THE DAILY BRIEFING
| NFC EAST |
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NEW YORK GIANTS
A J. Love is talking a contract extension, but it’s not Packers QB JORDAN LOVE. Pat Leonard of the New York Post:
The Giants and safety Julian Love’s representatives have had conversations about a contract extension. This according to a source.
Love, a 2019 fourth-round pick from Notre Dame, is a captain, an indispensable player in Wink Martindale’s defense, and a pending unrestricted free agent. The safety is in the final year of a four-year, $3.2 million contract.
GM Joe Schoen said on Tuesday that he wants to get any in-season extensions done this week, sometime between then and Sunday.
Love is a key contributor and reliable tackler on defense and special teams. Schoen and Brian Daboll constantly say they are looking for players who are “smart, tough and dependable,” and Love checks all three boxes.
Love leads the Giants defense this season in total tackles (58), solo tackles (37) and interceptions (one). He also has a sack, three tackles for loss, two passes defended, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. |
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PHILADELPHIA
Thursday’s win in Houston meant a lot to QB JALEN HURTS. Michael David Smith ofProFootballTalk.com:
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was born and raised in Houston, and on Thursday night he played there for the first time since high school.
Hurts said after the Eagles beat the Texans that it meant the world to him to play back at home, in front of his parents, in the stadium where he became an NFL fan as a child.
“Any time I get to come back to the city of Houston it’s special. This is the first time I’ve been able to play back home at the professional level,” Hurts said. “I never got the opportunity to do it at the collegiate level. So coming back, playing in the place where I built a lot of memories with my mom and my dad, coming to watch ball in this same stadium. Of all things, it’s a great team win. . . . I’m proud my family got to see that today. I’m proud my dad got to see that and I know it’s special to him because my family knows the memories we’ve had with the Houston Texans.”
Hurts offered a fond childhood memory of attending a Texans practice, where star wide receiver Andre Johnson gave him his cleats. Now it’s Hurts who’s the star player kids look up to.
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The now 8-0 Eagles tried to add an offensive weapon at the trade deadline, but they went elsewhere. Or so says Ralph Vacchiano of FoxSports.com:
What they didn’t do: They didn’t acquire a running back, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. They called about Cleveland’s Kareem Hunt (who wasn’t traded), according to a source, and they were believed to be in on Nyheim Hines — a favorite of coach Nick Sirianni — who was traded from Indianapolis to the Buffalo Bills. It wasn’t immediately clear if they were close to acquiring either player, but they were clearly interested in adding more depth to their running game and, in particular, a running back who could be a force as a receiver out of the backfield.
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Bryan D’Ardo of CBSSports.com on what being 8-0, for the first time in franchise history, could mean for the Eagles.
“We haven’t accomplished anything yet.” Jalen Hurts’ postgame quote following the Eagles’ win over Houston on Thursday night is largely true. The win propelled the Eagles to the franchise’s first 8-0 start, but other than that, Hurts and his teammates have a lot of work ahead of them if they are ultimately join the 2017 Eagles as Super Bowl champions.
That being said, Philadelphia’s win over Houston did put put them in a small category of teams that have started 8-0. Since the start of the Super Bowl era, 29 teams, including the 2022 Eagles, have won at least eight games before losing their first game. Of the 28 previous teams, 15 reached the Super Bowl, with eight of those teams ending the season with the Lombardi Trophy in tow.
Here’s a look at each 8-0 NFL team since the start of the Super Bowl era.
STARTED FINISHED WON SUPER BOWL?
1969 Rams 11-0 11-3 No
1972 Dolphins 14-0 14-0 Yes
1973 Vikings 9-0 12-2 No (lost to Dolphins)
1975 Vikings 10-0 12-2 No
1977 Cowboys 8-0 12-4 Yes
1984 Dolphins 11-0 14-2 No (lost to 49ers)
1985 Bears 12-0 15-1 Yes
1990 49ers 10-0 14-2 No
1990 Giants 10-0 13-3 Yes
1991 Washington 11-0 14-2 Yes
1998 Broncos 13-0 14-2 Yes
2003 Chiefs 9-0 13-3 No
2005 Colts 13-0 14-2 No
2006 Colts 9-1 12-4 Yes
2007 Patriots 16-0 16-0 No (lost to Giants)
2008 Titans 10-0 13-3 No
2009 Colts 14-0 14-2 No (lost to Saints)
2009 Saints 13-0 13-3 Yes
2011 Packers 13-0 15-1 No
2012 Falcons 8-0 13-3 No
2013 Chiefs 9-0 11-5 No
2015 Bengals 8-0 12-4 No
2015 Patriots 10-0 12-4 No
2015 Panthers 14-0 15-1 No (lost to Broncos)
2018 Rams 8-0 13-3 No (lost to Patriots)
2019 49ers 8-0 13-3 No (lost to Chiefs)
2019 Patriots 8-0 12-4 No
2020 Steelers 11-0 12-4 No
2022 Eagles 8-0 ? ?
As you can see, recent teams that managed to start 8-0 haven’t fared well as far as winning the Super Bowl is concerned. The last 11 teams to start 8-0 were not standing at the Super Bowl championship podium at season’s end. The 2019 Patriots and 2020 Steelers didn’t even win a playoff game after their strong starts. The 2018 Rams, 2018 49ers and 2018 Rams made it to the big game before ultimately coming up short.
Injuries have played a significant factor in recent teams coming up short after strong starts. The Eagles’ impressive depth, however, should allow them to handle possible injuries better than some of the other recent teams that faltered after strong starts. Philadelphia recently added to their depth by acquiring former All-Pro pass rusher Robert Quinn before the deadline. Quinn joins an Eagles defense that is currently fourth in the NFL in points allowed. The unit has been led by defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, linebacker Haason Reddick, and defensive backs C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
Philadelphia’s defense has been complemented by an offense that is currently third in the NFL in scoring. The unit has been led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, whose strong start to the season has generated considerable MVP buzz. Hurts added two more touchdown passes to his season tally on Thursday night, A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert were on the receiving end of Hurts’ touchdown passes, while running back Miles Sanders also found the end zone during the Eagles’ most recent win of the season.
While the Phillies were unable to take care of business on Thursday night (losing to Houston in Game 5 of the World Series), the Eagles were able to defeat Houston while keeping their undefeated season alive. The Eagles now have 10 days before their next game, a home date with the Commanders in front of a “Monday Night Football” audience.
“I know it’s special for the city of Philadelphia,” Hurts said of the Eagles’ 8-0 start, via NFL Media. “I mean, I’ve been 8-0 before and lost the national championship. Just take it day by day. Take it day by day. We haven’t accomplished anything yet. It’s a day-by-day thing of us controlling things we can, playing to our standard and trying to grow every day. I think that’s truly what it’s about.” |
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WASHINGTON
First, the Washington Post leads the assault on Daniel Snyder.
Then, a shadowy source enlists a high-profile law firm, Katz Banks, to target Snyder with the aide of Congressional Democrats.
Now this – on the digital pages of People. Charlotte Triggs and Natasha Dye are the two reporters it takes to print a leak:
Jeff Bezos is interested in purchasing the Washington Commanders, a source close to the billionaire tells PEOPLE.
The source says that Bezos, 58, is “looking into buying the Washington Commanders” after current owners Dan and Tanya Snyder announced they were exploring options to sell the NFL team on Wednesday.
Bezos is considering making the purchase “possibly in partnership” with Jay-Z, according to the insider. The rapper previously owned a stake in the Brooklyn Nets.
The Amazon founder’s interest in purchasing an NFL team dates back to 2019 when CBS Sports reported that Bezos had expressed interest in becoming an owner in the league. Sources told the outlet that Bezos “has strong support within the league to eventually join their ranks,” but at the time, no teams were for sale.
Now though, the Commanders could be available. The Snyders appears to be entertaining the idea of selling — or adding a minority owner to — the team after 23 years of ownershi, according to a statement shared with PEOPLE on Wednesday. The Commanders stated that the Snyders “have hired BofA [Bank of America] Securities to consider potential transactions.”
Even though the statement didn’t explicitly state the team was going to sell, as The Wall Street Journal reported, hiring a bank is a common first step in the process.
When asked by PEOPLE what buying options the team was entertaining, a team spokesperson said, “We are exploring all options.”
Dan, 57, and Tanya, 60, have already had at least four phone calls with parties interested in purchasing the team, according to Forbes.
New ownership, under Bezos or otherwise, would save the franchise from a possible “ousting” of the Snyders, who have been under fire several times for accusations of workplace misconduct.
Has one of the NFL’s TV partners ever also owned a team? We remember when CBS, not an MLB partners, owned the Yankees.
And apparently the NFL would love the combo of Jay-Z and Bezos owning the team in the nation’s capital, a lot more than the gauche Snyder. And they have been telling him so. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:
According to Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, multiple owners “have confronted” Snyder privately in recent weeks regarding the question of whether he should cash out and move on. Even more, per the report, have told Commissioner Roger Goodell “that something must give.”
Wednesday’s news came from the “growing consensus” that it’s time.
It’s surprising that Snyder is willing to listen. He had seemed to be determined to refuse to sell, and to embrace the reality that a protracted legal fight would be required to get him to go away. Obviously, something has registered for him in recent days.
There has been speculation that Snyder has a broader strategy in mind, that perhaps he put the team on the market to reduce the pressure that has continuously been mounting for months. The flaw in this thinking is that Wednesday’s move prompted widespread jubilation from Commanders fans regarding the possibility that the franchise will be saved by the prospect of new management.
At this point, it will be incredibly difficult for Snyder to retreat to an all-caps-never refusal to sell. While nothing stops him from changing his mind, it would spark an even stronger outcry from those who have had a chance to envision a not-too-distant future that entails someone/anyone other than Snyder in control of what once was, and what should be, one of the NFL’s flagship franchises.
And so it appears that Snyder’s original investment of $750 million in 1999 will result in $5 billion or more, allowing him to fade into oblivion and enjoy the remainder of his days without being the target of so much animosity, derision, and flat-out hatred.
Thus, while it won’t be over until the paperwork has been signed and the money has been wired, it seems to be moving in that direction. Which is absolutely the right outcome — for everyone except those owners who enjoyed competing for championships without the Commanders ever being a factor. |
| NFC SOUTH |
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NEW ORLEANS
The Saints had allowed 20+ points in each of their first 7 games – then they shut out the Raiders.
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The 2022 season will be another nothing burger for WR MICHAEL THOMAS who was once dominant. This from The Athletic:
Saints receiver Michael Thomas will be placed on injured reserve and is likely out for the rest of the season, coach Dennis Allen told reporters Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:
Allen told reporters Thomas will have surgery to address a dislocated toe.
Thomas has missed the last five games due to the injury.
The two-time All-Pro was looking to bounce back this season after missing all of 2021 with an ankle injury.
Background
Thomas caught 16 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns in the Saints’ first three games. Since setting the NFL record for catches in a single season with 149 in 2019, Thomas has played in just 10 games since. |
| NFC WEST |
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LOS ANGELES RAMS
Has the relationship between RB CAM AKERS and his coaches been repaired? Grant Gordon of NFL.com:
Cam Akers was back on the Los Angeles Rams practice field Thursday as expected and there’s a “real possibility” he could play on Sunday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
It was Akers’ first practice since Week 6, when head coach Sean McVay announced the running back would be out for personal reasons.
The subject of trades talks for weeks, Akers on Thursday clarified to a scrum of reporters he never asked to be traded.
“I never asked to not be a part of the team,” Akers said, via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. “I never asked to not play. I never asked to not practice.”
Akers told reporters he was happy to be back in the fold, but whether he’ll be back on the field Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers remains to be seen, though it’s trending in that direction, per Rapoport.
A Wednesday practice during Week 6 previously stood as Akers’ last practice with the Rams. He missed the next two sessions en route to missing that week’s win against the Carolina Panthers. It was the first of two games Akers has missed, with a bye week separating them.
Not long after McVay’s Oct.14 announcement, Rapoport reported Akers and McVay had “philosophical and football-related differences.” Rapoport also reported the team was expected to field trade calls for Akers, which McVay confirmed they were indeed doing a few days later. |
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SEATTLE
QB GENO SMITH insists to Brady Henderson of ESPN.com that he is not thinking about his much-delayed big payday in 2022.
Geno Smith has been one of the NFL’s biggest surprises of 2022, going from a longtime backup to one of the league’s most productive quarterbacks through eight weeks while leading the Seattle Seahawks to a 5-3 start.
On Thursday, Smith pushed back at the notion that his excellent play has come out of nowhere. His comment to that point was part of a response Smith gave while talking about how his self-belief helped him stay focused while spending most of the previous seven seasons as a backup for the New York Jets, New York Giants, Chargers and Seahawks.
“You’ve got to be on it every single day,” Smith said of the focus it takes to play in the NFL. “A lot of people wish they were in this position and I’m grateful to have worked myself into this position. Also, knowing who I am. I’m very set in who I am and know exactly what I can do. So I never bought into the narrative that’s been out there.
“I didn’t just get this good over the course of one offseason. I think that’s mostly narrative and a lot of that stuff is media driven, but when it comes down to me, people where I’m from know who I am. West Virginia, I just got inducted into the [school’s] hall of fame, so people in college football know who I am. The New York Jets as well, the Giants, the Chargers and Seattle. So people have continued to let me know that if I just keep working hard that things will happen for you, and that’s what I did.”
Smith, 32, wasn’t even considered the clear favorite to win the Seahawks’ offseason quarterback battle after they acquired Drew Lock from the Denver Broncos in the Russell Wilson trade. Yet he ranks fourth in Total QBR at 66.6, which is 23 points higher than his Total QBR in the 46 games he played over his first nine seasons. He leads the league in completion rate (72.7%) and ranks third in touchdown-to-interception ratio at 13-3.
The latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook give Smith the second-best chance to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year, behind Giants running back Saquon Barkley.
“I think it’s just me having a chance to play now,” Smith said. “The attention and all that stuff, I’m not really feeling it. I’ve just been focused on what I’m doing inside this building. But I think it’s more so just people seeing me play. I haven’t played in a bunch of years aside from preseason, and I think people are now getting a chance to see me play in this type of offense with these types of players and I think it’s more so just all of us doing well more than just myself.”
After Smith threw two touchdown passes in Seattle’s win over the Giants last week, coach Pete Carroll called his quarterback “the real deal.”
Smith is only under contract through this season after the Seahawks re-signed him to a one-year, $3.5 million deal that includes another $3.5 million available in incentives. Smith was asked if he thinks about his future beyond 2022.
“I don’t really live my life like that,” he said. “I’m always focused on what I’ve got to do today and tomorrow. Those things will come. Time will tell. Time will tell with all that. But for me, I’ve just got to stay focused on what I’m doing in here and that’s working hard and leading this team and going out there and competing to get wins.” |
| AFC NORTH |
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BALTIMORE
Days after the trade deadline, the Ravens lose their best receiver. But they do have hopefully ageless WR DeSEAN JACKSON on the practice squad. Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com:
Lamar Jackson will be without his No. 1 wide receiver for the rest of the season, putting a major question mark over an already struggling Baltimore Ravens passing attack.
Rashod Bateman, a first-round draft pick from a year ago, will undergo Lysfranc surgery on his left foot and miss the remaining nine games of the regular season, coach John Harbaugh announced Wednesday. Bateman aggravated his foot injury in a 27-22 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 27 and did not play the entire second half.
Known for his big-play ability, Bateman ranked second in the NFL with an average of 19 yards per catch this season.
“It’s one of those where it was up to him,” Harbaugh said. “He and his agent and his family talked it over and they decided it’d be in his best interest to do that. We support him and understand what he’s doing.”
As part of an Instagram post, Bateman called the injury “the darkest times of them all,” while adding he “can’t question Gods plan and what he has for me.”
The loss of Bateman is a significant blow for the first-place Ravens (5-3), whose wide receiver group has been one of the youngest and most unproven in the league. Baltimore’s wide receivers have totaled 790 yards receiving this year, which is the third fewest in the NFL.
Without Bateman, Jackson’s four receivers on the active roster are Devin Duvernay, Demarcus Robinson, Tylan Wallace and James Proche II. Only Robinson (1,819) has produced more than 800 yards receiving in his NFL career.
“It’s a huge loss,” left tackle Ronnie Stanley said. “He’s a dynamic wide receiver. We’re going to miss him — a competitor like that who plays at a high level and threatens the defense. But, at the same time, he knows and we all know that we can’t sulk and we have to move forward.”
The Ravens’ passing attack ranks 26th in the league, averaging 193.8 yards per game. Over his past four games, Jackson has thrown five touchdown passes and has been intercepted four times.
Bateman accounted for three of Baltimore’s five completions over 30 yards. The top free agent wide receiver available is Odell Beckham Jr., who is reportedly looking at a mid-November return after tearing an ACL in Super Bowl LVI.
“We got a lot of great guys in our receiving group,” Jackson said. “I got full 100% confidence in those guys. They’ll make something for us this season.”
Harbaugh said it’s a “good possibility” that 15th-year wide receiver DeSean Jackson will get promoted off the practice squad for Monday night’s game at New Orleans. Jackson was signed by the Ravens on Oct. 19.
“I personally think he’s probably ready,” Harbaugh said.
Jackson has been one of the best deep threats in NFL history. Since joining the NFL in 2008, Jackson has averaged 17.6 yards per reception, which is the highest by any player with at least 100 catches over that span.
“I’ve been in this league a long time and I’ve had a lot of success,” DeSean Jackson said. “If it’s my time, I’ll do what I need to do to help this team win games. That’s all that matters.”
For Bateman, this is another setback early in his career. He missed the first five games of his rookie season after having groin surgery and then was sidelined for two games for a left foot injury this year. Bateman returned for the Oct. 23 game against Cleveland before injuring the foot again the next game.
By the end of the season, the 27th overall pick of the 2021 draft will have missed 16 of 34 games.
“Rashod really wants to be out there and want to have a career,” Harbaugh said. “That’s not going to change. Things happen in life. There are roadblocks. Sometimes, the best way is just to go through it. Before the story is written, he’s going to have his day in the sun.” |
| AFC SOUTH |
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HOUSTON
QB DAVIS MILLS is now is 1-15-1 as a starter against non-Jacksonville teams after last night’s loss to the Eagles. 2-0 vs. Jaguars. The other win was against the Chargers.
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JACKSONVILLE
Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com looks at how WR CALVIN RIDLEY became a Jaguar with a 2023 on-field arrival date:
On Sunday, inactive Atlanta Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson wore a T-shirt on the sidelines with a photo of a then-teammate and three words written on it: “Free Calvin Ridley.”
What happened Tuesday, when the 27-year-old wide receiver was dealt to the Jacksonville Jaguars, was not what Patterson had in mind.
“I wore a shirt and told them, ‘Free him,’” Patterson said Wednesday. “And then we traded him. So it was probably on me. I shouldn’t have worn that shirt.”
Patterson laughed as he said it, because as much as Patterson has influence as a fan favorite in Atlanta, any decisions about Ridley’s future were made by general manager Terry Fontenot and coach Arthur Smith.
Ridley, who hadn’t played since October 2021 when he stepped away from football to work on his mental health, was indefinitely suspended in March for gambling. In exchange for Ridley, the Falcons received a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 conditional draft pick that could range from a fourth-rounder if Ridley makes the team to a second-rounder if he signs a contract extension with the Jaguars.
Ridley being traded by the Falcons did not come as a surprise — perhaps the timing, since it’s unclear when he will be reinstated. Ridley cannot apply to return to the NFL until Feb. 15, 2023. Even before the gambling investigation, the Falcons were looking into moving on.
When the NFL informed the Falcons on Feb. 9 of an investigation into Ridley for gambling, Fontenot said Atlanta was in discussions with teams about potential deals for the wide receiver. Atlanta pulled back from trade discussions and did not begin others to await the conclusion of the investigation.
“We were very transparent with everything throughout the season with the way everything played out,” Fontenot said in March. “We did our best to be supportive of him and his family, and then we get into the offseason, and it was a surprise to all of us when we on Feb. 9 got the call from the league and told us that there was an investigation.”
Ridley’s future with the Falcons had been a question since October 2021, when the receiver chose not to travel with the Falcons to London to play the New York Jets. He returned after the team’s bye and played against the Miami Dolphins, catching four passes for 26 yards and a touchdown.
Ridley made his lone post-London media appearance on Oct. 21, 2021, before the Dolphins game. He said he spent his two-week break resting and being with family, dealing with personal matters.
“I had something going on, had to get it right,” Ridley said. “I don’t think it was going to take too much time.”
Ridley believed it would be a short-term absence and didn’t get into specifics because he wanted to keep his personal life personal. It was part of a tumultuous first half of the 2021 season.
That included Ridley’s home being broken into during the 2021 season-opener against Philadelphia – part of a years-long series of crimes allegedly committed by a gang targeting the homes of famous people around Atlanta. Ridley never addressed the robbery publicly.
In the five games he played for the Falcons in 2021, he never had more than 80 yards in a game. He was targeted by quarterback Matt Ryan often — eight-plus targets each week — and caught five or more passes in every game but his last, against Miami, when he had four.
Ridley returned for the Dolphins game on Oct. 24, 2021, which would be his final game with the Falcons. Seven days later, he left the team.
He was made inactive for the Oct. 31, 2021, game against Carolina. In the fourth quarter, Ridley released a statement saying he was stepping away from football to focus on his mental health.
It was a difficult end for a season that began with so much promise. Ridley, who had 90 catches, 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020, and the Falcons had traded Julio Jones to Tennessee in June 2021 and picked up Ridley’s fifth-year option.
The Falcons continually offered support to Ridley publicly while Smith deflected questions about the receiver’s status throughout the remainder of the 2021 season. But by the offseason, with the Falcons dealing with major salary cap issues, it was clear they were at least listening to potential options about their No. 1 receiver — at least prior to the gambling suspension.
Even Tuesday’s trade had been in consideration for a while. Coach Doug Pederson said the Jaguars had Ridley on a list of potential wide receivers last offseason when they were looking at options to add for second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence. It was the Jaguars who decided to make the move on Ridley, despite the uncertainty around his reinstatement.
“These discussions have been ongoing for a long time and everything we do here, we understand there’s a lot of parties involved in it,” Smith said Wednesday. “A cause and effect in a tough business and always do everything in the best interest of the team and in regards to the players we got.”
The suspension changed the parameters somewhat. It tolled the fifth year of Ridley’s rookie contract from 2022 to 2023 and made the $11.1 million attached to it no longer guaranteed. If he hadn’t been suspended, Ridley’s $11.1 million fifth-year option had been fully guaranteed — and with the Falcons hamstrung by the salary cap, exploring a move with a high-priced player had to be considered, much like the team did with quarterback Matt Ryan, linebacker Deion Jones and Julio Jones during the first two years of the Fontenot-Smith regime.
Ridley may have been more tradeable because the money is no longer fully guaranteed, lessening the risk of acquiring him. Making Drake London the No. 8 pick in the draft and the first receiver off the board also signaled the Falcons were preparing for a post-Ridley future.
“This wasn’t something that happened at the trade deadline,” Smith said. “It was a long process. So leave it at that.”
Patterson spoke with Ridley prior to the trade and let him know he had his support. He wasn’t alone.
“It was bittersweet,” tight end Kyle Pitts said. “Because obviously I love the guy. Taught me a lot my first year.”
Ridley was voted a captain in 2021 for the first time in his career. To Ridley, it showed “that I’m doing something right.”
“He meant a lot,” Pitts said. “Everybody loved him. And I’m sure he’s going to go down to Jacksonville and do the same, because he’s just a great person and that’s just off the field.
“On the field he’s an even better mentor so he’s a great guy and wish the best for him.”
While his teammates wanted Ridley to stick around, there was also the understanding a fresh start might be best for all parties. To Pitts, Ridley’s reaction seemed like “a sigh of relief.”
Atlanta drafted London in the first round, the second straight season they used a top-10 pick on a pass-catcher. London leads the team in targets (49), receptions (30) and receiving yards (346) in an offense heavily focused on the run game, which ranks fourth in the NFL.
So all along, it appeared as if the Falcons were preparing for a post-Ridley future — one that now has more clarity both off the field and on it. |
| AFC EAST |
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NEW YORK JETS
“Aggressively smart” is the new mantra for QB ZACH WILSON after a disaster vs. New England. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:
The Jets saw their four-game winning streak come to an end against the Patriots last Sunday and three interceptions by quarterback Zach Wilson played a big role in the loss.
Wilson had not thrown a pick in the previous three games, but his run of clean play ended in a flurry of ill-advised throws while under pressure from the New England defense. On Thursday, Wilson spoke to reporters and said that he “can’t be forcing the ball like that” as he tries to find the right balance between risk and living to fight another day.
“The difficulty is being aggressively smart,” Wilson said, via Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. “I had some plays in that last game that just weren’t smart and I’ve got to take those out. Sometimes, interceptions are going to happen when the defense makes a good play, and you can live with those ones. But I’ve got to be better on some of the other ones. The mindset is you’ve got to be aggressive. I feel like we’ve done that, but it’s how can we clean up some of the mistakes?”
That question is one the Jets have been asking since Wilson joined the team as the second overall pick last year and they’ll need Wilson to provide the right answers during the second half of the season if their 5-3 start is going to lead to them staying in playoff contention down the stretch.
He will be without WR COREY DAVIS on Sunday. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com:
New York Jets wide receiver Corey Davis will sit out with a knee injury for the second consecutive week, leaving quarterback Zach Wilson without one of his top targets against the NFL’s top-ranked scoring defense.
Wilson, who faces the Buffalo Bills (6-1) on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, is coming off one of the worst games of his career — he threw three interceptions in a loss to the New England Patriots. Once again, he will have Denzel Mims in Davis’ role as one of the outside receivers.
“It’s going to be a great challenge for us,” Wilson said of the Bills. “I’m really excited for it. I think we can do some good stuff against them.”
The Bills haven’t allowed more than 21 points in any games, and they’ve held the Jets (5-3) to 17 or fewer points in six straight meetings.
Without Davis, the Jets are expected to start Mims and rookie Garrett Wilson on the outside. Last week, Wilson replaced Elijah Moore, who played only 10 snaps after being deactivated the previous week following his trade request. Moore’s role is unclear, but he could see time in the slot.
Garrett Wilson responded with his best game of the season — six catches for 115 yards. Mims, a healthy scratch for the first six games, seems to have played his way into a permanent role. He has three catches for 80 yards in two games. |
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THIS AND THAT |
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RAY GUY
Sad news from Mississippi:
Ray Guy, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Raiders and the first punter to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died Thursday. He was 72.
Southern Mississippi, where Guy starred before becoming the first punter ever taken in the first round of the NFL draft, said he died following a lengthy illness. He had been receiving care in a Hattiesburg-area hospice.
Guy was drafted 23rd overall by Al Davis’ Raiders in 1973 and played his entire 14-year career with the team in Oakland and Los Angeles. He was a three-time All-Pro selection.
In 2014, Guy became the first player to make be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame exclusively for his punting. The seven-time Pro Bowl selection was selected to the NFL’s 100th anniversary team and the all-decade team of the 1970s.
“Ray Guy was a football player who punted,” the late John Madden said in 2014 before he presented Guy for induction into the Hall of Fame.
A native of Thomson, Georgia, Guy is also a member of the College Football Football Hall of Fame and the National High School Sports Hall of Fame.
At Southern Mississippi, Guy also played defensive back, He still shares the school single-season record for most interceptions with eight in 1972 and his 61-yard field goal at Utah State set an NCAA record at the time.
In 2015, Southern Miss renamed the street outside The Duff Athletic Center on its campus “Ray Guy Way.”
Guy ended his NFL career in 1986 with a streak of 619 punts without having one blocked. But it took nearly three decades for him to be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He was a finalist for induction seven times starting in 1992 without being voted in and didn’t even make it that far on other occasions.
“That kind of bothered me because they were saying that’s not a position, it doesn’t take an athlete to do that, it’s not important,” Guy said before his Hall of Fame induction in 2014. “That’s what really got under my skin. It wasn’t so much whether I did or didn’t. I wish somebody had. It was just knowing that they didn’t care. That’s what kind of frosted me a little bit.”
Guy in many ways revolutionized the position.
His kicks went so high that one that hit the Superdome scoreboard 90 feet above the field in a Pro Bowl helped put “hang time” into the football vernacular. His ability to pin the opponent deep with either high kicks or well-positioned ones was a key part of the success for the great Raiders teams of the 1970s and ’80s.
“It was something that was given to me. I don’t know how,” he said. “I’m really blessed in that category. It’s something I really appreciate and I advanced it and I made it into something great.”
Guy’s statistics look somewhat pedestrian compared to today’s punters. His career average of 42.4 yards per kick ranks 61st all time and his net average of 32.2 yards (excluding his first three seasons when the statistic wasn’t kept by the NFL) isn’t even in the top 100.
Yet, he still is considered by many as the best to ever play the position.
He kicked a 61-yard FG! |
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SAM SHIELDS
Former CB Sam Shields is not happy with his current state of mental acuity. Isabel Gonzalez of CBSSports.com:
Former NFL cornerback Sam Shields played in the league for nearly a decade, became a Pro Bowler and even earned a Super Bowl ring with the Green Bay Packers in 2010. However, when asked if he would do the whole thing over again, Shields said he wouldn’t.
“I’d be going to school, trying to work for home improvement,” Shields said in a recent interview with Dan Le Batard on the “South Beach Sessions” podcast. “I’d be trying to learn how to build a house.”
Shields said he felt “blessed” to have had the opportunity to be in the NFL, but he added he “went through it” and felt that there was not enough support for him. He described his head as being “all mushed together with the concussions.”
During his time in the NFL, Shields suffered at least five documented concussions. Between 2016 and 2017, he missed almost 14 months because of concussion symptoms. He was released by the Packers in 2017.
Shields gave the NFL one more try, signing with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018 and making another trip to the Super Bowl. In February 2019, Shields said in an interview for the Rams that he was “feeling like myself again” and desired to “keep going some more.”
But it seems like he doesn’t mean that anymore. The Le Batard interview was not the first time Shields opened up about his struggles with concussions. In October 2018, Shields wrote about his experience in the Players’ Tribune.
“The Tylenol wasn’t doing shit,” he wrote. “It was three o’clock in the morning on some night in January 2017. I forget which one. I’d had a lot of bad nights around that time, but this one was the worst. I couldn’t sleep. It felt like my brain was cramping, or like it was trying to break out of my skull or something. I was rolling around in my bed, whipping my body back and forth, trying to escape the pounding inside my head.
“Next thing I know, I’m curled up in the fetal position, shaking and crying.”
Shields said that before that night, he spent the previous couple of months living in darkness and silence in his house in Sarasota, Fla. The curtains needed to be closed because he couldn’t handle the sunlight. TV, his phone and music were also out of the question.
Shields was honest with Le Batard and said the hardest thing about leaving football for good was feeling like he’d be forgotten.
“When you’re done with football, everybody forgets about you. Family, friends. I got one friend. In football, I had 10,” Shields said. Now I got one where I know that that’s my friend. That I could really say, ‘You’re my friend.’ I don’t even talk to most of my family members. Once football was over, everybody was over with me.”
Earlier this season, the NFL changed its concussion protocol after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a scary head injury against the Cincinnati Bengals. |
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