NFC Notes: Kaepernick, JPP, Hardy
For the first time since 2012, the 49ers will have someone other than Colin Kaepernick under center this Sunday when they face the Falcons. After the Kaepernick-led 49ers stumbled to a 2-6 start, head coach Jim Tomsula elected to make a change at quarterback and turn to backup Blaine Gabbert. Tomsula said that sitting will enable Kaepernick to take a breath and refocus.
“I’m not out of breath, so I don’t understand that reference,” Kaepernick said Friday, according to the Mercury News’ Cam Inman.
In response to offensive coordinator Geep Chryst‘s assessment that Kaepernick has been more focused on avoiding mistakes than making plays this season, the 28-year-old stated, “I don’t believe that’s accurate. Every time I step on the field, I step on the field to make plays. That’s just a matter of opinion.”
While Kaepernick may not agree with Tomsula or Chryst, he added that he’s respectful of the coaches’ authority (Twitter link via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez) and won’t be a distraction to either Gabbert or the rest of the 49ers.
“I’ll support my teammates and support Blaine in everything they do, because they’ve been good to me,” Kaepernick stated.
More from around the NFC:
- Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who lost his right index finger in a devastating July 4 fireworks accident, could make his long-awaited season debut this week. Linebacker Devon Kennard said Pierre-Paul has been “very good” in practice, while head coach Tom Coughlin added that Pierre-Paul has “done everything we’ve asked him to do and we’re very positive about it.” Coughlin will decide by 4 p.m. Saturday whether to activate Pierre-Paul for the Giants’ game in Tampa (story via Brian Heyman of Newsday).
- The Cowboys and Greg Hardy are facing further backlash from media and fans after Deadspin released horrifying photos and details of the defensive end’s 2014 domestic violence arrest Friday. In light of Deadspin’s report, Christine Brennan of USA Today writes that Hardy should be banished from the league.
- Contrary to the wishes of Brennan and many others, the Cowboys won’t send Hardy packing, according to The Dallas Morning News’ Rick Gosselin. The organization is unfazed by the Deadspin report and believes that Hardy has been suitably punished for his past misdeeds (which came when was a Panther). Further, considering the franchise is in the business of winning games, its thinking is that having Hardy around is more beneficial than detrimental. Hardy has indeed been an asset on the field for Dallas, racking up three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in three games, but his presence hasn’t yet led to any victories.
AFC Notes: Colts, Harvin, Jets, Browns
The 3-5 Colts, losers of three straight games and one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams, are a strong bet to drop their fourth consecutive contest this Sunday when they match up with the 7-0 Broncos. Their season has also gone poorly away from the field, as speculation regarding the statuses of beleaguered general manager Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano has abounded and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton lost his job earlier this week.
Indy’s players – specifically team leaders Robert Mathis and D’Qwell Jackson – are cognizant of the organization’s off-field turmoil and called a meeting among themselves last week in an effort to galvanize each other. At the meeting, the players encouraged one another to ignore distractions coming from the front office and coaching staff, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star reports. One issue players are unhappy with centers on the front office – not the coaching staff – making certain lineup decisions, a dysfunctional action that takes a significant amount of power from Pagano & Co.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- Bills receiver Percy Harvin could end up on injured reserve with a knee injury, general manager Doug Whaley told The Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci (Twitter link). Harvin’s knee “flared up,” Whaley said (via Twitter). The seventh-year man has 19 catches on 30 targets this year. He has been out of the Bills’ lineup with injuries since mid-October.
- Jets cornerback Dee Milliner is back to full health after undergoing wrist surgery during the summer, but the team is unlikely to activate him from short-term injured reserve for this weekend’s game against the Jaguars, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini (Twitter link). On why Milliner won’t be in the lineup, head coach Todd Bowles said (via Howie Kussoy of the New York Post), “It’s just a numbers thing.” If the Jets don’t activate Milliner by Tuesday, they’ll have to place him on season-ending IR.
- Browns head coach Mike Pettine said cornerback Charles Gaines, who had been on short-term IR because of a hamstring injury, is likely to start playing soon (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal). Gaines, a sixth-round rookie out of Louisville, hasn’t appeared in an NFL game yet.
- The Jets worked out two free agent receivers – LaRon Byrd and Damarr Aultman – on Friday, according to Cimini (Twitter link). Byrd is the only of the two who has seen action in the league, though it was for just four games back in 2012. He has one career catch.
Extra Points: Jets-Pats, Browns, Hardy, Winston
It was reported Friday that NFL officials swept the Jets’ locker room and questioned three Patriots employees during their matchup last Sunday at Gillette Stadium. The report stated that the sweep came via request by the Jets, who were concerned that the stadium’s operations and radio frequencies weren’t up to par. Though the Jets subsequently denied having any involvement, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the league informed the Pats that “a team” did ask for it to happen. New England believes the Jets are that team, Florio reports, which should add to an already heated rivalry.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Browns owner Jimmy Haslam stressed patience over the summer regarding his club’s rebuild, but the team is 2-5 and matters could worsen with several playoff-caliber opponents on the schedule over the final nine games of the season. A marked regression from last year’s 7-9 finish might force Haslam to consider making changes, writes Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Those changes could begin in the front office and cost second-year general manager Ray Farmer his job.
- While the Cowboys have expressed a desire to give defensive end Greg Hardy a contract extension, the Dallas Morning News’ Tim Cowlishaw doesn’t think a new deal would make sense for either side right now. The Cowboys would be taking a substantial risk in signing Hardy just two games into his career with them, as they aren’t yet aware of whether he’s capable of staying out of trouble off the field. In Hardy’s case, he’ll have plenty of offseason suitors if he can behave himself until then. That would obviously up the 27-year-old’s asking price.
- Since playing arguably the worst game of his young career in an Oct. 4 loss to Carolina, Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has turned in back-to-back terrific performances, connecting on 34 of 48 passes for 500-plus yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is impressed with the progression of Winston, the No. 1 pick in last spring’s draft, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “Jameis is growing fast,” Koetter said.
West Notes: Manning, Cards RBs, Hayne
Surprisingly, the success of the 6-0 Broncos this season has come more in spite of future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning than because of him. The 39-year-old is having his worst statistical season since his rookie campaign, 1998, when he threw more interceptions (28) than touchdowns (26), averaged just 6.5 yards per attempt and put up a 71.2 passer rating. In 2015, he has also tossed more picks than scores (10 to seven), posted a subpar YPA (6.43) and a poor rating (72.5). Nevertheless, he has a defender in AZCentral.com’s , who writes that it’s too soon to jump off the Manning bandwagon as he and the Broncos get ready for a clash with 6-0 Green Bay on Sunday.
McManaman believes a change in offensive scheme (from Adam Gase‘s to Gary Kubiak‘s), a lesser O-line, and the offseason loss of touchdown-catching tight end Julius Thomas have hindered Manning in his 18th season and made him look worse than he really is. Whether McManaman is right is debatable. What isn’t debatable is that Manning has the worst rating in the league among qualified starters.
Now to the NFC West:
- After signing an inexpensive deal for one year with the Cardinals during the summer, running back Chris Johnson has revitalized his career as a key part of an elite team. The 30-year-old currently has the second-highest yards-per-carry average of his career (5.1) to go along with three touchdowns. While Johnson could stand to cash in during the offseason as a result of his renaissance this year, that isn’t on his mind. “I’m not even thinking about my contract,” he said, per Dan Bickley of AZCentral.com. “At the end of the day, I’m just happy to be playing football again. At one point, I thought that would never happen.”
- Thanks to Johnson’s excellent play, fellow Cardinals runner Andre Ellington has barely figured into their offensive game plan this season. Ellington has 90 fewer carries than Johnson (21 compared to 111), but the Cards will look to get the third-year man more involved this week against the Browns’ last-ranked run defense, writes Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “I think BA (head coach Bruce Arians) has stuff for him and he didn’t get to it, but I’m sure he’ll get to it this week,” said offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin.
- The reasons the 49ers cut Jarryd Hayne on Saturday, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter): 1. They didn’t trust him to pick up blitzes as a running back. 2. He had major issues with ball security as a return man. Despite those flaws, the 49ers will try to sign Hayne to their practice squad Monday, per Branch.
NFC Notes: 49ers, JPP, Lions, Bears
A quick look around the NFC…
- If the 49ers – losers of five of their first seven games – continue their downward spiral through the rest of the season, first-year head coach Jim Tomsula and his staff (notably offensive coordinator Geep Chryst and defensive coordinator Eric Mangini) could end up as the fall guys, per Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. While general manager Trent Baalke and quarterback Colin Kaepernick may also be under fire, Maiocco believes both have built up credit within the organization via past accomplishments. Thus, they have better odds than the coaches of remaining with the Niners in 2016.
- Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, finally back with the team after a July 4 fireworks accident that cost him his right index finger, is confident his injury won’t affect his on-field performance. “There’s not going to be a major adjustment. As far as my hand goes, I’ll get used to it. I’m just fortunate to play football again,” Pierre-Paul said, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “The day I walked in here I already won. People said I was going to be out for the whole season,” the 26-year-old added. Pierre-Paul won’t play in the Giants-Saints game Sunday and it’s unclear at the moment when he’ll make his season debut.
- New Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter had past run-ins with the law in Knoxville – a DUI in 2006 and an aggravated burglary charge in 2009 – but the records of his arrests mysteriously vanished, according to Robert Allen of the Detroit Free Press. “There’s no record. There’s nothing,” said Knoxville police spokesman Darrell DeBusk.
- The Bears worked out free agent punter Zoltan Mesko on Friday, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Chicago brought in the left-footed Mesko in an effort to prepare for Vikings lefty Jeff Locke – whom the Bears will face Sunday.
Extra Points: UK, Steelers, 2013 Draft, CTE
A look at the latest from around the NFL as the seventh Sunday of the season inches closer:
- The NFL’s commitment to play more regular-season games in the United Kingdom is stronger than ever and the league wants to expand from three contests per year there to 16, The Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci reports. First, the league has to increase its popularity in the UK – something it’s clearly in the process of doing. In fact, ratings for NFL programming doubled in the UK from 2013 to ’14 and participation in amateur American football has grown 15 percent each year since 2007, per Carucci. “My goal is to make sure we have a fan base in the UK that can support a full season of games,” said Mark Waller, the league’s executive vice president of international. “The biggest demonstration of fandom is if you have your own team. So, for me, the ultimate goal would be that at some point we have a team here, because I think that’s the best way the fans can express their passion.”
- The Steelers placed Cortez Allen on season-ending injured reserve this week, leaving questions as to whether the 26-year-old has played his final game for them. Given the Steelers’ paucity of corners, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review expects Allen to remain with the team in 2016. If not, the Steelers could cut him before June 1 and save $1.7MM. Allen, the Steelers’ top-paid corner, missed five games last year and will ultimately sit out 15 this season.
- Linebacker Barkevious Mingo has been a significant disappointment since the Browns used the sixth overall pick on him in 2013. However, he’s hardly an unusual case when it comes to that year’s draft class, writes John Kuntz of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. “It’s one of the weakest (drafts) we’ve seen in the last 10 years,” added CBS Sports’ Dane Brugler.
- The league will help fund new research beginning in January on the possible link between sports-related concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), an incurable brain disease, according to The Associated Press. The research will focus on retired jockeys, whose brain trauma rates are higher than ex-football players’. Michael Turner, medical director of the Concussion Foundation, stated: “Collaboration with the NFL will significantly accelerate the research we are doing with retired jockeys and help establish if there is any independent evidence that concussion has a long-term impact on health.”
AFC Notes: Steelers, Browns, Jets, Pats
Some news and notes from around the AFC:
- While Ben Roethlisberger might be healthy enough to play Sunday, he’s set to be inactive and the Steelers will start Landry Jones at quarterback. The decision to keep Roethlisberger off the field for another week was influenced by both a desire to steer him clear of the Chiefs’ pass rush (specifically Justin Houston and Tamba Hali) and Pittsburgh’s need to have him as healthy as possible for a Week 8 showdown with AFC North-leading Cincinnati, according to ESPN’s Ed Werder (via Twitter).
- The Browns’ defense has been a colossal disappointment this season (31st in yards per game, 24th in points), but there is disagreement from within as to why, Bud Shaw of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. Some members of the defense have questioned the scheme, while coordinator Jim O’Neil has pointed to a lack of execution on the field. Whatever the problem is, things could get worse Sunday against Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley – who is averaging a stellar 5.7 yards per carry and looks primed to bludgeon Cleveland’s last-ranked ground defense.
- Former Jets head coach Rex Ryan was known for hyping up games against AFC East rival New England during his time in New York. His successor, Todd Bowles, has a calmer outlook as his 4-1 club looks to seize first place in the division from the 5-0 Pats on Sunday. “We’re going to take the same approach we’ve been taking,” Bowles said, according to Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. “You don’t get up or down for one game because it means you haven’t been playing hard in the first place.”
- The Patriots’ cornerback stable has spent a great deal of time in flux going back to the offseason: Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington – all of whom played key roles last year – are gone, two replacements were cut during the summer, and another (Tarell Brown) landed on season-ending injured reserve earlier this month. Luckily for the Pats, the emergence of Logan Ryan in a starting role opposite No. 1 corner Malcolm Butler has helped their secondary avoid any serious turmoil, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI.
- The Jets were so hard up for a replacement for injured punter Ryan Quigley that they didn’t even work out Steve Weatherford before signing him Saturday, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
NFC West Notes: Kaepernick, Hyde, Cardinals
A quick look around the NFC West:
- Colin Kaepernick isn’t the long-term answer at quarterback for the 49ers, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (video link), and Miller believes his replacement could come by way of a top five pick in the 2016 draft. Miller lists California’s Jared Goff, Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg and Memphis’ Paxton Lynch as prospects who could be San Francisco’s first-round pick and next starting signal caller.
- 49ers running back Carlos Hyde has been playing with a foot injury – “something like” a stress fracture, he says – and has averaged just 3.0 yards per carry over the last two games. Given that the 49ers are 2-5, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle wonders if it’s in their best interest to rest Hyde until he’s fully healthy. Dr. Ken Jung – a Los Angeles-based ankle and foot surgeon – told Branch that Hyde’s injury will likely bother him for the rest of the season. “By taking a week or two off — or even just resting during the week — it allows the bone to heal itself or catch up. But once the stress or the activity level goes beyond what the bone can tolerate it tends to stay in a vicious cycle,” Jung said.
- Seattle got back into the win column with its 20-3 victory over the 49ers on Thursday and improved to 3-4, drawing closer to the NFC West-leading Cardinals (4-2). Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic contends that the Cardinals need to find their identity – which they lost in last week’s 25-13 defeat in Pittsburgh, the writer thinks – and respond to the Seahawks with a statement win over the Ravens on Monday.
Extra Points: Browns, Draft Prospects
Browns running back Robert Turbin is recovered from an ankle injury that kept him out of action for the five weeks of the NFL season and will make his debut with the team this Sunday. Turbin, whose first opponent will be the Broncos and their fifth-ranked run defense, has lofty goals for the season.
“I feel like this is going to be my team,” Turbin said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.
Turbin added that he wants to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark, which will be extra difficult in an 11-game season.
Turbin, a fourth-round pick out of Utah State in 2012, spent the first three years of his career in Seattle. The Seahawks waived him in September and the Browns subsequently claimed him. The 25-year-old has amassed 231 carries and 928 yards, good for 4.0 yards per rush. That’s not great, but it would be an improvement for a Browns offense that currently has the league’s 27th-ranked per-carry average (3.7).
More on the Browns and a couple of notes concerning the 2016 draft:
- Despite his latest off-field issue, the Browns plan to suit up quarterback Johnny Manziel as Josh McCown‘s backup Sunday. That’s the wrong approach, opines the Northeast Ohio Media Group’s Bud Shaw, who believes the Browns should discipline Manziel by deactivating him for Week 6.
- In another piece regarding Manziel, Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today contends that any credibility he reestablished with the team after an offseason that included a rehab stint could be gone. She also wonders whether the second-year man’s career is now in jeopardy.
- Former UCLA linebacker Myles Jack has chosen Octagon Sports as his agency as he prepares for next spring’s draft, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter link). John Thornton will represent Jack, who withdrew from UCLA earlier this month after suffering a season-ending knee injury in September. Jack is a potential first-round pick.
- There’s talk among agents that junior Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright will turn pro after this season, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Wright’s standout performance last year earned him All-America honors, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Award, the Jack Lambert Award (nation’s best linebacker), and the Chuck Bednarik Award (nation’s top defender).
East Notes: Eagles, Patriots, Bills
The Eagles made a pair of noteworthy free agent signings at running back in the offseason when they added DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. As last season’s NFL rushing champion, Murray signed a far bigger contract than Mathews (five years and $42MM versus three years, $11MM). Their performances this year haven’t reflected their disparate deals, however, as Mathews has easily outplayed Murray. Both backs have a similar number of carries (49 for Murray, 41 for Mathews), but Mathews has averaged an impressive 5.0 yards per attempt against Murray’s paltry 2.7.
To his credit, Murray took the notion of an increase in Mathews’ touches in stride, per Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com.
“Hey, whatever they decide,” Murray said. “I can only control what I can control. I can’t control the plays being called or who’s in on different situations.”
In assessing Mathews, Murray stated, “I think he’s running it great. Obviously, he’s a tough running back, tough to defend, tough guy to bring down and I think he’s been doing well.”
How the two have played this year might not matter this week, as Mathews could miss the Eagles’ key game against the NFC East rival Giants with a groin injury. That would give Murray a chance to sink or swim as the unquestioned go-to back. The fifth-year man has fared respectably of late, rushing 28 times for 119 yards and a touchdown over the last two weeks. He accrued season highs in carries (20) and yards (83) in the Eagles’ 39-17 win over the Saints last Sunday.
Now the latest regarding a couple of AFC East teams:
- Bills receiver Sammy Watkins spoke out Thursday about the lack of targets that came his way before he suffered a Week 3 injury. His issues seem to lie with quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who could miss Sunday’s game against the Bengals with a knee injury. That would make EJ Manuel the Bills’ starter under center, and Manuel expressed support for Watkins on Friday (via The Buffalo News’ Tyler Dunne). “I think as quarterbacks, we like to hear our receiver is hungry and wants to make plays.” Manuel and Watkins seemingly established a rapport during their limited work together in 2014: Manuel targeted Watkins 32 times in four games, per Chris Trapasso of NFL.com (Twitter link). On the other hand, in two-plus games this year, Taylor has targeted Watkins 12 times.
- With the Patriots weakened at cornerback thanks to Tarell Brown‘s foot injury, they could turn to stalwart safety Devin McCourty for help at the position against the Colts this weekend, writes Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. McCourty came into the league as a corner in 2010 before eventually making the transition to safety. Head coach Bill Belichick used McCourty at corner at times over the summer in the event he’d be needed there this year. That looks as if it could happen this week, as New England is down to Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, undrafted rookie Justin Coleman, and newly added waiver-wire pickup Rashaan Melvin at the positon.
- In other Patriots news, the team will promote offensive tackle Cameron Fleming from its practice squad to its 53-man roster, tweets ESPN’s Mike Reiss. The former Stanford Cardinal spent all of last season on the Pats’ 53-man roster and played in seven games after they used a fourth-round pick on him.