Dennis Pitta Has Hip Surgery, Out For Year
4:10pm: Head coach John Harbaugh confirmed to reporters that Pitta underwent hip surgery today and is out for the season (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
MONDAY, 2:27pm: Pitta will undergo surgery to repair the damage to his dislocated hip, and team sources believe he also suffered a fracture, says Wilson (via Twitter).
SUNDAY, 4:56pm: Pitta suffered a dislocated hip and tests tomorrow will check for a fracture, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
4:16pm: The Ravens fear that Pitta is done for the season, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun.
2:53pm: Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta was carted off of the field in in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Browns and Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun writes that he appears to have injured the same right hip that cost him most of his 2013 campaign. There’s no official word on Pitta’s status just yet, but it’s clearly bad news for the talented tight end.
Pitta suffered a fracture and dislocation of his hip in July of 2013 and didn’t see the gridiron until December. Pitta emerged as a true offensive talent in 2012 when he hauled in 61 catches for 669 yards and seven touchdowns. His strong play continued into the postseason, where he hauled in touchdown passes in three of the Ravens’ four playoff contests, including their Super Bowl XLVII wn over the 49ers. In the Super Bowl win, Pitta had four receptions for 26 yards and a score.
The 29-year-old was off to a strong start through two weeks this season, including a ten catch, 83 yard performance in the opener against Cincinnati. Pitta had three catches for 12 yards against Cleveland today before his injury.
In the interim, without Pitta, the Ravens will have to rely heavily on two-time Pro Bowl tight end Owen Daniels. The veteran hauled in two touchdowns against the Steelers but isn’t quite as explosive as a healthy Pitta.
Ravens Issue Rebuttal To ESPN Report
The Ravens have issued a lengthy press release, in which various team officials, including owner Steve Bisciotti, respond to ESPN’s investigative report into the team’s handling of the Ray Rice situation. The release includes 15 excerpts from the ESPN story, accompanied by responses from the Ravens explaining their side of the story. You can read the full statement at their website, but here are a few of the notable points:
- Based on Rice’s initial explanation of the incident to the Ravens, the team was under the impression that the running back slapped his then-fiancée with an open hand, rather than punching her. It wasn’t until the club saw the TMZ video that officials realized how violent the incident was.
- Ravens director of security says the description of the elevator video he received from Atlantic City police suggested that “Janay appeared to initiate the altercation, but they both spit at and struck each other, resulting in Janay falling and hitting her head against the wall railing.”
- Head coach John Harbaugh said he didn’t recommend releasing Rice back in February, as ESPN’s report suggests. “I was very disturbed by that [first] tape, and I told people that the facts should determine the consequences,” Harbaugh said. “When I saw the second videotape, I immediately felt that we needed to release Ray.”
- Bisciotti, team president Dick Cass, and GM Ozzie Newsome all indicate they didn’t ask commissioner Roger Goodell to levy no more than a two-game suspension on Rice.
- Cass admitted that the team didn’t continue to investigate the incident throughout the summer: “We decided that we would await the outcome of the criminal case and the NFL disciplinary hearing and to leave the fact-finding to others. We should not have done that.”
- Bisciotti, addressing the idea that he was offering Rice a job with the team later in his career if he kept quiet about the Ravens’ handling of the incident: “I cannot believe that Ray ever thought I was suggesting he keep quiet, when he got the texts or later on. They were not an insult. To the contrary, I think he knew these were messages from the heart, as were his responses to me.”
On the heels of issuing this statement, Bisciotti also addressed reporters on the issue. In the view of the Baltimore owner, the sources for ESPN’s Outside the Lines report were predominantly connected to Rice — either his friends or people who work for or with him (Twitter link). Biscioitti added that he’s “very confident” that no one currently with the Ravens will lose their jobs over this incident (Twitter link).
King’s Latest: Stanton, Ravens, Bowles
As usual, Peter King of TheMMQB.com tackles a number of topics in his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback column, and we’ll round up several of the highlights from his latest piece below. Let’s dive in….
- In the wake of Drew Stanton‘s second straight victory for the Cardinals, King takes a look at how Stanton ultimately ended up in Arizona. The signal-caller signed with the Jets in 2012 expecting to be Mark Sanchez‘s backup, but when the team signed Tim Tebow, Stanton was sent to the Colts, where he began working with offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. As King writes, “Stanton loved the guy, and Arians loved him back,” which led to the Cardinals head coach bringing the quarterback with him to Arizona.
- Asked by King if he pushed to have the Ravens release Ray Rice back in February, head coach John Harbaugh didn’t answer yes or no. “That is such an unfair characterization,” Harbaugh said. “It is not fair to the organization. We said all along that the facts would determine the consequences, and that was my stance from the start of this.”
- Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has emerged as a head-coaching candidate based on the job he’s doing with the team’s defense, which is missing several key pieces, says King.
- King expects commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith to meet early this week – likely Tuesday – to discuss the new personal conduct committee Goodell vowed on Friday to create. In King’s view, it will likely be made up of former players, current players, an owner or two, and others from the business world who have past experience constructing similarly complicated personal conduct policies.
- The fact that Goodell was willing to give up decision-making power in the drug appeals process in the league’s new policy bodes well for the future relationship between the NFL and the NFLPA, according to King, who breaks down how that new policy was a win for both the league and the players.
- In light of Jameis Winston‘s off-field issues at Florida State, there’s a possibility he won’t be a first-round pick when he enters the draft, writes King.
Injury Updates: Sunday
The NFL is almost through another week of football, and the injuries are piling up yet again. An unfortunate reality of the league is that no team will leave healthy from week to week.
Zach Links and Luke Adams have already discussed some of the bigger names to go down. Matt Cassel‘s foot injury paved the way for Vikings‘ first-round pick Teddy Bridgewater‘s NFL debut. Dennis Pitta left the Ravens‘ win with a dislocated hip, and Chargers‘ tailback Danny Woodhead could miss the rest of the season with a high ankle sprain and fractured fibula.
Here are some other injury notes from around the NFL:
- In addition to Cassel, the Vikings‘ lost a number of starters to injury late in their loss to the Saints: linebacker Chad Greenway left the game with a rib injury, tight end Kyle Rudolph with a groin injury, guard Brandon Fusco with a pectoral injury, and Josh Robinson with a hamstring issue, writes Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com.
- Saints‘ center Jonathan Goodwin left the game with a left leg injury, writes Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com.
- Redskins‘ cornerback DeAngelo Hall is feared to have a torn achilles tendon, reports Mike Jones of the Washington Post. He will have an MRI tomorrow.
- Lions‘ linebacker Stephen Tulloch injured his left knee during the victory over the Packers, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Tulloch, who has never missed a game in his nine-year career, suffered the injury during a celebration of a sack on Aaron Rodgers.
- Rod Streater and Tyvon Branch both suffered injuries for the Raiders in their 16-9 loss to the Patriots, reports Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Head coach Dennis Allen confirmed that Streater suffered a foot fracture, and Branch had a similar injury.
- The Cowboys beat the Rams today, but may have lost defensive tackle Henry Melton to a groin injury, writes Brandon George of DallasNews.com. Melton missed all of the preseason while recovering from a groin injury.
Ray Rice To Argue That TMZ Tape Was Edited
Citing ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, ESPN.com news services staff report that, in his appeal of the indefinite suspension imposed by the NFL, Ray Rice will argue that the TMZ videotape that precipitated the suspension was edited and does not accurately represent what transpired in the Atlantic City casino elevator.
According to the ESPN article, “Legal sources told Schefter that the TMZ tape of Rice hitting his then-fiancee was a cleaned-up, whittled down and condensed version of the events…” Robert Mueller, whom the NFL appointed to investigate the handling of the Rice incident, will have access to the “extended version” (i.e. the version not edited by TMZ).
Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk confirms that a demonstration of the unedited tape will play a major role in Rice’s strategy.
Ravens Could Bring Back Deonte Thompson
Deonte Thompson, who was cut by the Ravens yesterday, could be brought back to the team next week, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Thompson had an impressive training camp and preseason and there were rumors that the Ravens, who are fairly deep at wide receiver, were looking to trade him to a team intrigued by Thompson’s upside and return skills.
Baltimore cut Thompson in order to promote RB Fitzgerald Toussaint from its practice squad, as Bernard Pierce is unlikely to play in today’s contest against the Browns. However, as long as Thompson clears waivers, it looks as if he will remain in a Ravens uniform for the time being.
Minor Moves: Saturday
We’ll keep tabs on all of Saturday’s NFL transactions here, with the latest moves at the top…
- The Lions have cut veteran wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, reports Field Yates of ESPN (via Twitter). The move opened up room for practice squad cornerback Mohammed Seisay, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
- The Raiders have signed linebacker Bojay Filomeatu from their practice squad, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- The 49ers have promoted tight end Asante Cleveland to their active roster, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). The team released quarterback Josh Johnson to make room.
- The Dolphins have signed safety Brandian Ross from their practice squad to the active roster, reports James Walker of ESPN (via Twitter). They released defensive lineman Bruce Gaston to make room.
- The Ravens have cut wide receiver Deonte Thompson, and signed running back Fitzgerald Toussaint from their practice squad, according to the team’s official Twitter page.
Earlier updates:
- The Vikings announced that they have signed wide receiver Charles Johnson from the Browns practice squad. Johnson will take Adrian Peterson‘s spot on the roster.
- The Lions will sign cornerback Mohammed Seisay from their practice squad, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
- Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer tweets that the Panthers have promoted running back Darrin Reaves from their practice squad to take Greg Hardy‘s roster spot.
- The Cowboys announced (via Twitter) that the team has waived defensive end Lavar Edwards and signed linebacker Keith Smith from the practice squad. Edwards, a former fourth-round pick, was acquired from the Titans in late August. He’s only played 15 snaps in two games this season. Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com tweets that the release does not void the trade with Tennessee, noting that the Cowboys have to give up a seventh-rounder if Edwards stays on the roster for ten games. However, Archer also notes that Edwards will likely be back.
- The Jaguars have signed wide receiver Kerry Taylor from their practice squad, the team announced. To make room, the team waived rookie safety Craig Loston. Taylor has 22 career receptions for 229 yards and one touchdown. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets that Taylor is injury-insurance for wideouts Cecil Shorts and Allen Hurns.
AFC North Notes: Gordon, Richardson, Rice
Josh Gordon recently had his season-long ban reduced to ten games, and both he and the team are grateful of the new ruling, writes Pat McManamon of ESPN.com.
Browns‘ general manager Ray Farmer released a statement:
“We are aware of the new NFL policy related to the reduction of Josh Gordon’s suspension to 10 games. We will continue to support and work with him under the NFL guidelines throughout this process. Our team’s focus right now remains on preparing for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.”
Gordon also released a statement through the NFLPA:
“I”m happy that the NFLPA and NFL worked hard to agree on a new Substances of Abuse policy. I”m very thankful to my union for fighting for a significant reduction in my suspension. I”m glad I can go to the facility during my suspension. I look forward to going to meetings, working out individually, and learning from my coaches and teammates. I can”t wait until game 11 to get back on the field!”
Here are some other notes from around the AFC North:
- Yesterday, the Colts were lamenting the long term effects of the Trent Richardson trade. The Browns, on the other hand, are reaping the benefits, writes Tom Reed of Cleveland.com. Just one year later, the Browns, while not perfect, are progressing as an organization, highlighted by last week’s win over the Saints. The 0-2 Colts have a top heavy roster that seems to be crumbling around Andrew Luck, and while they ran the ball well against the Eagles last week, Richardson fumbled twice.
- Ravens‘ linebacker Courtney Upshaw was fined $16,537 for a hit he put on Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger last Thursday, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Upshaw will appeal the fine.
- The Ravens have already denied the accuracy of the report on how the team and the NFL handled the domestic violence case against Ray Rice, and ESPN did trip over itself in reporting incident. Bob Ley of Outside the Lines misreported that the team had actually received a copy of the tape, and then backtracked to say they had received an account of what transpired. This hurts the overall credibility of the report, writes David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun.
AFC Mailbags: Jaguars, Ravens, Colts, Raiders
It’s Saturday, and that means a fresh batch of ESPN.com NFL mailbags. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from the AFC…
- The Jaguars have rookie Telvin Smith waiting in the wings, but Michael DiRocco thinks the team still needs an upgrade at linebacker.
- Looking forward to next year’s draft, DiRocco opines that the Jaguars should focus on drafting a pass rusher. The writer suggests Randy Gregory (Nebraska), Shane Ray (Missouri), and Shilique Calhoun (Michigan State).
- Even with wideout Steve Smith‘s presence, Jamison Hensley says it would be “shocking” if the Ravens don’t extend Torrey Smith.
- Mike Wells would be surprised if the Colts signed defensive end Michael Sam from the Cowboys practice squad. To thrive in the team’s defense, the writer says that Sam would need to learn to play outside linebacker.
- If the Raiders lose to the Patriots this weekend, coach Dennis Allen will certainly be feeling some pressure, writes Bill Williamson.
AFC Notes: Ravens, Broncos, Bills, Richardson
The Ravens have responded to the ESPN report by Don Van Natta Jr. and Kevin Van Valkenburg, releasing a statement denying the authenticity of the report, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The statement is as follows (via Twitter):
“The … article contains numerous errors, inaccuracies, false assumptions, and perhaps misunderstandings. The Ravens will address all of these next week in Baltimore after our trip to Cleveland for Sunday’s game against the Browns.”
ESPN released a simple statement in response to the Ravens’ reaction, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter):
“We stand by our reporting.”
Here are some other notes from around the AFC:
- The Broncos have been preparing for their regular season rematch with the Seahawks since February. After being blown out 43-8 in the Super Bowl, the Broncos returned as the favorites to return to the big game. However, just getting there wasn’t enough. Over the offseason, the team turned over regulars at ten spots on the defense, writes Peter King of Monday Morning Quarterback. The new look Broncos’ defense will be highlighted by the return of Von Miller and Chris Harris, and the additions of Aqib Talib, DeMarcus Ware, and T.J. Ward
- The Bills received a great offer to buy the team from Kim and Terry Pegula, but the person who deserves credit for the big price is Donald Trump, reports Donald Trump (via Twitter). The Pegula’s paid $1.4 billion for the team, which was considered an overpay by financial analysts, according to the Buffalo News.
- One year later, Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star reflects on the trade that brought Trent Richardson to the Colts. The former Alabama star can bench press nearly 500 pounds, but he hasn’t been able to power his way to a smooth transition with his new club. Richardson’s 79 rushing yards and 16 receiving yards on Monday night represented his best statistical game in Indianapolis. But, even in the 30-27 loss, Richardson fumbled twice.