Tag: starting QB

Mike Tomlin’s ‘super-secret’ Week 7 QB plan backfires

Mike Tomlin’s not-so-secretive plan as to who the starting QB will be in Week 7 was hilariously foiled by one of his receivers.

Mike Tomlin is often known for keeping his cards close to his vest.  He did so in reference to his contract situation after Pittsburgh’s 2023 Wild Card playoff loss, with Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett’s QB battle, and most recently, with the Justin Fields and Russell Wilson drama.

While many fans could read the room and find little clues that were pointing to Wilson’s inevitable start in Week 7, Tomlin had never directly come out and named him starter.

Tomlin had done something similar in the buildup to Week 1’s game against Atlanta, forcing the Falcons to game plan for both QBs, much to the chagrin of media reporters looking for a definitive answer.


However, WR George Pickens, who has had media availability issues in the past, spilled the beans and foiled Tomlin’s plans by declaring Week 7 would be Wilson’s “first start”.  Will there be repercussions for the receiver’s slip-up?

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Dennis Allen noncommittal on starting Jameis Winston yet, still prioritizing his health

Dennis Allen noncommittal on starting Jameis Winston just yet, still prioritizing his quarterback’s health:

Will the New Orleans Saints start Jameis Winston this week? Head coach Dennis Allen voiced caution against rushing his quarterback onto the field while recovering from back and ankle injuries. With a very brief turnaround between Week 6’s home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and Week 7’s Thursday night kickoff with the Arizona Cardinals, odds are Winston will be resting with several other injured starters.

“Let’s get Jameis fully healthy and go from there,” Allen replied when asked whether Winston or Andy Dalton would get the nod this week, adding that the team was pleased with what they’ve seen out of Dalton: “Andy’s done a good job when he’s been in there. We’ve produced and scored some points.”

Winston threw for 858 passing yards in the Saints’ first three games, scoring 4 touchdown passes but losing 5 interceptions — and committing 3 fumbles while the team went 1-2 with him at the helm. They’ve gone 1-2 with Dalton under center, too, and though he’s managed just 585 passing yards across three starts Dalton has thrown 3 touchdown passes against a single interception, plus a fumble. They’ve each completed a little more than 63% of their passes.

If you want to dig a little deeper, Winston achieved an adjusted net yards per attempt (ANY/A) of 5.07, which accounts for scoring plays, turnovers, and sacks. Dalton’s producing better at 6.57, which reflects his lower rate of negative plays. That in itself isn’t reason to start any sort of quarterback controversy, and injuries have muddied the picture. We haven’t seen Winston play a game at full health, and Dalton hasn’t had his full complement of receiving talent to work with.

Neither of them have really stepped into a fair situation. So while Allen isn’t ready to name a starter just yet, it sure sounds like Dalton will get another game before the Saints go into a 10-day break between their matchups in Weeks 7 and 8, presumably giving Winston enough time to progress through recovery and practice fully. But maybe Dalton does enough on Thursday night to force Allen’s hand.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[pickup_prop id=”28800″]

[listicle id=117269]

Kyle Shanahan ‘up for anything’ at QB vs. Cowboys

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wouldn’t commit to CJ Beathard or Nick Mullens in Week 15 vs. the Cowboys.

[jwplayer qLoEf0nU-ThvAeFxT]

Nick Mullens’ rough outing in a Week 14 loss to the Washington Football Team raised questions throughout the contest about a possible switch to backup quarterback CJ Beathard. While head coach Kyle Shanahan thought about making a mid-game change under center, he elected to stay with Mullens even after his second turnover of the game that Washington returned for a touchdown.

The questions about the team’s QB situation didn’t stop Monday in Shanahan’s video conference with reporters. He was mum on who would start, but left the door for a change wide open.

“Yeah, I think after the way the game went yesterday, we’ll think about everything,” Shanahan said. “Today I met with the players, met with the staff, met with the team. Just finished meeting with the offense then came in here. So, I haven’t really had a chance to discuss that with anyone, but I’m up for anything right now. So, we’ll see how that goes over the next couple days.”

Mullens earlier this this season lost his QB2 job following an abysmal outing against the Eagles. Beathard took over the QB2 spot in Week 5 and replaced Jimmy Garoppolo at halftime while the starter struggled in his return from a high ankle sprain. Mullens took back the backup job the following week.

A change would make sense for a reeling 49ers club that’s 2-5 in game started by the former undrafted free agent. However, if the team believes he still gives them a chance to win, he’ll be first under center when San Francisco’s offense lines up against Dallas on Sunday.

BREAKING: Jalen Hurts named starting QB for Philadelphia Eagles

Former Alabama and Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts has been sidelined due to Carson Wentz starting. however, after a terrible start to the season…

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson announces rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts will be the team’s starting quarterback for the upcoming game against the New Orleans Saints, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The move comes as incumbent starting quarterback, Carson Wentz, has performed poorly all season. Fans have been calling for Wentz to be benched, and in their most recent contest against the Green Bay Packers, Pederson listened.

Playing most of the second half, Hurts threw five completions on 12 attempts for 109 yards and one interception.

Hurts led the Crimson Tide to a National Championship appearance as a true freshman, and followed it up by repeating as a sophomore.

The former Alabama product played his final collegiate season at Oklahoma, where he led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff and was a 2019 Heisman finalist.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on Jalen Hurts as he prepares to make his first career start against the New Orleans Saints at home.

 

BREAKING: Tua Tagovailoa named starting QB for Miami Dolphins

Former Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa has officialy been named the starting QB for the Miami Dolphins, he will debut Week 8 vs. LA Rams.

[jwplayer yr6w37pG-er0jUifI]

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa waited until Week 6 for his chance to see his first NFL snap after being the No. 5 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.

After two completions for ten yards, and a perfect completion percentage, Tagovailoa has now officially taken over veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting quarterback job, according to ESPN Insider Adam Schefter.

The Miami Dolphins have an open week this upcoming weekend, so Tagovailoa will now have two weeks to prepare for his first NFL start.

The start will come in a home game against the a Los Angeles Rams teams that features one of the best defensive players in the league: Aaron Donald.

Head coach Brian Flores and the Dolphins are now 3-3, just one game behind the Buffalo Bills for first-place in the AFC East.

With the recent success of the Dolphins, it might come as a shock that the switch was made. But when you think about it, it makes sense. If Ryan Fitzpatrick continued to keep Miami relevant, there would be no way to turn to Tagovailoa at any point this season.

But Tagovailoa is also ready. He looked good in limited action and the offense around him seems to be coming together nicely. Overall, the move makes sense.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on Tua Tagovailoa as he continues to make his way through his rookie season in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins!

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Report: Haskins grew complacent as QB1, showing sloppy habits and poor effort

A report shows that those who watched Haskins in practice saw complacency at QB1, showing a lack of effort and little attention to detail.

To the football public, the news that Washington’s quarterback Dwayne Haskins had been benched after just four games in the 2020 season came as a pretty big surprise on Wednesday morning.

To anyone inside the organization in Washington, who had a first-hand look at how Haskins had committed to his job after winning the starting spot, it was just a foregone conclusion.

According to a report from The Washington Post, the work ethic that Haskins used to win the QB1 job in the first place had quickly deteriorated once the season started, and it led to growing frustration among players who had become tired of losing.

“Inside the team’s practice facility, momentum for the move had been growing, a person with knowledge of the situation said, in part because Haskins had fallen into poor study and practice habits,” wrote Les Carpenter. “The person said Haskins’ lack of preparation was hurting him in games, leading to overthrown passes and missed opportunities to hit open receivers.”

It all culminated in the Week 3 game vs. the Cleveland Browns, where Washington entered the fourth quarter with a lead on the road, holding a great chance for the upset win. However, down the stretch, Haskins’ four turnovers led to 24 of Cleveland’s 34 points, and it ended in a frustrating loss. This was seemingly the nail in the coffin, though it wouldn’t be until a week later that Haskins was eventually benched.

The concerns represented a departure from the effort Haskins had shown in winning the starting job during training camp, for which he had drawn praise from Rivera. Something seemed to happen to Haskins after winning the job, the person familiar with the situation said, and his work habits deteriorated. Another person who has seen Haskins at practice this season noticed Haskins being sloppy during pregame warm-ups, while Allen worked diligently in those same drills, even though he was unlikely to play in the game.

Players seemed to notice, as well. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that one Washington player had pushed Haskins to work harder, pointing out that Alex Smith — who hasn’t been active on gamedays but was promoted to the backup job as part of this week’s quarterback switch — had been arriving at the facility earlier than Haskins and preparing better.

The main thing that got Washington fans excited this season was hearing the news that Haskins had increased his work out efforts, dropped a bunch of weight to get into the best shape of his life, and completely bought into his craft, dedicating himself to be the franchise QB that everyone was looking for. It appears that, according to this report, he grew complacent once that starting job was his, and ended up letting it slip through his fingers.

Maybe this will be a wake-up call for him. Maybe he will learn from this and eventually get a second chance to lead Washington to victory down the road. Maybe he’ll be sent to a new team where he can try this all over again.

Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that the young QB still has a lot to learn about life in the NFL.

[vertical-gallery id=42241]

 

 

Who will start at QB for the Chicago Bears in Week 1?

Projecting the Week 1 starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears have been busy this offseason, including the addition of QB Nick Foles to their quarterbacks’ room. It will be interesting to see how the battle under center unfolds this summer and into the fall. Below, we focus on which quarterback will be the Bears’ Week 1 starter and the NFL futures betting odds from BetMGM sportsbook.

Chicago Bears: QB depth chart

The incumbent starting quarterback is Mitchell Trubisky, but the former No. 2 overall pick from the 2017 NFL Draft has produced some rather uneven results. As such, general manager Ryan Pace turned up the heat by acquiring Foles from the Jacksonville Jaguars on the final day of March in exchange for a compensatory fourth-round pick.

Former Tennessee Volunteers signal-caller Tyler Bray rounds out the quarterbacks’ room, although he isn’t considered a factor in the battle for the top spot.

Place your legal sports wagers online at BetMGM, or play in their online casino. Bet now!

Chicago Bears’ Week 1 starter: Best bets

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Monday, April 27 at 10:45 a.m. ET.

Trubisky (+120) has been mostly underwhelming over three seasons under center in which he has started a total of 41 games. He has completed 63.4% of his pass attempts for 8,554 yards and 48 touchdowns with 29 interceptions. He has rushed for 862 yards and seven scores. He has been sacked 93 times and has fumbled 21 times.

Foles (-159), who led the Philadelphia Eagles franchise to their lone Super Bowl win after starter Carson Wentz was injured late in the 2017 season, was given a boatload of money by the Jaguars ahead of the 2019 campaign. A broken collarbone sidelined him before he was able to get going, and undrafted rookie Gardner Minshew picked up the ball and ran with it, literally, making Foles expendable.

In Chicago, it will be a battle between Foles and Trubisky, and experience and winning are on the side of the newcomer. The 31-year-old Foles has been both a backup and starter in the NFL, and his experience leading the Eagles to playoff wins will likely mean fans push for him to get a shot sooner rather than later.

In Week 1, EXPECT TRUBISKY (+120) to be the starting signal-caller, as the Bears will likely be reluctant to pull the plug and admit failure just yet. The former UNC Tar Heel is likely to be on a super short leash, and if he struggles in the first game or two, it wouldn’t be surprising to see “Saint Nick” get the nod before the leaves start changing colors.

Want action on NFL futures betting? Sign up and place your legal sports wagers online at BetMGM. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook. Please gamble responsibly.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1367]