Tag: reaction

Sean Payton takes another shot at insistent Michael Thomas trade speculation

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton took aim at Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio after continued Michael Thomas trade speculation.

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Will the New Orleans Saints trade wide receiver Michael Thomas? That’s the question NBC Sports insider Mike Florio continues to ask over at Pro Football Talk, and Saints coach Sean Payton is unamused.

Payton responded to another post from Florio claiming that while a trade deadline move for Thomas is unlikely, he believes there was an effort from Thomas’s agent to goal New Orleans into unloading one of their best players. That’s different from PFT’s initial spin, which suggested the Saints were actively shopping Thomas around.

So the social media-savvy coach went with a short video clip of someone reversing their bicycle — literally backpedaling on the story.

It’s just the latest rebuttal from Payton towards this sort of speculation. The Saints are not going to trade Thomas after giving him a $20 million signing bonus last year. They wouldn’t even consider moving him unless the situation seriously deteriorates, and not until the offseason when the financial aspect can be worked out.

This is a non-story, and Payton is right to slap it down.

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Sean Payton has the perfect response to Michael Thomas trade rumor

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton was not amused to see his star receiver Michael Thomas speculated as possible trade bait by the media.

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Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio created a stir on Saturday by raising questions about Michael Thomas’s status with the New Orleans Saints — asking whether the Saints could trade their star receiver before the NFL’s Nov. 3 deadline.

We already wrote about the several ways that makes no sense, but leave it to Saints coach Sean Payton to bring the hammer down himself.

Payton, who recently protected his tweets by making his official Twitter account private, responded to a Bleacher Report post citing Florio’s post by commenting, “Outsiders on the Inside where they belong.”

If that doesn’t silence these rumors, I’m not sure what will. The Saints have been patient with Thomas as he’s recovered from a Week 1 ankle sprain, and they’re just as disappointed to be playing without him as he is to not be able to join his teammates.

Hopefully he can get back to action soon and start executing Payton’s plays as well as anyone ever has (if not better). The Saints are a better team with Thomas in the fold, and everyone in the building knows that. As Payton pointed out, maybe those outside the facility should learn better.

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Twitter Reacts: NFL world weighs in on Washington’s decision to bench QB Dwayne Haskins

Washington made the surprise move of benching QB Dwayne Haskins on Wednesday, which sent the Twitter world abuzz.

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The Washington Football Team made the surprise decision to bench QB Dwayne Haskins on Wednesday morning in favor of QB Kyle Allen, who will start this weekends game against the Los Angeles Rams.

The news is only surprising in the sense of its timing, as Haskins is coming off of his best performance of the year, and potentially of his career, with 314 yards and zero interceptions in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens last weekend.

While many Washington fans might have seen this coming at some point this season, the NFL world at large reacted to the news on social media in the midst of a crazy morning in the NFL where breaking news was flying about. Here are some of the top tweets from the day.

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Take a look at ESPN’s post-Week 2 AP Poll reaction for the Florida Gators

The Gators come in at No. 5 in ESPN’s post-Week 2 poll, the third-highest ranked SEC team behind No. 2 Alabama and No. 4 Georgia.

Week 2 of the 2020 college football season is in the books, and a new AP Poll has been released, and ESPN’s college football team gave their reactions for each team listed in the top 25.

This week’s poll is the first AP Poll to only feature teams playing football this fall, as the previous poll included teams from the Big 10 and Pac-12, which have postponed their fall seasons.

The Gators come in at No. 5 on this week’s poll, the third-highest ranked SEC team behind No. 2 Alabama and No. 4 Georgia. Here’s what ESPN’s Andrea Adelson said about Florida.

The Gators lost their top four receivers from a year ago, and though there are known players with the opportunity to step up such as Trevon Grimes and Kadarius Toney, watch for some new faces to potentially emerge. So far through camp, true freshman Xzavier Henderson (the brother of former Gators cornerback CJ Henderson) and Jaquavion Fraziars have earned praise. Then there is Penn State transfer Justin Shorter, now eligible to play this season. — Adelson

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Instant reaction to the Lions signing RB Adrian Peterson

An instant reaction and analysis of the Lions signing RB Adrian Peterson

The Detroit Lions got an unexpected jump on the post-cut day transaction frenzy by signing running back Adrian Peterson.

Yeah, that Adrian Peterson. AD. The fifth-leading rusher in NFL history. The four-time All-Pro, seven-time Pro Bowler who tormented the Lions for so many years while a member of the Minnesota Vikings.

It’s a stunning shot of espresso to my black coffee on a holiday weekend morning. That seems to be the reaction from most Lions fans, and I share in it, too.

“Holy (insert expletive of your choosing) I didn’t see that coming!”

While my Lions Wire colleague Erik Schlitt did offer the possibility — Peterson was the first name on his list of players who should interest the Lions — I admittedly didn’t think it would happen. This is a Lions team that cut fifth-round rookie RB Jason Huntley because there was no room in the backfield for him, after all.

Peterson has still got some ability, even at 35. He trudged for 898 yards in shared duty with the Football Team last season. His physical, downhill, high-kneed power running is the same, though the initial burst and long speed have fallen off.

He will not be the starter or the workhorse in Detroit. I consider him an insurance policy for oft-injured Kerryon Johnson and currently injured D’Andre Swift, the clear top 1-2 punch. Peterson is a very different type of back from current No. 3 Ty Johnson.

In the immediate short-term, I expect Peterson to take over the Bo Scarbrough role of power back. Scarbrough, as is often the case with him, is currently injured. He could play quite a bit in the first couple of weeks while Swift eases back from his injury. What Peterson does transcends offensive scheme, so there’s no worry about acclimation to Darrell Bevell’s offense.

The larger question is, how will he perform?

The Peterson we saw in person last year in Washington was not impressive. He managed just 27 yards on 10 carries against last year’s Lions defense, missed a pass protection pickup and got chained to the bench in the second half in favor of Derrius Guice.

Yet he also had some great performances. One week later he dashed through Carolina for 99 yards on just 13 carries. He scored a touchdown, something he’s done more than Barry Sanders in his career, four straight weeks.

Peterson topped 20 carries just once and averaged about 15 touches per game on the year. My snap reaction is he’ll have weeks where he gets 15-18 touches for the Lions and others where he gets four. We’re not kidding when we tell you it’s a running back committee in Detroit…

I do have some trepidation that this is another LeGarrette Blount signing. Fans loved the name but quickly learned to loathe the results, an NFL-worst yards-per-carry average and a decided disinterest in caring about it. I worry this is another Dwight Freeney situation, too.

Freeney was a surefire Hall-of-Famer signed at the end of his career with some fanfare. In 125 snaps for Detroit in 2017, Freeney failed to record a single statistic. No sacks, no tackles, not even a single QB pressure.

I don’t believe Peterson is washed up like that. I do think it’s best to temper expectations. He’s not worth drafting in fantasy football. But he can still create a little magic with his blessed running ability.

 

Sean Payton has the perfect response to Cam Jordan being late for practice

New Orleans Saints DE Cameron Jordan was stuck in traffic on his way to practice, and coach Sean Payton seized the moment on Twitter.

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Who among us hasn’t sat frustrated at a traffic light on our way into the office? That’s where New Orleans Saints all-star Cameron Jordan found himself on Wednesday morning, having been caught at a red stoplight while driving to the practice facility.

Jordan bemoaned his luck on Twitter, joking that the lights must know he’s due for his first day of real work on the practice field. Per the NFL’s new rules due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams are allowed to spend as much as 90 minutes of field work in helmets and shells on Aug. 12, but pads and longer practice times are restricted until Aug. 17.

“Don’t rush,” Jordan joked to the lights from his official Twitter account, “take your time.” The big defensive end recently turned 31, and knows the heat of an early August morning in New Orleans very well. So he knows better than his younger teammates what to expect.

What he may have not known is that Big Brother is watching; Saints coach Sean Payton replied to Jordan on Twitter with a jab, tactfully reminding him that, “Those lights not payin your fine!” for being late to practice.

It’s a great moment, and just the latest example of Payton embracing his online persona during the longer-than-usual NFL offseason. In all seriousness, though, there probably isn’t anything to worry about here. Something tells us the five-time Pro Bowler can skate by if he’s a few minutes tardy for warmups.

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NFL Top 100 Players of 2020: Marshon Lattimore is still in Mike Evans’ head

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans took issue with New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.

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Few divisions around the NFL enjoy as strong of rivalries as the NFC South, with seemingly every team finding a bone to pick with each other. That extends to individual matchups between common opponents, like Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans and New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

When Lattimore was introduced on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020 list at No. 76, Evans was brought on to help discuss what makes Lattimore great. But when it was pointed out that Lattimore shut Evans down in their first meeting last season (NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill charted 29 matchups between them, with Evans failing to catch his only target) the big Buccaneers wideout took issue with how that was framed.

“Woah, woah, woah, he had a really good game against me?” Evans asked. “The defense had a really good game against me.”

Evans continued, “I will talk good about him — he’s a good player. I guess he had a good game and the whole team had a good game.”

When pressed, Evans did highlight a few of Lattimore’s strengths, saying, “He plays really hard. He’s physical. He makes good breaks on the ball. And he can tackle at corner. That’s not something a lot of corners can do, and he can do it.”

Lattimore has won the lion’s share of games against Evans since entering the league in 2017, though his bad day at the office in the 2018 season-opener left a lasting impression on some fans. While most of the hype videos for this year’s opening-day kickoff will focus on Tom Brady dueling Drew Brees, the latest entry in the Lattimore-versus-Evans saga is sure to be must-watch TV.

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REACTION: Best tweets following team’s rebrand as ‘Washington Football Team’

Social Media went crazy with jokes and reactions after Washington rebranded as the ‘Football Team’ on Thursday afternoon.

It was reported on Thursday afternoon that the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins will now be called the Washington Football Team going forward, until a new name and logo is decided upon.

With the new name comes new jerseys, which will feature the same color scheme and basic design, though the former team name and logo will be removed. On the helmets, each player’s number will be featured instead of the logo.

According to the report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the new name will be decided on with input from former and current players, fans, and sponsors. It is unknown when a new name will be decided upon, but you can plan to go by the current ‘Football Team’ throughout the 2020 season.

Fans and players alike had a field day on social media once the announcement was made.

 

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Watch: Michael Thomas reacts to sky-high ‘Madden NFL 21’ grade

New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas was pleased to join the 99 Club in “Madden NFL 21,” making him one of the best players in the game.

Reactions are usually mixed among NFL players when they learn their grade in the latest iteration of the “Madden” franchise from EA Sports. Oftentimes, they’re motivated to work even harder and earn more respect after a perceived slight from a rating lower than what they think they deserve.

Other times, though, they reach the limit of what’s possible within the popular video game series. That’s the case for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas, who was selected as the fifth member of the 99 Club in “Madden NFL 21” after his record-setting 2019 season.

And fans got a look at Thomas in real time as he learned that he’d be joining that exclusive group from a video shared by the official Saints Twitter account, with some help from Thomas’s barber. See it for yourself:

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