Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Jets running back Le’Veon Bell says that he is not taking another drug test after this week.
Jets running back Le’Veon Bell says that he is not taking another drug test after this week.
The Lions had expressed interest in running back Rashaad Penny before the trade deadline but the Seattle Seahawks opted not to deal him.
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The Seattle Seahawks have not utilized running back Rashaad Penny much since the trade deadline when he was speculated to be a potential trade candidate. In the two games the Seahawks played since the deadline passed, Penny rushed a combined six times for 14 yards and a lost fumble.
The Lions had expressed interest in Penny before the trade deadline, according to a report from Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The Lions were 3-3-1 at the time and were looking to bolster their stable of running backs, but apparently did not think Penny was worth anything more than a third-round pick.
If this report is true, it prompts an abundance of questions and speculation.
Another RB the Lions were checking in on at the trade deadline: Rashaad Penny. Sounds like Lions were willing to part with a third-round pick for him but Seattle wanted more. They'll roll with Ty Johnson, J.D. McKissic and Paul Perkins at RB today.
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) November 3, 2019
What more would Detroit have had to offer for the Seahawks to trade Penny? Is Seattle still confident that Penny can develop into something great at his position and just has a longer learning curve? How is Penny specifically going to be used in the future with Chris Carson soaking up all the carries despite a few mistakes over the course of the season? Did his 55 rushing yards on eight carries against Atlanta make the Seahawks’ decision for them?
Penny has shown flashes of success over his young career thus far, especially with the ball in open space. However, he has some noticeable issues, particularly regarding running between the tackles. He still has potential, as he is only in his second season in the NFL. However, Seattle may soon find out if it regrets not dealing Penny sooner, or if he breaks out and becomes a consistently favorable complement to Carson.
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Houston Texans running back Carlos Hyde ranks within the top-10 in the NFL in yards per first-down carry, an important statistic.
The Houston Texans are no stranger to first-down runs. Under Bill O’Brien, the team favors rushes to set up second and third downs, as they do so 57% of the time, per Sharp Football Stats.
Luckily, O’Brien has one of the NFL’s best first-down runners. According to ESPN, their top tailback, Carlos Hyde, sits within the top 10 for average yards rushing on first down. Hyde gains 4.9 yards per first-down run, good for seventh in the NFL, ahead of household names Alvin Kamara and Leonard Fournette.
Hyde’s abilities as a first-down rusher have the Texans second in the NFL in success rate on first-down runs (53%, per Sharp Football Stats).
A journeyman in the last two seasons, Hyde has been a revelation for the Texans offense. His ability to run upfield helps them move the chains on first downs while also setting up play-action.
“Carlos has come in here and he runs hard,” said coach Bill O’Brien on Oct. 23. “He’s done a good job. He’s done a real good job for us, and hopefully it can continue.”
Hyde has rushed for 769 yards and four touchdowns on 158 attempts (4.9 yards per attempt) in 10 games as a Texan.
Houston Texans running back Carlos Hyde needs the team’s running game to do a better job after loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Carlos Hyde scored the Houston Texans’ lone touchdown of their 41-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, as if it mattered. His 41-yard touchdown scamper did not hide hyde the fact that the Texans’ otherwise great run-game struggled mightily in the embarrassing loss.
The Texans rushed the ball 22 times for 120 yards and a score against Baltimore. Without the touchdown, that goes to 79 yards on 21 carries, good for 3.8 yards per carry. That’s not going to cut it. As Hyde says, playing the Ravens is about controlling the tempo with the run.
Houston did not do that. The Ravens’ stout run game helped them win the time of possession battle 36:19 to 23:41.
“It was going to be about who could sustain drives, who can protect the ball, who can run the get their run game going,” said Hyde on Sunday. “We did not have a good run game. So, we have to do a better job.“
Hyde has been a pleasant surprise for the Texans in 2019, that sentiment did not change on Sunday. For the year, he has 769 yards and four touchdowns on 158 yards. Nevertheless, he isn’t here for stats. Houston is his home because he wants to win.
Hyde and Co. can rebound quickly; they face division rivals Indianapolis Colts on Thursday. With the important game — with playoff implications — on the horizon, there isn’t time to dwell on the loss and the lack of a run game.
“We have a short week,” said Hyde. “We have to put this game behind us and get ready for Indianapolis. We are all here playing to win.”
Last time Hyde faced the Colts, he had a game to forget. He rushed for 35 yards on 12 carries. Perhaps the fuel of losing added to his fire will get him over the hump to having a standout performance against the division rivals.
Houston Texans running back Duke Johnson said after the 41-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens that the game was not one they had circled.
The Houston Texans dropped a game that was key to the positioning in the AFC playoff race with a 41-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium.
However, it may not have been a game upon which the club placed high emphasis.
When asked if the 34-point loss to the early No. 2 seed in the conference was frustrating, running back Duke Johnson simply said “no” and provided an explanation.
“This was not the big game we had circled,” Johnson told reporters. “We have bigger games.”
The former Cleveland Brown rushed six times for 40 yards and caught two passes for four more. Though the Texans have “bigger games” on the schedule, Johnson emphasized they seek victory in every contest.
Said Johnson: “Do we want to win them all? Of course we do. But you do not win them all. Everything we want is still sitting in front of us. We just need to go out and play better.”
The Texans get a quick turnaround as the Indianapolis Colts come into NRG Stadium Thursday night for a rematch and a first place battle for the AFC South. Both clubs are 6-4, but the Colts have the tiebreaker from a 30-23 win in Week 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Bo Scarbrough provided the Detroit Lions a much-needed spark in the running game and he is looking to make the most of his opportunity.
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On Saturday afternoon, running back Bo Scarbrough was on the Detroit Lions practice squad. Less than 24-hours later he would make his first NFL start and record his first NFL touchdown on just his third NFL carry.
Scarbrough made the most out of his opportunity.
A highly touted recruit, Scarbrough landed at Alabama to play under Nick Saban and like most Crimson Tide starters, when his college career was completed, he found himself in an NFL camp.
Initially, Scarbrough’s NFL journey was common of most late-round draft picks. The Dallas Cowboys selected him in the seventh round, he then suffered a training camp injury (hip), was released at cut-downs and re-signed to the practice squad of the team who drafted him.
A few weeks later, Scarbrough was released from the Cowboys practice squad, was brought in by the Jacksonville Jaguars and place on to their practice squad. From there he would be poached by the Seattle Seahawks and placed on their active roster, but never saw game action.
After an offseason with the Seahawks, Scarbrough was released again, eventually landing with the Lions on their practice squad. 10 days later he would be promoted to the active roster for a game ironically against the Cowboys.
Here is where Scarbrough’s path diverges from most. Not only was he active for the game, but he was called upon to start — something he wasn’t informed of until Sunday morning, but also something he was prepared for.
“It’s an opportunity,” Scarbrough said in the locker room post-game, “week-in and week-out. Everybody needs an opportunity. It felt regular to me. Playing under coach Saban – this is what we’ve always done. Every week was a different guy up, so you just have to be ready when your number is called. If your number is called, you just have to take advantage of it and run with it.”
And take advantage he did, finishing the game with 14 carries for 55 yards (3.9 yards per carry average) and the aforementioned touchdown — not hall-of-fame numbers by any means, but far more efficient than previous options the Lions have tried at running back after losing Kerryon Johnson to injured reserve.
WELCOME TO THE SQUAD 🙌 @starbo06 pic.twitter.com/9OQJwEBjHy
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 17, 2019
“I think he’s been working hard since we got him,” coach Matt Patricia said in his post-game press conference. “He’s a big back. He comes downhill, and some of things that we saw, we wanted to give him that opportunity to go out there and show us what he could do. I thought he ran hard, thought he showed the physical part of the run game. That was good for us to see.”
So … Bo Scarbrough has brought some life to the Lions run game
— Erik Schlitt (@erikschlitt) November 17, 2019
Scarbrough’s fresh legs brought a spark to the Lions and his hard running style left teammates impressed.
“Yeah, I kind of grabbed him after the game and just told him how proud I was of him,” quarterback Jeff Driskel said in his post-game press conference. “He ran the ball super hard. He knew what he was doing. He hasn’t been here very long at all and he stepped right in there, and it was awesome to see him run that ball that hard. He kind of brought some life to our run game and it was awesome. He’s a good player and I’m happy he’s on our side.”
Moving forward, Scarbrough figures to be part of the Lions rushing game plan, as he fills a much-needed role in the offensive scheme. He may not start every week depending on the opponent, but he is prepared to contribute in any way he can, “I’m going to do my job, whatever it is, to help the team win. If I have to give someone a cup of water, then that’s what I do.”
With Scarbrough in the mix, J.D. McKissic thriving in his role, and rookie Ty Johnson developing, the Lions trio was able to rush for over 100-yards (121 yards on the day) for the first time since Week 4 when Kerryon Johnson was last active. The Lions may have finally landed on a running back combination capable of sustaining until Johnson can return to the field.
Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson has been a double-edged sword for the team this season with high production but multiple fumbles.
Chris Carson has been a bit of a double-edged sword for the Seattle Seahawks this season. The third-year running back out of Oklahoma State has rushed for 853 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games in 2019, while chipping in 189 receiving yards for two additional scores.
However, he already has a career-high six fumbles on the season doubling his previous career-high in 2018. This could become a real concern moving forward despite Seattle’s 8-2 record.
The Seahawks may be a high-ranking team in the NFC right now, but they have had to fight for almost every one of their victories. Carson has contributed greatly to the team’s success and is their best running back by a country mile, but his ball security issues are still noticeable.
Coach Pete Carroll repeatedly preaches protecting the football, something the Seahawks were not able to do in their narrow overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday. Carson had a fumble himself, but he also provided 101 total yards and a touchdown in the matchup.
Carson’s issues began early, when he fumbled in each of the first three games of the season. After that, Carson did not fumble in his next five outings. He then proceeded to fumble twice against Tampa Bay in a contest Seattle escaped by the skin of its teeth with a win.
Carson has been one of the most important players on the Seahawks’ roster and is crucial to their offensive success. His positive contributions far outweigh the negative, but he must continue to work on his ball security to help his team win even more, especially with the tough schedule the Seahawks have over the final six weeks of the regular season.
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NFL Films made a feature documentary on Detroit Lions’ legendary running back Billy Sims and you can watch it in its entirety right here.
NFL Films made a feature documentary on Detroit Lions’ legendary running back Billy Sims and you can watch it in its entirety right here.
The video opens with Detroit-native Keegan-Michael Key discussing how when he was a kid, he fell in love with the Lions because of Sims. He would go on to discuss — with a video clip — of an exciting play from Sims, and that got him hooked on football.
The play Key discussed checked in as the 98th greatest play in NFL history and when Sims was told about this he laughed joyously and replied, “Really?” — it was one of many great plays highlighted in this feature documentary.
The video focuses on Sims’ football career, with commentary from players and coaches who have crossed roads with him at some point in their lives, including Hall-of-Famer Barry Sanders, former Lions quarterback Eric Hipple, and former Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer — who coached Sims at the University of Oklahoma, where he won the Heisman trophy.
When Sims’ career was over — due to injury after just four and a half seasons — he was never far away from the Lions. He recommended to then-coach Wayne Fontes to draft Barry Sanders and was on hand to congratulate Sanders when he broke Sims’ Lions’ All-time rushing record.
The feature concludes by showing Sims’ life off the field and how his outgoing personality has help him launch a second career in the BBQ restaurant business.
You can watch the entire 22-minutes video below:
Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay plans to move out of his parents’ home but he hasn’t found a new place to live yet.
Last week, Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that he is moving out of his parents’ home.
Lindsay signed with Denver as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Colorado last year and he didn’t get his own apartment in part to save money.
“I was able to save some money for me to be able to get a place and also help myself out after getting a place,” Lindsay told Rapoport. “I just think it was the right choice to do right now.”
Lindsay said Wednesday that he hasn’t actually moved out yet.
“Right now, I’m looking around and shopping around stuff, so we’ll see how that goes,” the running back said.
So he’s going to move out, but he’s not actively moving out at the moment. Perhaps the move will take place at the end of the season.
Lindsay is on pace to gain 1,322 yards from scrimmage in 2019.
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Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay aims to help his team get an upset win over the Vikings in Week 11.
On paper, the 3-6 Broncos look overmatched on the road against the 7-3 Vikings this week (oddsmakers consider them 10.5-point underdogs). Anything can happen in the NFL, though.
Denver running back Phillip Lindsay pointed out Wednesday that the Falcons defeated the Saints last week despite Atlanta having just one win going into the game and New Orleans having just one loss.
“We just play ball,” Lindsay said when asked about being an underdog. “This is the NFL, any given Sunday you can be beaten. That’s been proven all around the NFL, you guys saw the game with the Saint and Atlanta. It doesn’t matter. We’re all grown men and we’re all talented. It’s about executing.”
In terms of points allowed, Minnesota has the fifth-best defense in the league this year, allowing an average of just 18.2 points per contest. Those numbers aren’t intimidating to Lindsay, though.
“They’re a tough defense, they’re tough and they’re solid,” Lindsay said. “I wouldn’t sit here and say they’re greatest on earth, they’re beatable like anybody else, but we’ve got to play solid football. For me personally, I don’t fear anybody and that’s how it should be. It’s football. At the end of the day, we go out there and you handle your business, you make people miss, you score touchdowns and you win games. That’s how it goes.”
Sunday’s game will air on CBS at 11:00 a.m. MT (view the TV map here).
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