Tag: rookie

WATCH: Zion Williamson gives own injury update following first full practice

Zion Williamson is getting closer to taking the court in an NBA game for the first time.

Zion Williamson is getting closer to taking the court in an NBA game for the first time.

According to Will Guillory of The Athletic (and other local New Orleans reporters), the 2019 first overall draft pick went through a full practice Thursday for the first time since undergoing surgery in October.

Williamson suffered a torn right lateral meniscus, then was ruled out for 6 to 8 weeks after having the injury repaired on Oct. 21.

The Pelicans (11-23) admitted to being particularly cautious with their top selection’s health, but Zion began working his way into practices a few weeks ago and traveled with the team. On Dec. 28th, the Pelicans showed off Williamson’s progress by tweeting out a video of the rookie dunking pregame.

Head coach Alvin Gentry still would not set a firm date for the rookie’s NBA debut when the coach talked with reporters Thursday.

When asked about how he will know he’s ready to play again, Williamson himself said, “It’ll probably be one of those moments, like when it came to my college decision, I’ll (wake) up and I’ll know,” according to Guillory.

Pete Carroll heaps praise on rookie receiver John Ursua

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll believes rookie receiver John Ursua is going to be a big factor for the team, and it could be as soon as Sunday.

The Seattle Seahawks, at one point this season, had seven wide receivers all competing for playing time on the 53-man roster. Of those seven, rookie John Ursua was last on the depth chart.

However, his perseverance and continued growth within the system, coupled with injuries and suspensions to the players above him, culminated in him not only getting a chance to play on Sunday against San Francisco, but resulted in a crucial reception on the one-yard line that very nearly won the game, and the NFC West, for the Seahawks.

Now, he’ll look to have a role in the team’s playoff battle with the Eagles in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, a role that will be determined by the health of Malik Turner, who is hoping to be cleared by Thursday after suffering a concussion in Week 16 against the Cardinals.

It is very clear Ursua has caught the attention of his coach with his work ethic and skill set in practice this season, and he’s on the verge of unleashing those skills on the rest of the league.

“I think when everybody gets to see John play you’re going to really be excited about him,” Carroll said on Wednesday. “He’s such a natural athlete, he’s got magnificent body control, he’s got excellent quickness, the kind of getting out of your breaks stuff that the best guys have. He’s got a terrific catching range, really good leaper. It’s just a matter of time. I think he could be a terrific inside receiver for us as well as moving him around. But I think the run after catch might be a special part of it. He scored more touchdowns than anyone in college football his last year, you can see why. He’s explosive and creative and he’s got a lot of stuff to him.”

Ursua came to Seattle as a seventh round pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Seattle traded back into the draft to select him, a clear sign he was highly sought after in the final hours of draft weekend.

While he drew comparisons to Doug Baldwin in the preseason, Ursua was slow to pick up the playbook – which banished him to the healthy inactive report for most of the season, despite the accolades.

“It’s been a little bit of a struggle for him just getting it all together and that’s why he’s been the last guy on the depth chart, but as soon as it all clicks and he’s in he’s gonna be a factor,” Carroll continued. “This is really good for him to be around, where there’s a greater sense of urgency and he’s dressing to be a part of it. So, it’s going to bring out the best in John.”

Carroll said Ursua will be involved in the game plan regardless of Turner’s health, although his best path to playing time is if Turner is unable to recover in time for Sunday’s game.

Regardless of whether it happens in January, or not until September, fans can expect big things from the former Hawaii receiver in 2020.

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John Ursua will see some action on Sunday against 49ers

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll indicated that rookie receiver John Ursua will see some action on Sunday against the 49ers.

The Seattle Seahawks are heading into the final regular season game of the year with a relatively clean bill of health. Only two players, left tackle Duane Brown and receiver Malik Turner, have officially been ruled out against San Francisco.

Turner sustained a concussion in Week 16 against the Cardinals and was unable to participate in practice at all this week.

Rookie receiver John Ursua is expected to fill Turner’s spot on the active roster, and should get some time on the field after spending most of the year on the inactive list.

“Johnny [Ursua] is looking great,” coach Pete Carroll said on Friday. “He’s been battling. He’s ready. He jumped in a couple weeks ago and dressed with us. He’s ready to go. It’s been good for him to know all throughout the week that he was going to get the call. So, he’s fit in. We love the stuff that he does. He’ll be in the game.”

Fans have been clamoring for a bigger role for Ursua, a seventh round pick who lead the NCAA in touchdowns his senior year at Hawaii, but so far he has been unable to crack the rotation for Seattle.

However, Turner only averages about 17 offensive snaps a game, instead doing most of his work on the special teams. Plus, Jaron Brown and David Moore are both healthy and active, making it tough to see a big role for Ursua in the passing game.

The likely scenario has Ursua playing special teams in place of Turner, and possibly handling a small percentage of snaps on offense for the Seahawks, who are looking to sweep the 49ers and win the NFC West in what should be one of the most exciting games of the season on Sunday night.

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Seahawks lose 2 running backs to injury in 1st half against Cardinals

Seattle Seahawks running backs Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise suffered injuries against the Arizona Cardinals and won’t return to the game.

The Seahawks have already lost running back Rashaad Penny for the season due to a torn ACL and will now be without both Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise for the remainder of the Week 16 contest against the Arizona Cardinals.

Both running backs suffered injuries in the first half of the game and neither will return to the matchup.

Carson was initially deemed questionable to return with a hip injury but was ruled out shortly after the start of the third quarter per the TV broadcast. Prosise has been sidelined with an arm injury.

With Carson and Prosise now unavailable, that leaves rookie Travis Homer to shoulder the load in the run game. Seattle selected Homer in the sixth round of this year’s draft out of Miami.

Carson finished the day with eight carries for 40 yards and Prosise logged four touches for 14 yards.

Coach Pete Carroll should have injury updates on both running backs during his post-game press conference.

As of this post, the Cardinals lead the Seahawks 20-7 in the third quarter.

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Saints roster moves: Saquan Hampton to injured reserve, Janoris Jenkins signed

The New Orleans Saints made room for CB Janoris Jenkins, claimed off of waivers, by sending rookie S Saquan Hampton to injured reserve.

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Another member of the New Orleans Saints’ 2019 NFL Draft class landed on injured reserve when safety Saquan Hampton ending his rookie season. It’s unclear what sort of injury Hampton is dealing with. His departure opened a spot on the 53-man roster for veteran cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who the Saints picked up on waivers earlier this week.

Hampton was a sixth-round pick out of Rutgers, and had been frequently inactive this year due to New Orleans’ depth at the position. But when backup safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson exited Monday’s game with the Indianapolis Colts with a concussion, Hampton was forced into the lineup — starting safety Vonn Bell was inactive with a knee injury. In total, Hampton only dressed for five games in 2019, logging 34 snaps on defense and 63 appearances on special teams. He’s been credited with one solo tackle for a loss of yards.

This means three of the Saints’ five draft picks have either finished their rookie season on injured reserve or been released. Linebacker Kaden Elliss, a seventh-round draft pick out of Idaho, went down with an ACL back in September. New Orleans’ other late-round pick, tight end Alize Mack, was cut from the practice squad earlier this year. Thankfully, the Saints hit on their first two draft picks (standout center Erik McCoy and Gardner-Johnson) and have built such a deep roster that they can absorb these hits.

As for Jenkins: Saints coach Sean Payton was noncommittal when asked if the veteran would start right away, and he offered a vote of confidence in number-two cornerback Eli Apple during his Wednesday conference call. Apple figures to be Jenkins’ top competition for playing-time given his recent struggles.

One silver lining here may be that two Saints mainstays — Gardner-Johnson and right guard Larry Warford — each left Monday’s game with serious injuries, but neither of them were lost to injured reserve to make room for Jenkins. Instead, the Saints found something to designate Hampton with (he finished the Colts game with no apparent injuries), which could imply neither Gardner-Johnson nor Warford are expected to miss extended time. But we won’t know for certain until the Saints injury report is published later Wednesday.

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Seahawks WR DK Metcalf leads all rookies in receptions and yards

Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf leads all rookies in receiving yards and total receptions, and is tied for second in touchdowns.

Seattle Seahawks rookie receiver DK Metcalf was one of few bright spots for the team in their 28-12 loss on Sunday night at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams.

Metcalf finished with six receptions, on six targets, for a team high 78 yards.

That gives him 50 receptions for 783 yards and five touchdowns on the season. The 50 receptions and 783 yards are both tops in the league among rookies. The five touchdowns is second, with four players tied for first place with six.

Metcalf was able to do most of his damage on Sunday despite being covered by Jalen Ramsey, one of the league’s strongest cover cornerbacks.

“He’s been really consistent in his competitiveness,” coach Pete Carroll commented on Monday. “He’s battled every week. He had a great matchup this week and he came through in a big way. Played one of the better guys in football who was trying to stop him and shut him down and he didn’t let that happen. He just kept working and coming through.”

Metcalf was perhaps the most polarizing pick of the 2019 NFL draft, lauded for his elite combination of size and speed, but criticized for his perceived lack of route running. He has proven more than capable of handling a multidimensional route tree in Seattle, and his coach likes that he is more than just a pass catcher as well.

“Tough catches, running after the catch, blocking,” Carroll continued. “He’s more than just a catcher. He’s done a lot of good stuff. I go back to his makeup. He’s a great competitor. He really wants to be great and he’s willing to work at it. He plays hard and physical and tough and it’s paying off for him. He’s been a real positive factor for us.”

The Seahawks will look to get back on track in Week 15 with their final road game of the season against the Panthers in Carolina on Sunday morning.

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C.J. Prosise expected to take over as Seahawks No. 2 running back

The Seattle Seahawks will turn to C.J. Prosise and Travis Homer with Rashaad Penny (ACL) likely done for the season.

The Seattle Seahawks were dealt a big blow on Sunday night, not only in the win-loss column but also at running back, with the news that Rashaad Penny has a sprained ACL and could miss the rest of the season.

“He got an ACL sprain,” coach Pete Carroll said in his postgame press conference. “We don’t know how serious it is but it’s significant.”

If Penny is out, the Seahawks will continue to rely heavily on Chris Carson to lead the charge out of the backfield. Behind him will be veteran C.J. Prosise and rookie Travis Homer, both whom coach Carroll expects to pick up the slack going forward.

“Both those guys will be part of it,” Carroll commented on 710 ESPN’s Pete Carroll show Monday morning. “Thankfully we have C.J. coming in ready to play. He was able to be active in this game to get him started. But he’s been sitting for awhile. He needs to get going. He’s very capable of helping us, he has a lot of assets that we like in the offense. Numbers-wise we just haven’t been able to get him up. So he’s ready to go.”

Prosise appeared on 11 offensive snaps on Sunday, carrying the ball once for two yards. In seven games this season, Prosise has 14 rushes for 43 yards and a touchdown, along with nine receptions (on 11 targets) for 66 yards out of the backfield.

It is pretty clear based on Carroll’s response that Prosise will be the first man up behind Carson, but he did say Homer will get a chance to carry the ball.

“Homer will be ready,” Carroll continued. “He’s been kind of sitting on the back burner for us. It may mean that he gets the ball a little bit more, we’ll wait and see. [But] I’m really glad that C.J. is available to us.”

More information about Penny’s injury should be available on Monday afternoon, but expect Prosise to take over as Seattle’s number two running back for the rest of the season.

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Cody Barton, Ugo Amadi both benefit if Mychal Kendricks is out

If the Seattle Seahawks are without Mychal Kendricks on Sunday night, expect to see rookies Cody Barton and Ugo Amadi a lot more.

The Seattle Seahawks listed SAM linebacker Mychal Kendricks as doubtful for their Week 14 matchup with the Rams in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Seattle’s reliance on the 4-3 base defense is in part thanks to their faith in Kendricks’ ability in pass coverage and as a blitzer. If they are without him, coach Pete Carroll admitted the team will probably rely more on their nickel package.

While he would not say which player would be employed in that role, it’s expected that rookie Ugo Amadi will get a chance against LA’s speedy slot receiver, Cooper Kupp.

However, the Seahawks will still run a hefty amount of their base defense, meaning rookie Cody Barton could get a big opportunity to show what he is capable of in Kendricks’ absence.

“Cody’s a good player and we’re anxious to see him contribute,” Carroll said on Friday. “He played quite a bit last week, more than he has been. He’s ready to go.”

Barton was a third round pick out of Utah in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was a middle linebacker in college, but has worked hard to learn all three linebacker spots in Seattle, so that he can serve as a valuable backup at any spot when called upon.

“Cody is a particularly diligent worker,” Carroll continued. “Smart kid. Plays all three spots. He’s as well versed a guy coming in as you can hope for, for a young guy. We really don’t have any hesitation in trusting that he can play.”

So while the Seahawks will likely rely on the nickel package, fans will still get a healthy dose of Barton on Sunday night – assuming Kendricks gets the night off.

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