, Cleveland and Arizona in their next three games without Pouncey — if his absence contributes to even one extra loss for the Steelers, it may be the difference in 3-5 spots in the draft order this spring for the Dolphins.

[protected-iframe id=”6e8b8892e9038fd158063dda352df4de-105974726-152780023″ info=”https://art19.com/shows/e34d7967-9a7d-4b90-9a57-ec61905a7e96/embed?playlist_type=playlist” scrolling=”no”]

Mason Rudolph reaches decision on whether to press charges against Myles Garrett

Mason Rudolph made up his mind on whether to press charges, and thankfully there’s some sanity in this whole thing. At long last.

Finally, we have a little bit of sanity in the Mason Rudolph – Myles Garrett fiasco.

Steelers QB Rudolph was attacked by Garrett during the Thursday Night Football game between the Browns and the Steelers, when Garrett ripped off Rudolph’s helmet and then struck him in the head with it.

Everyone lost their minds. Garrett was suspended indefinitely by the NFL. One of his teammates and a Steelers player also received suspensions, though Rudolph was not punished for his involvement in the initial skirmish.

The violence of the attack had some people suggesting that Rudolph should press charges against Garrett for the incident.

It appears, however, that he’ll leave it with the NFL to punish Garrett for the attack.

“Rudolph will not seek any legal action, considering it a NFL-only matter,” insider Ian Rapoport said on NFL Total Access.

Rapoport also had an explanation as to why Rudolph wasn’t punished for his involvement.

“His actions did not rise to the level of being suspended because if you look at just what he did trying to get Garrett’s helmet off kind of escalated the incident, but didn’t cause any damage like some of the other acts did.”

[lawrence-related id=870654]

[jwplayer MJV6zoPs-q2aasYxh]

Steelers-Browns fight fallout and suspensions impact three Bengals games

The Steelers-Browns fight headlined by Myles Garrett has a big impact on the Bengals.

Chaos elsewhere in the AFC North might end up helping the downtrodden Cincinnati Bengals.

For those who (somehow) missed it Thursday night, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett hit Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph over the head with his own helmet, prompting an all-out brawl.

That’s keeping it short and sweet, of course. Point is, the NFL dished out punishments the next day, suspending Garrett indefinitely. Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi got a one-game ban and Pittsburgh center Maurkice Pouncey got hit with three games. All bans are subject to appeal as always.

From a Bengals perspective, this means they likely won’t have to deal with Pouncey during their Week 12 game against Pittsburgh. That should make life easier on the defensive line — no word on if Rudolph will be healthy enough to go. The Steelers also lost running back James Conner, receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson and others to injuries.

As for the Browns, they’ll have to go without Garrett for at least the rest of the season. Meaning, the Bengals won’t have to worry about one of the game’s most ferocious pass-rushers in Cleveland in Week 14 or when the Browns come to town in Week 17.

If nothing else, it’s nice the Bengals aren’t involved in the drama this time out and the happenings there give the team a chance to pick up some wins.

[vertical-gallery id=24592]

Saints DE Cameron Jordan has a different take on the Myles Garrett incident

See what New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan had to say on Twitter about the Myles Garrett incident involving Mason Rudolph.

The New Orleans Saints will face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday in Week 11, and for the 7-2 Saints, a win feels like a must after losing at home last Sunday to the Atlanta Falcons, who entered the game at just 1-7.

After the San Francisco 49ers lost Monday night to the Seattle Seahawks to drop to 8-1, that loss to Atlanta has become all the more costly for New Orleans. Losing to a lesser opponent for the second-straight game, especially one in their own division, would further hamper their hopes for a high playoff seed. Tampa Bay can expect New Orleans to come out attacking the young secondary.

But, before Sunday’s action rolls around, many players are likely still processing what happened last night in the Thursday night matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. In the closing seconds of that game, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett got into a scuffle on the ground with Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, which eventually led to Garrett ripping off Rudolph’s helmet and smashing it over his head.

The NFL reacted today by suspending Garrett indefinitely, but, it seems one Saints player thinks Garrett isn’t entirely at fault for what transpired. See what defensive end Cameron Jordan had to say on Twitter.

While Rudolph may have played a part in starting the fight, we’ve seen plenty of brawls before, and none have escalated to the level like we saw last night. Garrett needs to know when to stop and move on.

He’ll have plenty of time now to learn that lesson.

[lawrence-related id=24989,24985,24979,24971]