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Author: Andrew Ortenberg

Earl Thomas Carted Off Field

By | at September 30, 2018 6:23 pm

Seahawks safety Earl Thomas is done for the year after suffering a lower leg fracture, coach Pete Carroll confirmed (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). Doctors quickly confirmed the injury after Thomas was carted off of the field and had his leg put in an air-cast. The Seahawks will place Thomas on injured reserve, opening up a spot on the 53-man roster.

It’s devastating news for Thomas, particularly since he is in his contract year. Thomas has been pushing for a new contact all year, and this is exactly the situation he was looking to avoid.

Thomas skipped practice multiple times recently and abstained from training camp while demanding a new deal or a trade. It looked like his holdout was going to last into the regular season, but just before the season started he finally reported and started each of the first four games while continuing to publicly state his dissatisfaction with the Seahawks. The Cowboys reportedly offered a second round pick for Thomas earlier this summer, but were turned down.

When on the field, Thomas has been his normal elite self. He’s one of the best safeties in the game, and is a true difference maker. It’s yet another blow for a Seahawks team that has dealt with a slew of injuries to key players this season. Nothing is certain yet, but it appears highly possible Thomas has played his last down in Seattle.

31 comments Seattle Seahawks

PFR Originals: 9/23/18-9/30/18

By | at September 30, 2018 5:30 pm

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

  • Our Ben Levine took a look back at the Panthers’ decision to trade for pass-rusher Jared Allen as part of our ‘This Date In Transactions History’ series. Allen played a pivotal role for Carolina that year, starting 12 games as the Panthers made a Super Bowl run. It turned out to be the last year for one of the best pass-rushers of the 21st century, as Allen retired after that season.
0 comments PFR Originals

Extra Points: Dolphins, Wake, Patriots, Simon, Cowboys, Williams

By | at September 28, 2018 9:36 pm

Cameron Wake is 36-years-old, and as such the Dolphins were hoping to conserve him early on this season to preserve his body for later in the year. Wake, the five-time Pro Bowler from Penn State, was being used in an even rotation early on this year, but now may be forced to take on a bigger role. The Dolphins’ plan for Wake “might have lasted all of three games” according to Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald, due to injuries on Miami’s defensive line.

William Hayes tore his ACL on a controversial play where he was trying to avoid a roughing the passer penalty, and fellow defensive lineman Andre Branch also went down. The Dolphins now have only three healthy defensive ends, and Wake will now likely be forced to play nearly the entire game. It’s a big ask for a player of Wake’s age, and the Dolphins can’t afford anymore injuries to their defensive front.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • The Patriots recently signed pass-rusher John Simon, and now the details are in on his contract. He’ll receive a base salary of $800K, with another $412K available in incentives and roster bonuses according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). The Patriots have been unable to generate any pressure through three games, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Simon ends up playing a large role.
  • Terrance Williams recently missed practice, and rumors began circulating online that the Cowboys wideout was facing a suspension, but those rumors are untrue according to Calvin Watkins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Watkins reports that Williams, who has been lightly used this year despite recently signing an extension, was given an excused absence from practice.
  • In case you missed it, another weak area for the Patriots has been their receiving corp, and they continued to look for help by working out former first round pick Breshad Perriman.
0 comments Dallas Cowboys Miami Dolphins New England Patriots Uncategorized

Breer’s Latest: Cardinals, Rosen, Dolphins, Chiefs, Kafka, Bears, Trubisky

By | at September 28, 2018 7:21 pm

The Cardinals finally made the decision to insert Josh Rosen into the game last week, giving the public their first look at the last of the ‘Big Four’ quarterbacks to make an appearance. All four of Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Rosen are starters now, and Rosen was the last to see game action. The Cardinals’ plan had reportedly been to continue to start Sam Bradford moving forward, but he played so poorly that he forced Arizona’s hand.

Apparently for Cardinals coaches, Rosen’s command of the huddle in his brief relief appearance last Sunday “was the final piece of the puzzle in deciding to the pull the trigger on the quarterback switch” reports Albert Breer of SI.com. Breer notes that Cardinals sources told him Rosen has “been outstanding of late in practice”, and it sounds like they have full confidence in the rookie signal caller. The tenth overall pick from UCLA will get his first start this Sunday at home against the Seahawks.

Here’s more from Breer’s latest column:

  • The Dolphins have shocked everyone with their 3-0 start, and Breer has identified at least one reason behind the unexpected strong first few weeks. “There was an effort from coach Adam Gase, EVP Mike Tannenbaum and GM Chris Grier to get faster” across the board. Breer points to the team’s offseason addition of speedsters Albert Wilson, Mike Gesicki, and Jerome Baker as evidence of the identity change.
  • Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka is a “name to keep an eye on” according to Breer in future coaching searches. Reid apparently assigned Kafka, then a quality control coach, to do one-on-one work with Patrick Mahomes last year, and thinks quite highly of him. Reid has an extensive coaching tree of former assistants, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kafka, a former quarterback under Reid in Philadelphia, become the next one.
  • Scouts are concerned that Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky is too quick to tuck and run, and isn’t processing the field, according to Breer. Breer writes that “Trubisky seems to be making a single read, and running if it’s not there”, and that his processing ability had previously been seen as one of his biggest strengths coming out of college.
6 comments Arizona Cardinals Chicago Bears Kansas City Chiefs Miami Dolphins

NFC Injury Notes: 49ers, Rams, Bucs, Vea, Eagles

By | at September 28, 2018 6:04 pm

The 49ers’ running back situation could be dire this weekend against the Chargers. In the team’s first game without Jimmy Garoppolo, they could be without both of their lead running backs as well. Matt Breida left the team’s game against the Chiefs with a hyperextended knee, and while he later returned to the game, he’s looking iffy at best to suit up against Los Angeles. Breida himself said “it’s going to be a game-time decision. I have to feel comfortable” according to Daniel Brown of The Mercury News. Neither Breida or coach Kyle Shanahan seemed particularly optimistic that Breida plays, and it sounds like he’s leaning toward sitting.

If Breida sits, Alfred Morris would likely become a workhorse, but he too is questionable with a knee injury of his own. There’s even more bad injury news for the 49ers, as Richard Sherman has been officially ruled out with a calf injury according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Here are more injury updates from around the league:

  • Rams coach Sean McVay said outside linebacker Dominique Easley could be “sidelined for a while” according to Lindsey Thiry of ESPN (Twitter link). It’s another blow for the Rams’ defense, as the former Patriots first round pick is capable of playing quite well when he can stay on the field.
  • It’s looking like first round pick Vita Vea will finally make his debut for the Buccaneers this Sunday. He was a full participant in practice today according to Greg Auman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Vea, the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft, injured his calf in training camp and has been sidelined since.
  • The Eagles will be without Darren Sproles for at least another week, as the team ruled out the running back and safety Rodney McLeod according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Running back Corey Clement is questionable with a quadriceps injury, so the Eagles could yet again have a thin backfield. Alshon Jeffery is listed as questionable as well, and it looks like he could finally make his 2018 debut.
0 comments Los Angeles Rams Philadelphia Eagles San Francisco 49ers Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL Workout Updates: 9/24/18

By | at September 24, 2018 9:52 pm

Today’s workout updates are below. There were some notable names, including veteran quarterback Landry Jones, who was released by the Steelers at final cuts.

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Looks like the Browns are searching for defensive help, working out a slew of players on that side of the ball. Jones working out for the Patriots is interesting, as he isn’t really young enough to be seen as a developmental project, and Brian Hoyer is entrenched as Tom Brady‘s backup.

0 comments Cleveland Browns Indianapolis Colts New England Patriots New York Jets

Everson Griffen Has ‘Serious Personal Health’ Issue

By | at September 24, 2018 8:46 pm

UPDATE: Pelissero confirms Griffen was involved at an incident at a hotel in Minneapolis this weekend. The below story seems to be related to that incident. You can view the details of that report in Pelissero’s follow-up tweet here. Pelissero also adds in another tweet that Griffen is “being evaluated at a local hospital” and that there are “concerns about his mental health.”

Everson Griffen didn’t play in the Vikings’ recent loss to the Bills, and mysteriously wasn’t at the game at all. Coach Mike Zimmer said after the game that his absence wasn’t injury related and was due to something “personal.”

While the situation is still murky, new details are beginning to emerge. Griffen “has been dealing for weeks with a serious, personal health-related issue” sources told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). This helps explain why Zimmer was so vague, but still doesn’t explain why the Vikings said there was no injury to Griffen.

Vikings GM Rick Spielman released a statement with Pelissero’s report, saying “we are aware of the situation involving Everson Griffen and certainly concerned by what we have heard. We are currently focused on Everson’s well-being and providing the appropriate support for him and his family.”

Everything is very vague, but it certainly sounds like Griffen is dealing with a very serious issue. We don’t want to speculate on what it could be, so we’ll wait until further details emerge. However, it doesn’t sound like Minnesota is planning on having Griffen suit up for them anytime soon.

12 comments Minnesota Vikings
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