AFC Notes: Raiders, Jags, Bengals
There was a team-wide brawl that took place between the Raiders and Broncos this afternoon, started by Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree and Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib. The two have a had a go of it in the past, when both engaged each other during a game last season. However, this fight was capped off by Crabtree throwing and partly landing a punch at the head of Talib. Both players were immediately ejected from the game, which forced the veteran wideout to watch the rest of the contest from a suite, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com.
- The Raiders receiving corps took a further hit in the AFC West battle as they lost Amari Cooper for the game with a concussion, Gutierrez also passes along. The 23-year-old wideout suffered the injury when he was hit in the head by Broncos safety Darian Stewart on a collision over the middle of the field. There appeared to be no malicious intent behind the play, even though there was a personal foul penalty given. Nevertheless, Oakland may be without both their top receivers for next week’s game because of what transpired today versus Denver. The Raiders would need extra contributions from the likes of Seth Roberts, Johnny Holton and Cordarrelle Patterson should Crabtree get suspended and Cooper not pass concussion protocol.
- The Jaguars were hit with a concussion of their own as starting linebacker Telvin Smith did not return after suffering the injury, reports Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. Smith has been one of many key contributors in what has turned into perhaps the best defense in football. This situation will certainly be worth monitoring throughout the upcoming practice week.
- Bengals running back Joe Mixon had the best game of his professional career in the team’s blowout of the Browns. The second round pick tallied over 160 yards from scrimmage, while averaging exactly five yards per carry. Mixon had already been getting a lot of work in recent weeks, but finally broke through with a performance that he and the team were waiting for. “It feels great,” said Mixon, “The offensive line was great and the receivers did a great job blocking on the perimeters and we just went out and finished.” (Quote courtesy of Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com). Look for Mixon to continue to be a big part of the Cincinnati offense in the last five games of the season.
- In other Bengals news, backup quarterback A.J. McCarron was seen mingling with Browns head coach Hue Jackson and owner Jimmy Haslam before Sunday’s game. This is notable considering Cleveland tried to trade for the signal caller right before the deadline, but it’s not something that McCarron really focused on when discussing the interaction after the contest. “No point talking about the trade. It didn’t happen and it’s not going to happen now,” McCarron said. “I saw Mr. Haslam just to say hey to him. I’ve known Mr. Haslam through the whole draft process. I took a visit there. He’s a good Tennessee guy and you know the love between Tennessee and Alabama.” (Quote courtesy of Hobson).
Mike Williams Avoids ACL Injury
The Chargers received encouraging news about receiver Mike Williams on Friday night. Despite some concern that the talented rookie playmaker would “miss time” thanks to an injury he suffered on Thanksgiving, the team has learned that Williams did not injure his ACL, reports Dan Woike of The San Diego Union-Tribune.
“He’s still being evaluated right now, doctors and trainers. We’ll see where he goes from there,” head coach Anthony Lynn said. “…As of now, I’ve just been told ACL, that’s been ruled out, which was very good news for me. I think we can deal with the rest, and lot of it may depend on pain tolerance as well.”
The former Clemson star exited Thursday’s game against the Cowboys after just one snap as he was seen limping off the field in a great amount of pain. The injury appeared to be non-contact.
While Friday’s news is encouraging for the wideout, it’s still been sort of a lost year for the 2017 seventh overall pick. Williams missed the Chargers first five games with a back injury and was just beginning to integrate himself more in the Los Angeles offense.
However, the news could have been much worse for all involved as there’s now a better chance that the injury is less serious than first anticipated.
NFC Notes: Giants, Bradham, Gholston
The Giants coaching questions are now back in full force after the team lost to Washington on Thanksgiving night. There was some reprieve from the consistent rumors after Giants head coach Ben McAdoo beat the Chiefs two weeks ago, but now there is speculation about where the front office may turn if they chose to replace McAdoo at the end of this season.
Ralph Vacchiano of SNY speculated a number potential candidates to replace McAdoo if the team were to move on from the second-year head coach. Vacchiano had a number of former head coaches on his list, which included Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley and Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith. He also included big college names that seem a little more like long shots in Stanford head coach David Shaw and Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Up and coming coordinators Teryl Austin and Frank Reich rounded out his list.
New York is a pretty big draw that could get a few more well known coaches to at least consider the position. Plus, the team will have a top pick, solid defense and a healthy Odell Beckham Jr. to build around. More coaching rumors will be popping up as the seasons moves along, but it’s interesting to see what names may be on the radar, even though there’s been no indication that the front office will assuredly to fire McAdoo.
- The Giants have dealt with a number of injuries this season. The team has likely lost two more players for the season in cornerback Donte Deayon (fractured forearm) and linebacker Curtis Grant (knee), reports Dan Duggan of NJ Advanced Media. New York has placed seven defenders on IR so far this season, so losing two more depth pieces doesn’t bode well for how competitive the Giants can be in the final six weeks of the regular season.
- The Eagles are the best team in the NFL right now, and are in the process of deciding which of their building blocks to lock up for the long haul. The team already agreed to a contract extension with Timmy Jernigan earlier in the month and now may be turning their attention to linebacker Nigel Bradham, opines Jeff McLane of The Inquirer. A former fourth round pick back in 2012, the 28-year-old leads the team in tackles with 56 and ranks as the 33rd best linebacker in football, according to Pro Football Focus. The Eagles have 13 players heading for unrestricted free agency after the season, so they’ll definitely have to make some tough decisions regarding who they want to build around and who they’re willing to let go.
- The Buccaneers will likely welcome back William Gholston this Sunday after the defensive end missed the team’s previous two games with a neck injury, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. While the absence seems short when compared to some other more serious injuries, Gholston is thankful that the ailment wasn’t more severe. “The neck is a little worrisome, because you have to think about everything else, think about family and all that,” Gholston said. “They definitely took all of the correct steps. … I’m not glad it happened, but I’m glad they took the right steps for me to get back.” Tampa Bay will try to extend their win streak to three games when travel to Atlanta for a Sunday afternoon matchup.
AFC Notes: Jags, Lewis, Lynch, Ogbah
The Jaguars have shocked the NFL after starting the year 7-3, thanks in large part to their outstanding defense. But while that side of the ball has deservingly gotten a lot of the credit for their success, there’s another interesting aspect of their front office that had contributed to the team’s sudden rise to the top of the AFC South, opines Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
As a part of his Friday column, the veteran reporter made note of the expanded use of analytics in the team’s decision making process because of the department headed up by Jacksonville’s owner’s son, Tony Khan. Khan’s group supplements the work done by Tom Coughlin and Doug Marrone through more advanced statistical and technological methods, something that isn’t as rampant in the NFL as with other sports, like basketball or baseball.
However, Breer pointed out the Jaguars have used data in their decision to keep their offense on the field a full 10 percent more times on fourth down than last season, as well in their acquisitions of running back Corey Grant and saftey Jarrod Wilson, who have each made big plays over the course of the season. Breer’s article provides an interesting look at another aspect of perhaps the league’s most surprising team through some pretty cool examples of more analytical evaluation when making football decisions.
- Marvin Lewis is the second longest tenured head coach with one franchise in the league today, ranking right behind Bill Belichick. It’s a notable comparison as the Pats head coach has been able to win multiple Super Bowls with New Engalnd, while the Bengals have not won a single playoff game under Lewis’ leadership. However, the 59-year-old has maintained a number of crucial relationships throughout the league that has helped him fight through a lot of criticism, opines Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. Terrell mentions the likes Hue Jackson, Dirk Koetter, Bill Cowher, Mike Zimmer, Vance Joseph and Jay Gruden as guys who the Bengals head coach considers some of his closest friends in the league. Obviously, Cincinnati has had it’s tough moments under the guise of Lewis, but this piece shows just why he has survived as a head coach in this league for so long, despite the lack of playoff success.
- Marshawn Lynch has never really gotten things going with the Raiders this season, but offensive coordinator Todd Downing mentioned after practice on Friday that he wants to “feed” the veteran running back this Sunday vs. the Broncos, reports Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. Head coach Jack Del Rio echoed that sentiment after the team’s final practice this week. “Could be a little more,” Del Rio said of Lynch’s workload. “Like to push him, get him a little more.” Lynch has consistently managed single-digit carries with his new team, but it appears that the coaching staff is on board in wanting to get the former All-pro more involved in the Raiders offense in the weeks ahead.
- In some good injury news, Browns defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah tweeted out a photo this afternoon showing that he had a successful surgery on the foot he broke during the team’s game last Sunday vs. the Jaguars. The 24-year-old was having a solid sophomore campaign up until the injury, but it’s certainly great news that his recovery has gotten off to a good start.
NFC Notes: Griffin, Stafford, Forbath, 49ers
The Seahawks defense continues to take hits on the injury front as the team has now learned that starting cornerback Shaquill Griffin has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. the 49ers with a concussion, according to Gregg Bell of The News Tribune (Twitter link). Bell adds that lineman Oday Aboushi will miss the matchup with a shoulder injury as well, so Seattle will once again have to expose backups to expansive playing time.
It would seem that cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane will get the starts on the outside, with either rookie Ethan Pocic or third-year lineman Mark Glowinski filling in for Aboushi at right guard.
Seattle’s roster looks a whole lot different without the likes of Griffin, Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor in the starting lineup, which has contributed greatly to the Seahawks up-and-down sort of season. The team still has an outstanding defensive line and is right in the thick of the playoff race, but is currently facing a lot of adversity as it continues to lose quality players as the season wears on.
- In what was a tremendous show of resiliency on Thanksgiving, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford actually finished the game after he suffered what looked to be a serious leg injury. However, even though the talented QB was able to return, you can clearly see that he is not 100% in a video posted to Instagram by Davie Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, depicting Stafford hobbling away after his postgame press conference. It remains to be seen whether Stafford can continue to play in the weeks to come, but we should learn more about the overall severity of the injury next week.
- Vikings kicker Kai Forbath apparently cut his foot on the nullified block field goal, but should not miss any time moving forward, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Forbath had been one of the best kickers in the league up until the last few weeks when he missed two field goals against the Rams and suffered the aforementioned blocked kick yesterday.
- The 49ers are as expected not in playoff contention this year, but still await some key decisions on potential free agents at season’s end. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, looked at six impending free agents who could be on the way out after the 2017 season is over. Branch noted running back Carlos Hyde, safety Eric Reid, center Daniel Kilgore, defensive end Aaron Lynch, defensive lineman Tank Carradine and cornerback Dontae Johnson as all guys that seemed primed to test the open market. There are a variety of factors that go into these decisions, but it’s interesting to see how the team may approach these players in the final six weeks of the season given their impending free agency.
Jacoby Brissett Cleared To Play In Week 12
It appears the Colts will have quarterback Jacoby Brissett ready to start in the team’s Week 12 matchup versus the Titans, after the second-year quarterback was cleared by an independent neurologist today, reports Mike Chappell of IndySportsCentral.com (Twitter link).
Brissett had suffered a concussion against the Steelers two weeks ago, but with the help of the bye week, is on track to not miss his start this weekend. Despite some drama around the way the Colts handled the concussion, with team doctors allowing him to return to the game and then being unavailable to the press after due to concussion-like symptoms, it looks like the correct remaining protocol has been taken in the weeks since.
The 23-year-old signal caller has been a bright spot in what’s been a down year in Indianapolis. Without Andrew Luck it would be tough to expect the Colts to make a run at a playoff race, but the former Patriots QB has stepped up as a nice fill-in since getting his first start in the second week of the season.
Brissett’s total QBR of 39.1 does not look all too good, but he’s shown improvement in recent weeks, throwing six touchdowns compared to just two interceptions in his past three games. The 2016 third-round selection has shown a nice arm and quality mobility during his short stint with the Colts, which certainly helps the team’s outlook on the position moving forward, knowing that they have a quality backup already in place if Luck were to unfortunately get hurt again.
Marshon Lattimore Ruled Out For Week 12
The Saints are going for their ninth win in a row this Sunday when they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams. However, New Orleans must try and win on the road without their outstanding rookie cornerback, Marshon Lattimore, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
The 11th overall pick in last May’s draft has been dealing with an ankle injury all week and just couldn’t recover enough to suit up for this weekend’s contest. Rapoport also passes along that the Saints will be without defensive back Ken Crawley as well, so the team’s secondary is about to look much different in Week 12.
Despite the injury, Lattimore is in the middle of a tremendous rookie campaign as he grades out as the fourth best corner in the entire league, accumulating a stellar 92.7 overall score from Pro Football Focus this season. The former Ohio State Buckeye was always expected to be an instant impact type of player, but has passed all expectations in his first nine games of his professional career.
Without their two top corners, the Saints will rely on backups P.J. Williams, De’Vante Harris and Justin Hardee to hold down the back-end of the defense. The team also recently agreed to bring in veteran defensive back Sterling Moore earlier in the week, probably in preparation for the news that was revealed today.
The Saints defense has been one of the better units in football, especially during the team’s winning streak, but it will certainly be tested without Lattimore locking down one side of the field.
NFC Notes: Barnett, Ansah, Giants, Panthers
The Eagles have had many stars in their journey towards the top of the NFL this season, and one of those players has been rookie defensive end Derek Barnett. The team’s first round pick this past May has given Philadelphia another dominant pass rusher outside of Brandon Graham and has made the front office look even better, opines Geoff Mosher of the FanRags Sports Network.
Mosher points out that Barnett was viewed as the “safe” pick when the Eagles were selecting in the middle of the first round. He states that flashier draftees that the Eagles passed on, like running back Dalvin Cook, defensive end Jonathan Allen and linebacker Reuben Foster, have all had injury problems, making the choice to select Tennessee’s all-time sack leader even more brilliant.
At the moment, Barnett is simply a pass rushing specialist coming off the bench, but has already racked up 4.5 games even without getting the majority of the snaps. He trails team leader Brandon Graham by just 1.5 sacks with six weeks left to play. Barnett may not have been the sexy choice at the time, but he’s making the Eagles decision makers look even smarter because of what he’s adding to an already outstanding roster.
- Lions star defensive end Ezekiel Ansah returned to game action for the team’s Thanksgiving tilt against the Vikings. Ansah is active for the first time since Week 9 when he injured his back on Monday night football. The 28-year-old has responded well from a down 2016 campaign with four sacks in just eight games this season. The news of his return is certainly a welcomed addition to a defense that ranks 20th in sacks in the NFL.
- In regards to the late Thanksgiving game between the Redskins and Giants, the expectation that New York will have offensive lineman Jon Halapio make his first professional start at right guard, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. The 26-year-old would be replacing D.J. Fluker, who has already been ruled out for Week 12 with a toe injury. The move represents another shift in the offensive line for the Giants, who had rookie Chad Wheeler make his first NFL start during the team’s victory over the Chiefs in Week 11.
- In more positive injury news, Panthers star tight end Greg Olsen is continuing to make progress recovering from a broken foot he suffered back in September, reports Jourdan Rodrigue of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Rodrigue further notes that Olsen looks to be on track to return Sunday, which would be huge addition for an offense that already traded away Kelvin Benjamin and lost wide receiver Curtis Samuel for the season.
Bears Place Leonard Floyd On IR
In not even a week since we learned that Bears linebacker Leonard Floyd seriously injured his right knee, the talented pass rusher has been placed on injured reserve, the team announced on Thursday.
Floyd suffered his knee injury during the team’s game last Sunday against the Lions. The 25-year-old had reportedly sprained two ligaments during the contest, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. So while it wasn’t immediately known if the injury was season-ending, head coach John Fox pretty much implied that Floyd’s outlook for 2017 didn’t appear all too hopeful.
“It’s going to be some time until he can come back, if at all the rest of this season,” Fox told the media this week. “We’ll kind of measure that as we go. But it was good to hear it wasn’t the ACL. It was MCL, PCL. It will require some work to get him fixed, but obviously better news that the total reconstruction.” (Quote courtesy of Campbell).
The second-year pass rush specialist was on track to match and possibly pass is seven sacks that he collected during his rookie season. Floyd tallied 4.5 sacks in ten games this season and ranked as the 67th best pass rusher in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
Chicago has suffered a number of notable injuries on the offensive side of the ball, but Floyd represents a significant blow to the team’s defense, who had already lost pass rusher Willie Young to the IR in Week 6. The Bears will have to rely on backups Sam Acho and Jonathan Anderson to fill the outside linebacker void for the remainder of the regular season.
AFC Notes: Revis, Thomas, Booker, Bullock
Darrelle Revis is back in the NFL after signing with the Chiefs yesterday. Now we’re learning a little more about what his new contract looks like. The 32-year-old cornerback’s deal is for two seasons and has team incentives that could up the overall value of the agreement, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Rapoport adds that Revis will receive an extra $1.75 MM if he plays in an AFC title game and an additional $1.75 MM if Kansas City wins the Super Bowl. The Jets would not be on the hook for that extra cash. It remains to be seen how effective the former All-Pro will be in his return, but he does add depth to a secondary that’s allowing the fifth most yards through the air so far this season.
- In order to make room for Revis on the active roster, the Chiefs have waived defensive tackle Cam Thomas, reports Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. The 30-year-old defensive lineman had only played in game this season after appearing in all 16 games from 2013-2015. Releasing Thomas leaves the team without a backup nose tackle as the only backup defensive lineman on the roster are Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Jarvis Jenkins.
- The Broncos offense has not produced this season, but the running game may change in a shift to running back Devontae Booker according to their new offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, reports Nick Kosmider of The Denver Post. “Book’ has really been playing some good football,” interim offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said Wednesday. “I think Book deserves more touches. Obviously, we’ll see how the game goes.” Kosmider notes that the second-year back’s workload has been increasing in the past few weeks. Booker missed the first three games of the season recovering from an injury to his wrist. He carried the ball a season-high 14 times this past Sunday. He hadn’t passed single-digit carries this entire year until the team’s game versus the Bengals in Week 11.
- Bengals kicker Randy Bullock has missed two extra points in two weeks, which has head coach Marvin Lewis publicly noting his weak grip on the kicking job. Lewis was open about Bullock’s struggles when talking to the media yesterday, including Jim Owczarski of Cincinnati.com. “It does affect our patience level,” and later clarifying that “We’re committed to Randy for this week.” However, despite the fact that the team is sticking with Bullock in Week 12, it should be noted that the 27-year-old has only made about 81% of his field goal attempts in his career.