Tag: NFL

6 takeaways from Christopher Johnson’s Wednesday comments

What did Jets acting CEO Christopher Johnson say on Wednesday? Here are the Jets Wire’s six takeaways.

Christopher Johnson ended his media hiatus Wednesday to deliver an unsurprising bit of news.

Johnson announced that Adam Gase will return as the team’s head coach in 2020 despite his failings thus far. Gase has gone 2-7 and Sam Darnold has struggled under his direction. Instead of listening to reactionary fans, though, Johnson will stick with Gase next season — for better or worse.

Gase, however, was not the only subject Johnson spoke about when he met with reporters. With that said, here are six takeaways from his Wednesday press conference.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7

Midseason Ballers for the Oakland Raiders in 2019

Midseason Ballers for the Oakland Raiders in 2019

We’re just past the official midway point of the Raiders 2019 season. They sit at 5-4 on the season, which is better than many thought they would be in light of the grueling 5-game, 7-week absence from a game in their home stadium. There were many great and solid performances over the first half of the season. Here’s a compilation of the very best.

RB Josh Jacobs

Baller nominations: 7

Best game: Week 5 vs Bears

Jacobs had 143 yards and 2 touchdowns on 29 touches (26 carries) against arguably the stoutest run defenses in the NFL. It was one of six games this season he has gone over 100 yards from scrimmage, with a seventh in which he hit 99 yards, all on the ground. It was also one of three multiple touchdown games for Jacobs, who has 7 touchdowns on the season. Only two games this season was he NOT a Baller.

TE Darren Waller

Baller nominations: 4

Best game: Week 3 vs Vikings

Waller was basically the Raiders’ entire offense in that game. He had 13 catches on 14 targets for 134 yards and another 7 yards on a run. Waller has been at least a good portion of the Raiders passing game all season and still leads the team in both catches (51) and receiving yards (588) by a considerable margin.

OT Trent Brown

Baller nominations: 4

Best game: Week 2 vs Chiefs

Brown kept the Chiefs pass rushers at bay, not allowing a single pressure on Carr. We’re talking about a Chiefs team that is tied for fifth in the league with 30 sacks, the most of any Raiders opponent this season. Brown also cleared the way for a 51-yard run by Josh Jacobs in that game.

C Rodney Hudson

Baller nominations: 3

Best game: Week 10 vs Chargers

It didn’t even look like he would play in this game. Just days earlier Gruden said Hudson wasn’t close to returning for the previous game with an ankle injury. He would return on a short week, play every snap, and look like he hadn’t missed a beat against one of the best defenses in football. His most impressive play was the one in which he laid two blocks to open a hole for Josh Jacobs to run 18 yards for the game-winning touchdown.

DE Benson Mayowa

Baller nominations: 3

Best game: Week 2 vs Chiefs

Despite playing just 18 snaps, Mayowa got in on two sacks on Patrick Mahomes, forcing the fumble on one of them which the Raiders recovered. That game gave him 3.5 sacks in the first two weeks and he has double that tally since then to lead the team with 7.0 sacks.

S Erik Harris

Baller nominations: 3

Best game: Week 10 vs Chargers

On Thursday night football, Harris spotted the Raiders 10 points with two interceptions; one that put them in field goal range and the other returned for a touchdown. That was his second pick-six of the season.

DE Maxx Crosby

Baller nominations: 3

Best game: Week 10 vs Chargers

While Harris was picking off Philip Rivers, it was Crosby putting on the pressure to help set them up. Pressure is something he has done a lot of this season. He leads the team with 25 pressures, is second with 7 QB hits, and third with 2.5 sacks.

Honorable Mention

QB Derek Carr — He led the way three times this season. But those were offset by three rough outings, including the game in Green Bay when he fumbled through the end zone for a touchback. But he shook that game off and has been Top Baller twice. He appears to be putting things together in Gruden’s offense and his arrow is pointing up.

OT Kolton Miller — A couple rough games early — mostly in the run game — he has picked it up since then and has done a stalwart job protecting Carr’s blindside.

FB Alec Ingold — He has been quite the find as an undrafted rookie clearing the way for Jacobs. And he’s made a few plays of his own, either in short-yardage or the Spider 2 Y Banana TD last week.

TE Foster Moreau — The number two tight end has been the most surprising rookie this season. He can catch and move a lot better than anyone gave him credit for coming out in the draft.

[lawrence-related id=57878]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Watch: Jeff Ulbrich downplays defensive play-calling changes

Just before the kickoff of Sunday’s game against the Saints, it was reported that Falcons linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich would take over the team’s defensive play-calling duties.

Just before the kickoff of Sunday’s game against the Saints, it was reported that Falcons linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich would take over the team’s defensive play-calling duties.

After holding New Orleans to just nine points, Ulbrich was quickly credited for the team’s defensive turnaround. It was later explained that assistant coach Raheem Morris had called plays on third downs, while Ulbrich called them on first and second downs.

Speaking to the media on Wendesday, Ulbrich downplayed the coaching changes as a key factor in the Falcons’ performance.

Instead, he credited the players and head coach Dan Quinn, which you can watch below in a tweet from ESPN’s Vaughn McClure:

[lawrence-related id=41726]

[vertical-gallery id=41462]

We have so many questions about the mysterious Colin Kaepernick workout

The timing, the format, the lack of coverage … none of this makes any sense.

Tuesday’s news that the NFL would be holding a private workout for Colin Kaepernick should have been good news. It was the first sign of progress in this whole ordeal, which has become an ever-growing PR nightmare for the league and led to the prolonged unemployment for a player who clearly belongs in the NFL.

But as more details were revealed, it’s becoming harder and harder to maintain any level of optimism that this will lead to the 32-year-old landing with a team.

A quick summary of how things will go, via reports from Adam Schefter and Mike Silver:

  • Having been offered the opportunity on Tuesday, Kaepernick will have only a few days to prepare for the workout. His people asked the NFL to move the workout to Tuesday — when workouts are typically held — but the league wouldn’t budge. It would have to be on Saturday.
  • As a result — with coaches and team execs traveling to games — the workout will mostly be watched by scouts who don’t carry any decision-making power.
  • Silver reports that Kaepernick will be made available for interviews with teams but, for whatever reason, the league did not ask Kaepenrick’s permission and his people were not made aware of it when the offer was made.
  • It’s also unclear who will run the workout and which receivers Kaepernick will be throwing to.

The odds are greatly stacked against Kaepernick, but, at the very least, he’s getting a shot to prove to NFL talent evaluators that he still has it, which is nice and can be seen as progress. Just one problem: There will be no media access to the event. So that means any reviews will be coming from anonymous employees who work for a league that has already paid to get out of a lawsuit that alleged it had colluded to blackball Kaepernick.

From a public relations standpoint, the best-case for the NFL would be Kaepernick bombing the workout. That is undeniable, as it would allow the league to point at the failed workout whenever it is accused of keeping Kaepernick out of the league not based on merit but because his politics make some people uncomfortable.

The NFL not allowing media to attend the workout makes little sense. This is a league that never turns down an opportunity to bring in viewers, and a broadcast of Kaepernick essentially playing for an NFL job would bring in millions of viewers. This isn’t just a football story. It’s a news story that would capture the attention of the country. There is so much money to be made and the league is just turning it down. You HAVE TO wonder why that is. Sure, teams would NEVER allow media to cover individual player tryouts, but this clearly isn’t that. It appears to be an unprecedented, pop-up NFL Combine meant for one former player — and the combine gets plenty of coverage. As do pro day workouts for NFL prospects.

With no media in attendance, NFL employees will have total control over the narrative, so if you are looking for a potential benefit for the league, there it is.

The media thing isn’t the only curious aspect of this workout. You have to wonder why now? Why would the NFL wait years after Kaepernick played his last game to do this (and then do it in November)? You also have to wonder what it’s going to take for him to impress scouts. If he’s the same guy we saw in 2016, will that be good enough? And if that’s the case, and NFL teams are interested in that version of Kaepernick, why did it take this long for him to get a workout? In 2013, Jamarcus Russell had no problem getting a private workout with the Bears. This was FOUR YEARS after his last NFL appearance and Russell was one of the worst quarterbacks of all-time. Teams also showed interest in J.P. Losman years after he flamed out of the NFL. The dude was drafted in 2004 and last played in 2011, yet teams were asking if he’d consider a comeback in 2019! Meanwhile, Kaepernick hasn’t worked out for a single NFL team since his last game with the 49ers on Jan. 1, 2017.

So, again, I ask, why now? Could it be that the league tried to show everyone that it was looking to mend bridges with the announcement of the partnership with Jay-Z and Roc Nation and after that failed, this Potemkin workout is what they came up with? That makes a lot more sense than the league changing its mind after years of claiming that this was an issue of merit.

I could very well be on the wrong side of this. Maybe this interest is genuine and Kaepernick will land a job with an NFL team. But this skepticism is well-earned and if the league is getting undue criticism, it has nobody to blame but itself.

[lawrence-related id=869986,869791,842069]

Falcons K Younghoe Koo wins NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

On special teams, kicker Younghoe Koo was an impressive 6-for-6 on field goal attempts in his Falcons debut. He would earn NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Week 10.

The Falcons played their most complete game of the season during Sunday’s 26-9 win over the Saints.

Offensively, the team controlled the line of scrimmage, winning the time of possession battle and keeping Drew Brees off the field. Defensively, Atlanta recorded six sacks and held New Orleans to 3-of-12 on third downs.

On special teams, kicker Younghoe Koo was an impressive 6-for-6 on field goal attempts in his Falcons debut. He would earn NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Week 10.

Koo was brought in after not kicking in an NFL regular season game since 2017 with the Chargers. He replaced veteran kicker Matt Bryant after Week 8 in what was viewed as a controversial move at the time.

At just 25-years-old, the Falcons are hoping Koo can keep up this level of play and earn a long-term role with the team over the final seven games of the year.

[lawrence-related id=41742]

[vertical-gallery id=41462]

3 biggest needs for the Raiders entering the 2020 offseason

3 biggest needs for the Raiders entering the 2020 offseason

The Oakland Raiders are right in the thick of things in the AFC playoff hunt, and with seven games remaining, they have a great chance of clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2016.

However, it’s never too soon to look forward to the offseason as the team tries to continue its rebuild. So without further ado, here are the Raiders’ three biggest needs entering the 2020 offseason:

1. Linebacker

No position has haunted the Raiders more over the past decade than linebacker. Oakland has struggled to find consistent play at the position, cycling through dozens of players over the last few seasons.

If the Raiders want to improve as a defense, they need to get faster in the middle. While elite off-the-ball linebackers don’t often hit free agency, the 2020 draft does have several quality players at the position this year. Look for Oakland to address that need early next offseason.

[lawrence-newsletter]

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Rams promote OL Chandler Brewer and CB Donte Deayon from practice squad

The Rams added two players to the 53-man roster, while signing another to the practice squad.

Sean McVay hinted that the Los Angeles Rams might fill the voids left by Brian Allen and Bryce Hager by calling players up from the practice squad, and on Wednesday, they made two moves official. They promoted offensive lineman Chandler Brewer and defensive back Donte Deayon from the practice squad, taking the spots of Allen and Hager on the 53-man roster.

Additionally, the Rams signed center Nate Trewyn to the practice squad.

With all the injuries the Rams have suffered lately, from Brian Allen to Rob Havenstein to Brandin Cooks, roster moves were bound to be on the horizon. There were two openings on the active roster and not enough depth on the offensive line.

McVay said the Rams would look into claiming someone off waivers if that opportunity arose, but they clearly feel more confident in Brewer than any outside free agents currently available.

As for Deayon’s promotion, it comes on the heels of Darious Williams being out at least one week with an ankle injury. He was the No. 4 cornerback behind Jalen Ramsey, Troy Hill and Nickell Robey-Coleman.

With Williams out and Deayon promoted, it’s likely the team will elevate David Long Jr. to the No. 4 CB role. He’s been a healthy scratch for some of the season and played very sparingly, but he was a third-round pick with good potential.

[vertical-gallery id=625408]

Christopher Johnson makes it official: Adam Gase will return in 2020

Christopher Johnson confirmed with reporters on Wednesday that Adam Gase would return as head coach for the 2020 season.

[jwplayer rzKgNnfu-ThvAeFxT]

After months of absence, Christopher Johnson finally addressed the media on Wednesday.

In doing so, he made major headlines. The Jets CEO made it clear that Adam Gase will return as the team’s head coach in 2020. Gase is not in jeopardy of being fired; instead, he has Johnson’s confidence.

Johnson said he told the team last week that Gase would return despite outside noise of there being a potential coaching change. He also spoke with some players about the decision one on one. Gase is 2-7 in his first season as the Jets head coach. Johnson, however, has not wavered in his support for his first head coaching hire despite some frustrations.

“I want to assure you there will be no changes in coaches here,” Johnson told reporters. “Adam has the trust of this team. He has the trust of Sam. He has Joe’s trust. He has my trust. He’s a good man. He’s a good coach.”

Johnson is understandably frustrated with the team’s progress or lack thereof through nine games but has shown the utmost support for his new regime. He still believes the future is bright.

“There’s a lot of work to do,” he said. “There’s a great deal of work to do. Everyone understands that and we’re just getting started. But I feel really good about this team moving forward.”

The relationships that Gase has built in the building with Sam Darnold and Joe Douglas have not gone unnoticed and played a big part in the decision to bring Gase back next season. He is not solely keeping Gase for Darnold’s sake, but it was a major component in his decision making.

“It’s absolutely important, but that’s not why I’m keeping Adam,” Johnson said of Darnold. “That’s certainly a component. Changing systems year after year is a disaster for a young quarterback, especially.”

As for Gase and Douglas, Johnson said, “Seeing him work with Joe, it’s a whole new dynamic in this building. It’s a really positive dynamic. They have the same vision for this team going forward.”

Will Week 11’s Saints-Buccaneers game be broadcast in your area?

Week 11 should be a rebound game for the New Orleans Saints against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Will the game broadcast be available for you?

[jwplayer sXmBDaQ3]

The New Orleans Saints are coming off of one of their worst performances in recent memory, having been steamrolled by the lowly Atlanta Falcons last Sunday. The Saints played poorly as an entire unit, looking more like how the almost-winless Falcons were expected to perform. A stagnant offense and self-inflicted defensive penalties kept the Saints far from reach of a victory against their NFC South archrival.

Week 11 should be a rebound game for New Orleans, as they travel to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their matchup earlier this season aside, Tampa Bay has always proven to be a tricky opponent for the Saints, especially when the Buccaneers get to play in Raymond James Stadium.

New Orleans raised a lot of questions last week about specific weaknesses within the offense, especially along the offensive line. A solid performance from quarterback Drew Brees and the rest of the offense would go a long way in assuaging any fears and questions that arose in their Week 10 outing. You will not want to miss the Saints take on the Buccaneers as they try to rebound back into the top spot in the NFC.

The broadcast map from 506 Sports highlights the coverage for each of the games during the early slate on FOX. The markets in orange will show the Saints-Buccaneers game, with Thom Brennaman and Chris Spielman on the call. The late afternoon slate, highlighted in blue, will feature the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. This also means that if you are in a blue zone , you will not receive any game during the early slot on FOX. Those areas in green will catch the week’s other NFC South matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers. Finally, the majority of the country will receive the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions kickoff, as denoted in red.

[vertical-gallery id=22291]

Kurt Warner explains why he sees himself more as a Cardinal than Ram

Kurt Warner won a Super Bowl with the Rams, but he associates himself more with the Cardinals.

Kurt Warner helped deliver the Rams their most recent Super Bowl while the team was still in St. Louis. He was a cog in turning the offense into the “Greatest Show on Turf,” teaming with Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and Marshall Faulk on offense.

As good as he was with the Rams for those three years as the starting quarterback, he identifies himself more as a member of the Cardinals. He led Arizona to Super Bowl XLIII and was a Pro Bowler in 2008, playing at a very high level late in his career.

He was asked by Dan Patrick this week whether he sees himself as more of a Cardinal or Ram, and his reasoning for picking the Cardinals makes sense.

“I would probably say a Cardinal. As strange as that is with as much success and maybe the best years of my career being with the Rams, but I think a lot of it has to do with just where I ended,” he said. “The fact that I ended with the Cardinals, I’m still more connected with the team and the front office and stuff there. I still live in Arizona. Hard to say because I love both organizations and both of them were about equal for my career. I would probably say a little bit more with the Cardinals.”

Warner is a Hall of Famer, but he likely wouldn’t have made it to Canton if not for his Super Bowl with the Rams. Considering he lives in Arizona and still has ties to the Cardinals, though, it’s easy to understand why he associates himself with the last team he played for.

With the Rams, he threw 102 touchdown passes and only 65 interceptions, going 35-15 in 50 games as the starter.

[vertical-gallery id=625408]