Tag: FTW

D.J. Moore’s excuse for walking off field mid-play directly contradicts Matt Eberflus’ explanation

What’s this all about?

After the Chicago Bears’ uninspired, lazy effort against the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday, the football world turned its ire to No. 1 receiver D.J. Moore for seemingly quitting on Chicago by walking off the field in the middle of a play. It was a terrible look for one of the Bears’ leaders in the wake of a tough couple of weeks for the team.

Moore’s explanation for the sequence doesn’t make things any better. At all.

On Wednesday, Bears media reporters asked Moore to clarify what happened on the play. He claimed he got hurt (which appears to be true) and that … “momentum” (?) carried him out of bounds even when he saw Caleb Williams was still scrambling around, looking for an open receiver. Moore, of course, kind of just trailed off before denying that the online conversation about the play meant anything.

Something doesn’t add up here because that’s not what the video of the play shows with Moore slowing down (who comes to a full stop then turns out of bounds), either:

Hmm. OK. Let’s say we buy that Moore was purely injured and couldn’t beat the laws of physics. Sure, whatever. Then why did Bears head coach Matt Eberflus initially say that Moore walked off the field because a referee threw their hat down, signaling that he was an “ineligible receiver”?

More from Pro Football Talk:

“I’m not sure the exact play but I do know that one play he [Moore] stepped out of bounds, and I think the side judge threw his hat, he was out, so I believe that’s what happened,” Eberflus said. “I have to watch the play specifically but I think that might be the play you’re talking about. I don’t know exact play, what you’re talking about, but somebody did make a comment to me. I have to go back and look at it.”

He “believes” that’s what happened? I wouldn’t exactly say Eberflus was confident in his answer, either. And it’s worth noting he didn’t mention anything about Moore’s ankle until days later:

Yeah, while I’m sure Moore might have really rolled his ankle, none of this feels like it tracks.

If the Bears had been on the same page, they might have had their stories straight, and no one would have batted an eyelash. But that’s not the case. Between Eberflus meekly attributing the sequence to something about being an ineligible receiver only to later walk that explanation back and Moore claiming he couldn’t beat the laws of physics on a play where he walked off in a casual manner, it sure seems like Moore did leave the Bears’ offense to its own devices. I’m just connecting the dots.

However, anyone admitting that in public would be a horrific development for a Bears season already going off the rails. And they know that. So, next time, maybe Eberflus and Moore meet up to talk about what they will say to the media. That would be the prudent thing to do for a united team.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure Eberflus has that pull with any of his players right now.

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Aaron Rodgers wished the traded Mike Williams well just weeks after throwing him under the bus

Aaron Rodgers was oddly nice about Mike Williams after his trade.

In mid-October, Aaron Rodgers threw Mike Williams under the bus for his apparent role in a game-losing interception against the Buffalo Bills. (Never mind that Rodgers underthrew the ball and was late on the pass.)

Now, Rodgers seemingly has nothing but kind words to say about the veteran receiver as the New York Jets officially traded the veteran to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the NFL trade deadline. Huh?

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers graciously wished Williams well for getting another “change of scenery” in Pittsburgh. The quarterback expressed sympathy and appreciation for the 30-year-old playmaker working his way back into top form, especially after Williams tore his ACL during the early portions of the 2023 season.

It’s just a little too convenient that Rodgers is now singing the praises of a savvy ex-teammate after he blamed him for one of his clear mistakes in front of a national audience:

While I have no doubt that Rodgers probably does mean some of his well-wishes for Williams, I’m also not going to discount the possibility that the veteran quarterback was being as cynical as possible in this public appearance. There are, after all, likely few things Rodgers loves more than his public image.

Marshon Lattimore trade grades: Who won the Commanders and Saints deal?

Breaking down the deal that gives the Commanders a star defender for their playoff push.

Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline offered up a few unsurprising deals like stalwart pass rusher Za’Darius Smith joining the Detroit Lions, who solidified themselves as the Super Bowl favorites in the NFC.

But as we got closer to the deadline, the Washington Commanders dropped a bombshell as they pushed for an NFC East division title and a hopeful deep playoff run when they traded for perennial Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The boundary defender is a much-needed addition for a fledgling Washington defense that is the only real weak link of an otherwise solid playoff contender.

Meanwhile, might the Mickey Loomis Saints finally be trying to rebuild? If that’s the case, I’m kind of shocked, to be candid.

Let’s break this deal down and hand out some grades.

The details

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, here are the exact terms of this trade:

  • Commanders get: CB Marshon Lattimore
  • Saints get: A 2025 third-round draft pick, a 2025 fourth-round draft pick, and a 2025 sixth-round draft pick.

Washington Commanders

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Commanders were already flying high with a 7-2 record that had them sitting atop the NFC East. That’s because Jayden Daniels is the certain Offensive Rookie of the Year and a bona fide MVP candidate, while Dan Quinn has all of his ducks in a row for one of the better-coached teams in the league.

But for as successful as this Washington season has been to this date, it had glaring holes on defense. Through nine games, per RBDSM.com, Washington is just 24th in defensive expected points added per play. According to FTN, it’s 26th in defensive DVOA. Those are decidedly mediocre statistics describing a way-too-porous defense.

A former Pro Bowler, Lattimore won’t sand over all of the Commanders’ defensive issues by himself. After all, this is a team game, and Washington still needs more pieces up front. But Lattimore is a bona fide star cornerback and is just 28 years old. Getting him for a few mid-round draft selections is a coup for a team that is suddenly a strong NFC contender.

The price is worth it.

Grade: A

New Orleans Saints

Dec 18, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Saints defeated the Cardinals 48-41.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Are … the Saints actually trying to rebuild for once?

They already fired former head coach Dennis Allen after New Orleans’ disappointing 2-7 start. And there aren’t that many core pieces for the future on the roster. Trading Lattimore away — one of the few players who had value to contenders — might be a strong signal that general manager Mickey Loomis will finally tear this operation down to the studs like he should’ve done years ago. A fire sale at this trade deadline would do wonders for the Saints.

And if that doesn’t happen, getting a few solid draft picks for the future for a veteran cornerback languishing on an awful team is still something to be celebrated. Huzzah, Saints fans! Your organization might finally have a long-term plan again. Maybe.

Grade: B

Christian Braun said Nikola Jokic scaring Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert over play prediction is normal

Nikola Jokic keeps finding new ways to amaze everyone.

The Denver Nuggets may have lost their first matchup this season with the fellow Western Conference heavyweight Minnesota Timberwolves in a thriller last Friday night, but reigning MVP Nikola Jokic still did enough to spook star Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert during a key late-game sequence.

In the Minnesota locker room, Edwards and Gobert openly chatted about how Jokic knew one of their plays out of a timeout before they got into position. The two Timberwolves franchise players couldn’t believe that Jokic telegraphed precisely what they were planning to do.

While it’s not confirmed that the video below was the sequence, it sure seems like it is based on how Edwards and Gobert watch in clear disbelief as Jokic gives directions and tells the other Nuggets where to stand.

The Nuggets obviously got a stop on the play:

On Monday, as the Nuggets prepared for a home game against the Toronto Raptors, Denver starting shooting guard Christian Braun was asked about Jokic spooking Edwards and Gobert after their conversation went viral. Braun claimed that Jokic really does this kind of thing every game.

For Braun, who is made better by Jokic’s uncanny intelligence and feel for the game, this is just a regular occurrence. That’s absurd, man:

At face value, it’s not surprising that a superstar like Jokic probably watches a lot of film and studies opposing teams’ tendencies. That’s a prerequisite task if you’re going to be an exceptional professional athlete. No elite talent goes out there every night and wings it that much.

But this Jokic instance felt a bit different. Basketball is much more of a free-flowing game than other sports, where film study comes in even handier. The Timberwolves hadn’t even entered their set yet. And Jokic knew exactly what they wanted to do before they initiated it anyway, much to the shock of Minnesota’s two best players.

Jokic is in Year 10 of an illustrious career. Somehow, he’s still finding new ways to shock and amaze everyone who watches him play.

D.J. Moore walking off field mid-play shows Bears really are quitting on Matt Eberflus

D.J. Moore really quit on the Bears in the middle of a play.

In case it wasn’t clear, D.J. Moore is unhappy with the Chicago Bears’ direction under offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. But it sure seems like he’s pretty frustrated with fledgling head coach Matt Eberflus, too.

How else could you possibly explain Moore seemingly quitting on a Bears’ offensive play … as it was still happening?!

A replay of an early first-quarter sequence in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals shows Moore apparently tweaking something and walking off the field to sit on the bench as Caleb Williams was still orchestrating a Chicago scramble drill. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before from an NFL player, let alone from someone with a star reputation like Moore.

I understand Moore might have been hurt and is likely a little frustrated by the Bears’ offense this year. But I can’t excuse a player walking off the field mid-play. And none of the potential excuses really add up for me, either.

Did Moore think Williams stepped out of bounds? I don’t think so because he’s staring right at him as he spins back toward the field.

Did Moore perhaps step out of bounds and thus take himself off because he would’ve been an ineligible receiver? This is more plausible, but the margins from where Moore was standing are so minuscule that you keep playing and take the penalty after the fact, only if necessary. It’s almost like he’d be looking for an excuse to leave early.

Unless you’re seriously hurt, you play to the whistle. Always and without question.

Was Moore dialed in with Williams and his other offensive teammates?

OK, well, this is probably the one and the whole point of me writing a few hundred words about this instance. It’s the first quarter of your first game after a disastrous Hail Mary loss. Not coming prepared to play so much that you kind of just wave the white flag on a play because of a lack of engagement is unacceptable. It speaks to a rotten culture the Bears have let persist.

I already thought the Bears’ players quit on Eberflus with their generally pathetic effort on Sunday. To me, this Moore play — from one of the apparent leaders on the team — is damning evidence of that assessment.

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D.J. Moore answered question about Bears’ playcaller changes like a true politician

D.J. Moore is clearly unhappy with the Bears’ coaches.

A once-promising season for the 2024 Chicago Bears is now in a full-on tailspin. After Sunday’s pathetic effort against the Arizona Cardinals in a blowout loss, it seems pretty apparent that Bears players have begun quitting on milquetoast head coach Matt Eberflus.

One of the biggest reasons for the Bears’ struggles lately — and really, all season — has been an inept offense with no rhyme or reason. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron (who also calls the plays) has overseen an attack that has scored seven total first-quarter points all season. Over the last two weeks alone, the Bears’ offense somehow made the Washington Commanders’ and Cardinals’ awful defenses look like stout juggernauts.

But if you ask receiver D.J. Moore about whether someone else should call the plays for the Bears’ offense moving forward — as Chicago radio station 670 The Score did on Monday morning — he thinks it won’t happen.

Hey, wait a minute. The question was about whether they should, not whether they will. Oh. Got it:

D.J. Moore knows exactly what he’s doing when he doesn’t really address the question there. He’s subtly inserting his opinion that Waldron hasn’t been good enough by explaining why he won’t be replaced without actually saying it in certain terms. Spoken like a true politician.

Beyond the Bears’ offense’s general issues, it’s not hard to see why Moore would be frustrated. As a genuine No. 1 receiver, Chicago hasn’t found a way to involve its best playmaker consistently and productively all season. A year after catching nearly 100 passes for over 1,300 yards, Moore is on pace for less than 800 yards in 2024 while averaging just over 10 yards a catch.

(Note: The same principle applies to talented tight end Cole Kmet, who weirdly has just one target over the last two weeks after being on a Pro Bowl-caliber pace through the Bears’ first six games.)

You tell me what’s more likely. Did a 27-year-old elite receiver like Moore suddenly fall off a cliff, or does his new offensive coordinator have no idea how to utilize him?

Hmm, a real tough one here.

It’s no wonder Moore didn’t endorse Waldron and instead said why the Bears won’t move any chairs on their ship deck around. He’s exasperated with his role and how his unit is playing, and I can’t blame him.

Matt Eberflus’ coaching seat is red hot after Bears’ pathetic effort vs. Cardinals

The Bears openly quitting on Matt Eberflus shows it’s time to fire him.

The best time for the Chicago Bears to fire head coach Matt Eberflus was in January 2024, after he plodded his way to a middling 7-10 record as the organization set itself up to draft Caleb Williams in April. The next best time to fire Matt Eberflus is … right now after the Bears clearly quit on the overmatched coach in an embarrassing 29-9 loss against the Arizona Cardinals because he almost always throws them under the bus in public for his mistakes.

The worst and most predictable time to fire Eberflus will be on Monday, January 6, 2025, when the Bears let this glorified football doofus get another nine games to recklessly damage Williams’ future because the NFL’s charter franchise values not firing coaches midseason as some perverse badge of pride.

If the Bears have any self-respect left and want the Williams era to be bright, competitive, and filled with glorious success in winter after winter, it’s time to swallow the bitter pill and send Eberflus packing.

Chicago leadership cannot let a man who thinks like this (note: Williams was under siege behind an awful offensive line all game in Arizona) to continue coaching their team:

They’ll deny it in public with their words, but Bears players made their opinion on the Eberflus matter very clear with their actions after a devastating Hail Mary loss last weekend. By turning in a pitiful effort from top to bottom against the Cardinals, the Bears showed they were done with Eberflus offering empty, vapid platitudes from the jump.

Where do I even begin? (Takes a deep breath.)

The Bears committed not one but two penalties on Arizona field goal attempts, one of which gifted the Cardinals a fresh set of downs and led to a touchdown. Nothing is more undisciplined in football than special teams penalties that give the opposition a clean slate. The Bears did it twice. Strike one. For a coach whose calling card is effort and defense, Arizona’s offense ran through the Bears like melted butter to the tune of 213 team rushing yards. The Bears, even without Pro Bowl defensive end Montez Sweat, have roughly a gajillion dollars and high-end draft picks invested in their defense.

So, you tell me if that rushing defense is effort or talent? Strike two.

Don’t worry. It gets worse. It just keeps going.

Entering their matchup, the Cardinals had one of the NFL’s worst defenses. (Just like the Washington Commanders last week.) You’d never know it while watching the Bears and Williams fail to establish any discernible rhythm for three hours. The game plan, in this regard, was even worse. Cole Kmet went from a Pro Bowl-caliber tight end dominating the middle of the field a few weeks ago to one total target in his last two games. Meanwhile, the ghost of Keenan Allen is still tracking down aimless deep passes somewhere that he can’t reach anymore on another unfathomable target in his direction. If not for his ankle injury, I’d also estimate that Williams was still waiting for any Bears receiver, any at all, to come back to the ball on scramble drills he’s forced to induce behind his patchwork offensive line. Strike three.

If this general malaise wasn’t enough, the Bears gave up the longest end-of-half touchdown run this millennium. Strike … four?

Dearest readers, that sort of thing doesn’t happen unless a team stops playing:

In mid-October, this Bears season had potential. Chicago looked like a dark horse NFC contender. Williams was a world-beater, and as a rookie, no less. An elite defense laden with talent was firing on all cylinders. Then Eberflus botched a Hail Mary defensive strategy in the worst way possible before taking zero sincere accountability for his failure in a fashion that incensed his locker room.

His players responded in kind: they “quiet quit” and threatened to tank all of the good vibes of a once-promising season now being taken out to pasture.

As my friend Christian D’Andrea puts it, the parallels to ex-Bears coach Matt Nagy once losing his mind over the “Double Doink” are too much to ignore:

The cold comfort for Chicago is every loss takes them closer to the end of the Eberflus era, closing the door on a head coach who never quite seemed to grasp the gravity his job entailed. Nagy had the Double Doink. Eberflus had the world’s worst Hail Mary defense. Barring an unlikely turnaround, that will be his legacy.

The Bears cannot pretend to care about winning if they let Eberflus continue this charade any longer. The crux of the matter is he likely ended any positive potential for his head-coaching career the moment Noah Brown caught that touchdown in Washington, D.C.

For the sake of any part of Chicago’s still-good roster, it’s time to send Eberflus to the unemployment line.

Derrick Henry is the unquestioned NFL MVP of 2024 (so far)

Derrick Henry looks unstoppable with the Ravens, even by his high standards.

I’m going to level with you, dearest readers.

When the juggernaut Baltimore Ravens signed perennial Pro Bowler Derrick Henry in the offseason, I did think there would be some potential for fireworks with Lamar Jackson. I just wasn’t that high on a 30-year-old running back with over 2,000 career touches coming into 2024 and still playing like an unstoppable force of nature every week. That kind of mileage is tough to overcome while playing the most physically demanding position in football.

I was wrong. Dead wrong. After watching Henry demoralize the Denver Broncos’ stout defense on Sunday afternoon to the tune of a casual 22 carries for 106 yards and two touchdowns, I have no choice but to draw the following conclusion.

If Henry maintains his current unbelievable pace (he probably will), he should be the NFL MVP this year. Don’t let Henry’s classy opinion on the matter be a factor, either:

I know it might be rash to declare someone’s individual season the best they’ve ever seen halfway through a season, but I legitimately can’t remember Henry being better than he is right now. Thanks to a Ravens power rushing attack that emphasizes Henry’s (and Lamar Jackson’s) finest gifts and a high-powered Baltimore passing game, the superstar running back looks more dynamic and imposing than we’ve ever seen.

Here’s what Henry has accomplished in just nine games with the Ravens:

  • He’s the first NFL player ever to score at least one touchdown in each of his first nine games with a new team.
  • He now has seven consecutive seasons with at least 10 touchdowns, tying Adrian Peterson for the second-longest streak of all time.
  • He’s already at 1,052 rushing yards … with nine games to go. That’s right, he’s on pace to become the first running back ever to rush for at least 2,000 yards twice. Barry Sanders, Eric Dickerson, et al., eat your respective hearts out.
  • On top of everything, he’s averaging over six yards a carry. Folks, that is almost the equivalent of an effective downfield passing game by simply stuffing the ball into a running back’s chest.
  • Oh, and with 11 scores in 2024 so far, he’s now just the eighth player ever to score at least 100 career touchdowns.

For all intents and purposes, Henry is having one of the greatest seasons by a running back in NFL history. In 2024. At the near-height of a passing renaissance driven by perhaps the highest floor of quarterback play ever across the league. The Ravens know how to get him downhill, and they know how to optimize him, even in a fashion the Tennessee Titans probably couldn’t fathom.

How do I know this?

The elite Broncos defense started selling out on Henry by putting all 11 defenders in the box, and he still gashed it time and time again. I’ve been watching NFL football for nearly 20 years. I don’t think I’ve seen a running back have his way with a top-of-the-line defense like that. It was jarring to see it happen live.

I know the NFL MVP award has become something of a “best quarterback honor.” And I get it. That position holds so much weight over everything else in this brutal, dangerous game. It’s only natural to give it to the passer who had the finest season sometimes. I can’t begrudge voters for rewarding the most vital position, even if it takes the drama out of the MVP race.

You really have to stand out as a dominant non-passer to get this honor. I do think that’s fair.

But that’s the thing. If there were ever a year to reward the extraordinary effort of a non-quarterback star who has given a possible Super Bowl team another terrifying dimension, it would be 2024. It would be the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Mack Truck who has made his two-time MVP quarterback even more impossible to defend.

It would be Henry, who should be the NFL’s undisputed MVP of this season past its halfway point.

Charles Davis openly questioned the Bears for letting Caleb Williams get hurt in a 20-point loss

Matt Eberflus deserves to get fired for letting Caleb Williams get hurt alone.

There was only one way the Chicago Bears’ pitiful effort in a 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals could get worse. No, I’m not talking about demotivational speeches from head coach Matt Eberflus. It’s about Caleb Williams getting hurt in any possible manner.

And unsurprisingly, even in a dangerous game like football, the Bears did it to themselves.

With Chicago playing out the string of its blowout defeat, the Bears weirdly kept Caleb Williams in. Even worse, they kept having him throw passes, exposing him to potential injury in a game the Bears had already clearly lost. Williams would get hurt, and he held his leg before slowly limping off the field.

This was a decision that CBS’s color commentator Charles Davis openly criticized on the broadcast:

I understand the idea of letting Williams get reps and development time, even when the outcome is already set in stone. He needs that just like any other young quarterback. But Williams was under siege basically all game. He got sacked six times. There’s minimal benefit to him throwing a few more passes behind a terrible offensive line instead of living to fight another day.

If Williams is seriously hurt — you know, the only long-term hope this franchise has right now — Eberflus and his coaches may have just cemented their fate as people who should probably be fired. And soon.

UPDATE: Williams said he actually tweaked his ankle, then had it “gator-rolled” at the end of the game. He appears to be OK.

Derrick Henry gave Lamar Jackson a classy endorsement when asked about their MVP battle

Derrick Henry is a great RB and an even better teammate.

Over the last six weeks, arguably, no one has played better football in the NFL than the Baltimore Ravens. And it’s due in large part to their dynamic backfield duo featuring quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry.

Unsurprisingly, Jackson has been an absolute wizard — as he always is — while Henry has fit like a glove working with him in tandem on the Ravens offenses. The two superstars have been so exceptional, in fact, that they both warrant real MVP consideration.

But as Henry told CBS’s Tracy Wolfson after the Ravens’ 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos, he actually thinks Jackson deserves 2024 MVP honors over him. That’s a special running back and an even better teammate right there, folks:

I’m much more inclined to disagree with Henry, as he’s having one of the finest seasons by a running back in NFL history. He’s given the Ravens’ offense a dimension it’s never had before to work perfectly alongside Jackson’s already remarkable ability to create explosive plays out of nothing.

But hey, I won’t begrudge him supporting his quarterback.