Hurricane season runs through late November, so it’s expected that a few NFL games will be affected by bad weather. While the United States is currently not in the path of any major hurricane, a cyclone-turned-tropical storm could affect a few NFL games in Week 3.

An area of low pressure the National Hurricane Center is calling “Potential Tropical Cyclone Sixteen” is creeping up the Eastern Seabord, and the NHC is actually forecasting this to become a tropical or subtropical storm on Friday, per Weather.com.

As this system moves north, it’s expected to reach Maryland by Saturday. That means wind and rain could potentially affect three games: Buffalo Bills at Washington Commanders, Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots at New York Jets in East Rutherford, NJ.

Weather.com‘s forecast says both Baltimore and New York could receive 2-3 inches of rain. Tropical storm warnings have been issued from South Carolina into eastern Maryland. Weather.com reports the storm’s largest impact will come Friday and Saturday, with what they describe as lingering impacts possible on Sunday.

– – –

SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles might not be a 2026 World Cup host sight after all. And it might not be the only NFL venue balking at FIFA’s demands. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

SoFi Stadium will be hosting World Cup matches in 2026. Unless it won’t.

According to Adam Crafton of TheAthletic.com, a dispute has emerged between stadium owner (also Rams owner) Stan Kroenke and FIFA regarding the terms of the deal. The fight arises from how the money will be shared, and where the money will come from.

Per the report, Kroenke is willing to walk away, absent a renegotiation of the deal.

Well, at least that won’t require Kroenke to put a grass field (technically, hybrid) into SoFi Stadium at a time when the players on his football team play on turf.

Per the report, FIFA is generally surprised by the “tenacity” of American cities and stadiums during the discussions over hosting, given the manner in which Qatar bent over backward to placate the powers-that-be for the 2022 World Cup.

That really shouldn’t be a surprise. Qatar craved the legitimacy that hosting a World Cup would create. The United States doesn’t need that. If anything, FIFA needs the U.S. market to more fully embrace the global sport.

The World Cup is to be spread among venues in the US, Canada and Mexico.  Eleven US sites were announced – all NFL host venues.

DALLAS

Everything was going swimmingly for the Cowboys thru two weeks, then they lost CB TREVON DIGGS for the season at practice on Thursday.  Callie Lawson-Freeman of YahooSports.com:

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs tore his ACL during Thursday’s practice and will be out for the rest of this season, the team confirmed in a statement Thursday.

He sustained the injury during 1-on-1 drills, according to multiple reports.

The news comes after the All-Pro corner was seen on crutches following practice and underwent an MRI.

When quarterback Dak Prescott was asked for updates, the team was still awaiting Diggs’ results.

“Some of you saw him leaving the field so prayers for him; simple as that,” Prescott told reporters Thursday.

Diggs and the Cowboys reportedly agreed to a five-year, $97 million contract extension in July. The deal, which could be worth up to $104 million, was structured to keep him in Dallas through the 2028 season.

He turned 25 Wednesday and snagged his first interception of the season in the Cowboys’ Week 2 win over the New York Jets last weekend. In a defense that has allowed just 10 points over its 2-0 start, Diggs was expected to play a continued key role. Over the first two games, he contributed to three of the team’s seven defensive takeaways, adding a forced fumble, three passes defended and four tackles.

The team believed Stephon Gilmore and Diggs were primed to become the NFL’s best cornerback duo, and now will go without half of that pair. Gilmore, who Dallas traded for this spring, was mentoring Diggs on everything from diet to keys to longevity in the league. Diggs was poised to take that advice en route to his big goals for the season, including making it to the Super Bowl and joining teammate Micah Parsons as awardees at NFL Honors.

NEW YORK GIANTS

RB SAQUON BARKLEY did not play Thursday night and he has provided an update.  Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com:

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley said Thursday he does indeed have a high ankle sprain.

Barkley, who revealed the injury in an interview with Amazon, was hurt in Sunday’s 31-28 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. It was initially believed to be an ordinary sprain, but Barkley clarified the injury before Thursday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, saying it was a high ankle sprain while adding it was not as severe as it could have been.

A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter this week that Barkley was expected to miss three weeks.

Not playing Thursday night was more of a pain management issue. Giants coach Brian Daboll said earlier in the week Barkley had made “considerable progress” and was a fast healer.

Barkley told Amazon he will benefit from the 11 days between Thursday night and the Giants’ Week 4 game against the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 2.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Barkley had 29 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown in the first two games of the season. He also had nine catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.

PHILADELPHIA

Although it looked personal, WR A.J. BROWN says his sideline animation last Thursday was not animosity towards QB JALEN HURTS.  Tim McManus of ESPN.com:

Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown acknowledged his “emotions were high” during last week’s victory against the Minnesota Vikings but said his animated sideline interaction with Jalen Hurts was not indicative of an issue between himself and his quarterback.

“The little sideline discussion, I want you all to know that’s what it was — it was a discussion,” Brown said at his locker stall Thursday afternoon. “This is a game that we both love, and I want everybody to understand that sometimes emotions run high. That doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. That doesn’t mean I’m beefing with Jalen.”

Television cameras showed an exchange between Brown and Hurts at the start of the fourth quarter. Coach Nick Sirianni interjected and had a word with Brown as Hurts walked away.

Hurts proceeded to target Brown three times on the following series, including on a 25-yard touchdown pass that was nullified by a penalty.

Multiple teammates suggested afterward that the root of Brown’s frustration was wanting to be more involved in the offense. Brown, though, said the conversation wasn’t about targets but instead about something that happened earlier in the game.

“I know everybody took that out of context, but it’s not a big deal, me and him are still on the same page, we’re still growing, we’re still trying to become great and get wins most importantly,” Brown said.

Brown, who finished with four catches for 29 yards, exited the stadium following the Eagles’ 34-28 win without speaking to the media.

“The reason I left after the game is because my emotion was high, so I had to remove myself. Because I know [the media] wants a story and you all are doing your job … but I just had to clear my mind before [talking],” he said.

Brown is sharing targets with another top-end receiver in DeVonta Smith, who led the team against Minnesota with four catches for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Smith has 11 receptions on 15 targets for 178 yards and two touchdowns on the season. Brown has 11 catches on 16 targets for 108 yards. Together, they represent 79% of the Eagles receiving yards, 59% of the targets and 55% of the receptions — the highest percentage of a team’s receiving yards by a duo this season.

“Y’all talked about it and made it a big deal when it wasn’t,” said Hurts of his interaction with Brown, whom he considers one of his closest friends. “That’s always going to be my guy. We’re all great competitors and we all want to help the team win. Nothing’s going to change with that and he’s going to continue to put his best foot forward to help the team.”

CAROLINA

Carolina won last year in Seattle.  Does the news that QB ANDY DALTON is likely to start Sunday increase or decrease their chances of repeating?  David Newton ofESPN.com:

The Carolina Panthers are expected to be without quarterback Bryce Young for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks after the top pick of the 2023 draft missed his second straight practice Thursday with an ankle injury, the team said Thursday.

Veteran Andy Dalton took all the first-team snaps both days.

“For me, obviously — absolutely,” Dalton said of enjoying being back in the spotlight again. “It’s always nice because I have had a certain way of operating in my career, and when you go from starting to being the backup, that is one of the things that you miss.

“When you get a chance to take ownership of what you’re doing, and to know how you want it to look and how you want it to feel and see it executed, that is what makes football fun.”

Young injured the ankle during Monday night’s 20-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Panthers are 0-2; every other team in the NFC South is 2-0.

Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown said Young’s injury happened in the first half, but added the injury did not affect the quarterback’s performance.

Brown said there’s been no discussion about whether giving Young a break would be beneficial for the rookie.

Young ranks 27th in the league in ESPN’s Total QBR (35.5) and 31st in passer rating (66.6). He has led only two touchdown drives — only one over the first 7½ quarters — and has three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble).

Dalton made it clear Young hasn’t been the reason the offense has struggled the first two games.

“I don’t feel like it has been one thing that has caused it,” Dalton said. “I feel like it has been different things every single time. Different guys taking turns on missed assignments or the execution just hasn’t been there.”

Dalton has had success at Seattle before. During his rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals, he completed 18 of 29 pass attempts for 168 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-12 victory. He also was 35-for-51 for 418 yards and two touchdowns during a 21-20 loss to the Seahawks in 2019.

“He’s still got it,” center Bradley Bozeman said. “He has been rocking and rolling this whole time and that is why he is here. He’s a great leader and no matter who is in at quarterback, whether it is him or Bryce, they are going to be ready.”

Dalton has a career record of 83-77-2 as a starter for Cincinnati, Dallas, Chicago and New Orleans. He was 6-8 last season for the Saints, then signed a two-year, $10 million deal with Carolina in the offseason.

Asked how he could help an offense tied for last in the NFL in scoring with 13.5 points per game, Dalton said he’ll just be himself.

“Pushing guys, pushing the tempo and everything we need to do to give ourselves a chance,” he said. “At end of the day, we’ve hurt ourselves. We’ve had opportunity to kind of change the outcome, but we had some turnovers that hurt us and different things.

“For me, I’m just going out there and trying to be as efficient as I can.”

The DB was surprised to see that Dalton was a top 10 passer last year – if you’re measure is passer rating.  He turned in a 95.2 rating.

SAN FRANCISCO

The Giants decided to confound QB BROCK PURDY with blitzes.  It didn’t go according to plan per an impressed Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy turned in another outstanding game on Thursday night, shredding the Giants’ blitz repeatedly.

Purdy dropped back to pass 39 times and the Giants blitzed him on 33 of those, a blitz rate of 84.6 percent, according to Next Gen Stats. As far back as Next Gen Stats has data, that’s the most that any defense has ever blitzed in any game.

Purdy made them pay, completing 20 of 31 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in the 49ers’ 30-12 win.

“When they’re blitzing, we can capitalize on offense with some big plays, and we had some stuff dialed up for what we were going to do when they did blitz,” Purdy said after the game, via Newsday.

Still, Purdy wasn’t celebrating too much after the 49ers improved to 3-0.

“I don’t want to get caught up in stats and stuff,” Purdy said. “There’s some throws out there that I missed.”

Purdy will keep improving, but he’s already one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

– – –

Should the officials have thrown out T TRENT WILLIAMS for “punching” a Giant last night?  To the dismay of Giants coach Brian Daboll the answer was no, and interestingly it sounds like the decision was made in New York in real time.

Just before halftime of Thursday night’s game between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants, Niners left tackle Trent Williams appeared to throw a right-handed punch to the facemask of Giants defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson.

The scuffle between Williams and Robinson drew penalty flags for unnecessary roughness on both players, forcing Niners quarterback Brock Purdy to kneel again to end the half. But given the punch, the Giants appeared to wonder why Williams wasn’t ejected.

NFL senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson spoke to a pool reporter after San Francisco’s 30-12 win, noting that his crew reviewed the play using available video to see if any further action needed to be taken.

“We ended up looking at the video we had available to us, and we just didn’t see anything that rose to the level of flagrant,” Anderson said. “Which is the standard that we have to apply to disqualify the player.”

Anderson went on to explain that to determine how flagrant a punch is, officials look at whether it was done with a closed fist, an open-hand slap or a stiff-arm to the face. According to Anderson, a closed fist punch “carries a different weight to it.”

While Williams appeared to throw a closed-fist punch at Robinson, Anderson said the officials didn’t see a replay angle that gave them conclusive evidence that he did.

“We couldn’t confirm that 100 percent from the standpoint of was it truly a closed fist with a strike,” Anderson said. “We just couldn’t determine that.”

The play took place with about 13 seconds remaining in the second quarter. San Francisco was kneeling to end the half when Niners left guard Aaron Banks shoved Robinson away. Robinson immediately got in Williams’ face, and the two began arguing.

“Just mixing it up,” Williams said. “A lot of tempers flaring out there, it’s a competitive game and sometimes things boil over a little bit.”

Robinson was asked about the incident after the game but declined to offer his side, mostly responding with, “I don’t know.”

Williams and Robinson have played against each other multiple times over the past three years when Robinson was playing for the Los Angeles Rams. Williams added that he didn’t expect to be fined for hitting Robinson.

“I don’t think so,” Williams said. “It was a love tap. It wasn’t that hard.”

If they were looking for a “closed fist punch” the replay sure seems to show one, right to the face mask (ouch).

KANSAS CITY

Andy Reid’s inexorable march to the Pro Football Hall of Fame continues.  He is likely to go past Tom Landry on the all-time wins list on Sunday.

Andy Reid will go for his 271st coaching win when his Chiefs face the Bears on Sunday, which would move him all alone into fourth place in NFL history.

Reid is currently tied with Tom Landry, who won 270 games (250 regular season and 20 postseason) during his Hall of Fame tenure with the Cowboys. Reid won 130 regular season and 10 postseason games with the Eagles and has now won 118 regular season and 12 postseason games with the Chiefs.

When Reid gets win No. 271, he’ll be behind only Don Shula with 347, Bill Belichick with 329 and George Halas with 324 wins in NFL history.

The 65-year-old Reid has given no indication that he’s thinking about retiring, so it’s easy to see him coaching another five years or so. Since getting Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback, Reid has averaged 15.6 wins a year (counting the postseason), and at that pace it would take him right around another five years to surpass Shula’s all-time record.

Of course, it’s possible that the 71-year-old Belichick will break Shula’s record before Reid can get there. But given that Reid is six years younger than Belichick and has Mahomes on a long-term contract, no one should be surprised if some day, it’s Reid who owns the all-time record for most coaching wins.

– – –

A tribute to QB BLAINE GABBERT from the great Dan Pompei of The Athletic.  Edited some for space:

“Super fun,” Gabbert says. “Super fun for me to be out there and for me to be in that room. This great game gives us a lot of happiness.”

Others who have traveled similar paths did not feel what Gabbert feels. They felt bitterness, anger and disillusionment. Some wanted to cut ties and start a new life in anonymity.

The first pass Gabbert ever threw in organized football was a touchdown. He was a fifth grader in Ballwin, Mo., playing on Parkway West’s sixth-grade team.

He killed it in high school, and Rivals ranked him the No. 1 quarterback in the country, ahead of Andrew Luck. He could have gone to almost any college. He chose Missouri, where he led an upset of No. 1 Oklahoma in 2010.

NFL teams saw a quarterback who was big (6-foot-4, 234 pounds), athletic, fast (he ran a 4.66 40-yard dash) and smart (he scored a 42 on the Wonderlic), who could throw a football through drywall. Analysts called him the potential first pick in the 2011 draft. Many scouts rated him ahead of Cam Newton, who was chosen first.

“The pieces for long-term success are there,” one general manager said before the draft.

Gabbert was chosen 10th. Six years later, Mahomes was chosen 10th.

In an alternate universe, Gabbert would have walked into a situation like Mahomes did, and Gabbert’s career would have played out in another manner altogether.

In this universe, he’s a 33-year-old with 13 career wins as a starter.

He has been a backup to Luke McCown, Chad Henne, Colin Kaepernick, Carson Palmer, Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, Tom Brady and now Mahomes.

So where does Blaine Gabbert get off having so much fun?

– – –

At 22, Gabbert became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to start 14 games. He lost 11 of them. His passer rating of 65.4 was the worst in the league. On one December day, Del Rio was fired and Wayne Weaver sold the team.

“Yeah, it was a sh– show to be completely honest,” Gabbert says charitably.

It didn’t get much better in subsequent seasons. Six games into Year 2, he tore the labrum in his non-throwing left shoulder. Gabbert tried to play for four games before acquiescing to season-ending surgery.

By early October of his third season, he had a broken thumb, a lacerated hand that required 15 stitches and a hamstring injury. Gabbert was benched and didn’t play the final 11 games. He endured four head coaches in three years in Jacksonville, then was traded to San Francisco for a sixth-round pick.

In his second season with the 49ers, Gabbert was given the starting job by coach Jim Tomsula after Kaepernick slumped. There were scrapbook memories from that season, including a 26-20 victory against the Chicago Bears in which Gabbert ran for a 44-yard touchdown with 1:42 remaining and threw a 71-yard touchdown pass in overtime to win the game.

The following year, coach Chip Kelly named Gabbert the opening-day starter but benched him after a 1-4 start. From there, it was one year with the Arizona Cardinals and another with the Tennessee Titans.

By the time he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019, Gabbert had played in eight offenses in eight seasons. His beginnings in Tampa were promising, but a dislocated shoulder in a preseason game necessitated surgery and prevented him from playing that season. Of all the low points in Gabbert’s career, that was the lowest.

Gabbert has done much to make his father, Chuck, proud. He has become the kind of husband to Behkah and father to Leyton that Chuck hoped he would be.

Last December, Blaine and his brothers, Tyler and Brett, were riding two jet skis about a mile off the south end of Davis Island in Tampa, where Blaine lives, when he heard something that sounded like a pop in the distance. He saw the rotor of a helicopter sticking out of the water.

They motored to the area where they came upon an oil slick and hydraulic fluid in the water and four people — the pilot, a father, a mother and their son — covered in oil, shivering and trying to stay afloat.

Some would have feared an explosion — reasonably so — and turned around. Blaine and his brothers motored to the crash scene, helped the survivors onto their jet skis and probably saved their lives.

Chuck is proud of Blaine, Brett and Tyler for the way they responded. But he’s also proud — really proud — of Blaine’s resolve and the way he has built a career from the ashes.

“He’s always approached things positively and given it 110 percent,” Chuck says. “It’s how he’s persevered through the good times and challenging times.”

For every Alex Smith who stumbles out of the gate but eventually finds his stride, 10 first-round quarterbacks fall and never get up — players such as Jake Locker, Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell, Rick Mirer, Joey Harrington, Tim Couch, Cade McNown, Matt Leinart, Josh Freeman and Johnny Manziel.

The NFL had told Gabbert repeatedly he wasn’t as good as he was supposed to be.

He should have believed it.

He should have lost the sometimes unreasonable self-assurance that convinces quarterback heroes to zip laser passes into tight windows with games, seasons, contracts and careers on the line.

He should have been scarred.

Back to that rookie year — that awful rookie year, that vital rookie year.

Gabbert is the starter, but McCown isn’t coasting.

In the Jaguars’ weight room, Gabbert takes a medicine ball between his legs, then throws it behind him and over his head against a wall. Then McCown does it. It’s a “Granny Toss” competition to see who can throw the ball higher.

Then, on the field, they compete in an accuracy contest to make throws through a target with a net attached to it from different spots on the field.

Finally, they race from sideline to sideline.

McCown was competing with Gabbert because it was enjoyable. But he also wanted to show him how a backup could maintain his edge.

McCown worked and prepared as if he were the starter even though he wasn’t.

“Luke showed me early on you can never really let your mind slip into the mentality of, ‘I’m just a backup and that’s all my role is,’” Gabbert says.

– – –

McCown helped prepare Gabbert for the rough waters to come, making him understand it’s easier to swim with the tide even if you prefer to go in another direction.

“Luke told me that year that if you play this game long enough, you’re going to be cut, traded, released, put on IR,” Gabbert says. “Things will happen you wish didn’t happen. But it’s how you keep pushing forward and maintain confidence in yourself. That’s how you get through those tough times.”

One day, Gabbert may tell his grandchildren about sharing a meeting room with Mahomes and Brady. And he also will tell them about McCown because no teammate was more critical to his development, really to his career.

Through McCown, Gabbert came to understand the art of the backup.

The backup, McCown taught Gabbert, must live in the space between confidence and humility, between competitiveness and acceptance, between contribution and sacrifice.

The bookend to Gabbert’s quarterback education came in Tampa. It’s where, with help from Brady, everything Gabbert had learned from McCown was reinforced and validated.

Brady was on a plane above everyone, but two days before every game, Gabbert had a chance to prove what he was about in competitions that were “epic,” according to then-Bucs quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen. They started with tests of accuracy, in which Christensen graded every throw. There would be a bonus round, maybe throws at a blocking dummy on a golf cart flashing across the back of the end zone.

The weekly winner took possession of a gaudy red belt with the inscription “Top Gun Champion” and featured a photo of Tom Cruise.

Gabbert often got the better of Brady, who was well into his 40s by then. The younger pushed the older in agility and speed drills as well.

And then there were meetings and tape sessions.

“What do you think of this play’s chances?” Gabbert would ask him.

“Why don’t you like this?”

“Why is this better?”

“What is our plan if this happens?”

Gabbert was helping Brady. And there is no question Brady was helping Gabbert.

Brady, more than any other quarterback Gabbert had known, prepared purposefully. From watching and listening to him, Gabbert learned to do everything on the practice field with intention, discipline and detail.

When Brady was about 31 — the same age Gabbert was when they were together — he altered his training methods with an eye on preservation. Through long conversations and demonstrations, he shared his approach, which Gabbert adopted. Now Gabbert is a disciple of TB12, wholly bought into the body work, massages, pliability and muscle activation that helped Brady go longer better than anyone ever.

Brady worked and worked, and Gabbert was by his side almost always, absorbing and elevating. Their time together was mostly about football, but there was more — they hit the golf course, the beach and a pool. Gabbert says he spent more time with Brady over three years than anyone else, including his wife, and still considers Brady his dear friend.

The high point of all these NFL years for Gabbert was winning Super Bowl LV as Brady’s backup and knowing he played a role. Before the Bucs began practicing for the Chiefs, Gabbert, Brady and practice squad quarterback Ryan Griffin watched tape at Brady’s and came up with plays to recommend to the coaches.

What they suggested was implemented, and what was implemented worked.

The chemistry between Brady — the sixth-round pick who exceeded expectations — and Gabbert — the 10th pick of the draft who failed to meet expectations — was sublime.

It wasn’t because Gabbert was resigned. It was because he was determined.

“You know, I think Blaine Gabbert believes that if somehow he had to play 17 games this year, they’d still win the Super Bowl,” Christensen says. “He would have that kind of confidence. And he should. I think he could have been a really good starter in the league. He has that kind of talent. He’s athletic, as tough as could be, and he works.”

The result is what Christensen calls an “elite” backup. And an elite backup, he will tell you, is rare.

“Sometimes you get a backup and he doesn’t get it,” says Christensen, who has coached offense for the better part of 43 years. “He talks too much. He talks at the wrong time. He says the wrong thing. He doesn’t know when to just be quiet and let things be. You know, you can get a backup who’s undercutting everything. Blaine has a feel.”

What Gabbert did on his jet ski last December was selfless. What he did for the Bucs was selfless.

Reid recognized an elite backup when he saw one.

In the offseason, Reid identified the free agent as the ideal successor to the retiring Chad Henne.

The Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Las Vegas Raiders also expressed interest. The Chiefs, money aside, had more to offer — one of the NFL’s most talented rosters, proximity to family and the opportunity to work with a coach and quarterback well on their way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Gabbert has lasting affection for many of his head coaches, especially Mike Mularkey, Jim Harbaugh, Tomsula, Bruce Arians, Mike Vrabel and Todd Bowles.

And now there is Reid. He has been impressed with Reid’s warmth and style, to say nothing of his resume.

“He loves the input from the quarterback,” Gabbert says of his 10th NFL head coach. “He lets you play free, lets you play your game. And that’s ultimately what quarterbacks love. He’s just a rock star.”

Mahomes reminds him of Brady because both are meticulous about how they want plays run.

“There are a lot of similarities between him and Tom when you’re dealing with the timing of man breaks, route depths, where he wants guys to be in certain coverages, things like that,” Gabbert says.

Mahomes asks him questions about what Brady thought or what he would have done in certain circumstances. Chiefs teammates treat Gabbert with reverence and call him “O.G.” as in Original Gangster. He is recognized now as someone who has lived many quarterback lifetimes.

It is a new role for him, big brother instead of little.

Gabbert might have had better opportunities to play if he had signed with other teams. But in Kansas City, he has an opportunity to enhance Mahomes.

He doesn’t need this — doesn’t need the pressure of running onto the field to replace an injured starter in a desperate moment as hope drains from a sideline, doesn’t need the stress of watching a hungry, no-name quarterback cheered as he attempts to take his job, doesn’t need to be playing in the third quarter of a preseason game, doesn’t need to risk his mobility and his mind.

In addition to a Super Bowl ring, Gabbert has earned nearly $30 million in his career. A house on the water and a life without clocks is waiting.

But there is this. “I love the game of football,” Gabbert says.

Maybe a completely different story would have been written if Gabbert had been drafted by a model organization with a Hall of Fame head coach and a lineup filled with playmakers.

Maybe he would have turned patience and stability into touchdowns and playoff wins.

The well-meaning will often ask if he’s disappointed by how his career has gone.

“That’s almost an insult,” he says. “I’m going into Year 13 in the National Football League. I think that’s pretty f—— awesome. There have been a lot of ups and downs and arounds, and I don’t think some people would have persevered the way I did. There always are things you wish you could have changed. But I sleep damn well at night knowing I tried to put my best foot forward every day. And you know, everything happens for a reason. If things didn’t happen the way they did, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Gabbert is in Kansas City.

He’s an elite backup and the O.G.

And he’s having a blast.

LAS VEGAS

WR JAKOBI MYERS seems to have recovered from a cheap shot.  Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com:

Las Vegas Raiders receiver Jakobi Meyers said he harbors no ill will toward Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson, whose head shot in the season opener knocked him out of the game, put him in concussion protocol and forced him to miss last weekend’s road loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Meyers told ESPN on Thursday that he doesn’t remember the hit. He’s since cleared concussion protocol, was a full participant in practice Thursday for the first time since the hit and is on track to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Raiders’ home opener at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday night.

“I mean, I understand the game I signed up for,” said Meyers, who acknowledged he did not travel with the team to West Virginia for practices last week or Buffalo as he remained in Las Vegas to get healthy.

“So we try and go out there and make plays. We’ve got to protect ourselves at all times and do what we can best.”

Meyers called being in the protocol more “boring” than hard.

“You’re just kind of waiting,” he said. “You feel like you can go out there and make plays, but you know you’re not quite ready. So just trying to be patient, and just wait until I knew I was all the way healed or wait until I knew I was ready to go out there and play again.”

Meyers signed a three-year, $33 million free agent contract with Las Vegas this offseason. In his debut against the Broncos, he had a game-high nine catches for 81 yards with two touchdowns — the first multi-TD catch game of his five-year career.

It was on his final catch, though, a 7-yard pickup on third-and-8 at midfield, when he slipped on the wet grass and was hit in the head by Jackson, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness and later fined $14,819 by the league. The 15-yard penalty gave the Raiders a first down and allowed them to run out the clock for the 17-16 victory.

“That was fun, it was fun for sure,” Meyers said of his 3- and 6-yard TD catches that gave the Raiders 7-0 and 17-16 leads with the PATs, respectively.

“Definitely because of the timing of them. I felt like they really helped the team at the point that they came. So, it was just fun, man. I enjoyed that.”

PITTSBURGH

Steeler MINKAH FITZPATRICK says going low into the knee of RB NICK CHUBB wasn’t dirty, but necessary:

Speaking for the first time since his tackle of Nick Chubb resulted in a season-ending knee injury for the Cleveland Browns running back, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick emphasized there was no “ill will” behind the play.

Fitzpatrick also said he told Chubb after the play that it “wasn’t intentional.”

“I’m a guy that is a competitor, that’s going to go out there and play the game,” Fitzpatrick said Thursday. “I’m chippy, I’m edgy, of course, but I’m not a dirty player.

“I’m not going to sit here and defend my character. I know the type of player I am. Chubb knows the type of player I am. I played against him for the past five years, two times a year.

“And I love competing against him. He brings the best out of me, and I bring the best out of him. No chance that I would ever try and purposely injure somebody, always. It was an unfortunate event.”

Fitzpatrick came in to assist inside linebacker Cole Holcomb on a tackle of Chubb near the goal line early in the second quarter of Monday night’s win. Fitzpatrick hit Chubb low, and his knee folded in an unnatural direction.

“I didn’t see anybody on [the hole],” Fitzpatrick said. “And I made the decision as soon as I seen the hole open up — and him in the hole — to go low. … It’s a fast game. … You make decisions within milliseconds. You can’t really control what happens after you choose to make your decision. I already chose to go low. Somebody got on his back as I was going low, and what happened, happened; there’s nothing I really would do differently. It’s very unfortunate. Chubb’s a great player. He makes the game a lot better when he’s playing.”

Chubb suffered a season-ending knee surgery and will undergo surgery, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday. After the game, Fitzpatrick was criticized for the hit on social media.

“We play a physical game where people get hurt,” Fitzpatrick said. “People could sit behind a screen and tell me how I should have done it or what they would’ve done, and they never played the game.”

He added in direct response to the criticism, “I would say, 1, they never tackled Nick Chubb before. They’re telling you to go high on him.”

Fitzpatrick then explained his thought process in tackling Chubb low, saying it limited his own injury risk.

“If I tackle a guy like Nick Chubb high, he’s running full speed downhill and I’m stationary, I’m going to get ran over and I’m going to get concussed,” Fitzpatrick said. “I know it’s an offensive game and people want to see points, but defensive players are people too. We got to protect ourselves, and when you’re tackling big guys, it’s easier, you take less of a brunt on your body and your head, when you go low.”

Fitzpatrick had the “wind knocked out” of him on the play, and it was aggravated later in the game when he chased down running back Jerome Ford and made a diving tackle. Fitzpatrick was taken to the hospital as a precaution, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after the game. Although he didn’t practice Wednesday, Fitzpatrick was limited in Thursday’s session and said that he’s good to go for “Sunday Night Football” against the Las Vegas Raiders.

MIAMI

CB XAVIEN HOWARD seems to have a complicated life – although it sounds like he keeps it simple by ignoring his baby mamas.  The source of this is RollingOut.com:

An NFL star allegedly has gotten four women pregnant at the same time, according to social media posts. Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard was called out by OnlyFans model tappedinwithtai on a recent Instagram post.

“Let’s clear the air,” Tai posted. “And now I have his other baby[‘s] mothers reaching out to me. I ended up pregnant after being with X a few times. He told me he wanted to have a baby with me, and regardless of what he said, I still took a Plan B. It clearly failed because I was around ovulation. Whatever, I own up to my actions and I accept the fact I’m having a baby.”

Tai also detailed how Howard tried to negotiate with her to abort the baby, but she still plans on having the child. Due to her decision, Howard no longer communicates with her, according to the post.

Another mother of one of Howard’s children (who says she is pregnant too) also direct messaged a woman who is currently pregnant.

“I just got word that you are currently pregnant by my babydaddy (Xavien Howard) … all I’m going to say is good luck!” the message read. “He doesn’t take care of the ones he has now. And I’m also pregnant again, and he has a whole ‘nother baby on the way as well … that n—- got 4 whole babies on the way.”

Howard, 30, is a four-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-NFL selection. He is currently on year two of a five-year, $90-million contract with the Miami Dolphins, according to Spotrac.

THIS AND THAT

PROMOTION AND RELEGATION

Boise State wants to be able to play its way into a Power 4 or 5 conference, not have its fate decided by power brokers in formerly smoke-filled rooms.  Amanda Christovich of FrontOfficeSports.com:

The latest round of conference realignment has left Group of 5 schools (and Pac-12 leftovers Oregon State and Washington State) wondering how to remain competitive and maintain conference stability.

They’re considering an idea most commonly used in sports across the pond: promotion and relegation.

Boise State associate athletic director Michael Walsh has created what is believed to be the first formal proposals on the subject. He has written an in-depth plan for a three-tiered alliance of 24 FBS football teams in Pacific, Mountain, and Central time zones, with the opportunity for promotion and relegation at the end of each season.

The 22-slide PowerPoint, obtained and reviewed by Front Office Sports, has been shared with athletic directors in and outside of the conference, as well as with Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez.

“Many, many folks are kicking around concepts of relegation/promotion, or mega-leagues,” Nevarez told FOS. But “this is probably the first I’ve seen of someone really putting pen to paper, and looking at it comprehensively.”

Walsh’s goal: to create a lucrative football package while allowing Olympic sports to avoid the coast-to-coast travel now required in Power 4 leagues.

The proposal begins by telling athletics officials to “control what you can control.” In reference to the Power conferences, it asks: “Do you want to be at the kids’ table under the same roof, or eating at a different establishment?”

Much like in European soccer leagues, teams would be promoted or relegated at the end of every season based on performance. For example, the worst-place team in Tier 1 would be relegated to Tier 2, and the “conference” champion of Tier 2 would take its place.

Walsh suggests the Mountain West and Pac-12, as well as regional teams from the AAC, Conference USA, or WAC, could participate. All other sports, including men’s basketball, would remain in their current conferences in order to “maximize” the opportunity for NCAA postseason automatic qualifiers.

The first football tier could be a fifth Power conference, though Walsh noted that decision would ultimately lie with the College Football Playoff and NCAA, who award the designation for voting power and revenue distribution.

The proposal suggests modest bonuses based on a base sum for each tier, performance bonuses, and a specific bonus for ”tier status.” The amount of this revenue, however, would depend on the media contract. Walsh suggested the alliance target NBC/Peacock, Apple, and Amazon as partners — given they’ve all shown an interest in football, but have much less inventory than Fox, ESPN, and CBS.

It’s unclear how much traction the proposal will receive, though the Mountain West now has plenty of time to consider more creative ideas. Oregon State and Washington State will likely not make any decisions about conference realignment until their lawsuit against the conference is resolved —- which could take months.

Meanwhile, the Mountain West has already begun considering more traditional scenarios. It has courted Oregon State and Washington State and explored taking on the Pac-12’s name and intellectual property, as FOS previously reported.

“It’s the right time to think differently and consider what the next generation will wish we had done, rather than putting a bandage on yesterday’s problem,” Walsh said.

The next big issue, already brewing in the ACC, is how long lesser teams that somehow have remained in the Power 4 (think Vandy, Rutgers, etc) continue to participate fully in the cash.  Memphis, Tulane, Oregon State, USF, San Diego State, Fresno State and others – are teams on the outside that could aspire to greatness, if they can bump out some lesser schools cashing in on the gravy without providing much more than a team to get drilled in conference play by the big boys.

2024 DRAFT

Deion Sanders, aka Coach Prime, isn’t the only member of his family rising in the eyes of NFL decision makers.  Ryan Wilson of CBSSports.com:

With Week 4 upon us, I thought it made sense to do a Pop or Drop, looking back over the first month of the college football season. Who impressed? Who has some work to live up to the preseason hype?

Let’s take a look.

Poppin’

Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

This is the easiest decision I’ll make all week. What Sanders and his dad have done to revitalize that Colorado program is beyond comprehension — and it’s been incredibly fun to watch. I watched Sanders’ Jackson State tape over the summer and while I liked what I saw, sometimes it’s tough to gauge just how good a player is when he’s part of a dominant team routinely beating up on the not-nearly-as-athletic competition.

Sanders answered any questions about the level of competition in the Buffs’ season opener on the road against TCU. He did it again the next week against Nebraska and again last Saturday night in the double-overtime win over Colorado State.

The biggest takeaway for me is this: The bigger the moment, the better Sanders plays. In the span of three weeks, he’s gone from a Day 3 prospect to QB3 in a deep draft class that includes USC’s Caleb Williams and UNC’s Drake Maye. And I’ll take it a step further: Not only is Sanders firmly in the first-round conversation, if Maye continues to struggle with consistency (and I’ll talk more about that below), Sanders (and others) could find their way into the QB2 slot. We’ll find out together how Colorado responds against Oregon on Saturday and then a matchup with Williams and USC next week, but for now no one has had a better start to their 2023 season.

Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina

It wasn’t that long ago that Rattler was a lot of folks’ (me included) QB1 heading into the season. He was at Oklahoma at the time, struggled a lot early in the season and was eventually benched for Caleb Williams. Rattler made his way to South Carolina before the 2022 season. And at times he flashed that first-round potential. But he also played out of structure too often, made questionable decisions with the ball and still looked like he was growing into his game.

And he was. But so far in 2023, Rattler has made better decisions, and put his offense in positions to have success against tough opponents like North Carolina and Georgia. The first thing that you notice about Rattler isn’t his arm strength or his willingness to put balls into tight windows because he trusts his receivers (and his arm), it’s his toughness. He’ll stand in the pocket, keep his eyes downfield, get blasted, but not before ripping a laser to a barely open teammate.

In the first half against Georgia, Rattler was 16 of 18 for 152 yards and a touchdown, and the Gamecocks led 14-3 at the break.

Rattler was a Day 3 prospect coming into the season but he’s a Day 2 pick right now and, who knows, if he continues dealing at this pace maybe he threatens Round 1.

Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

Nabers was the best wide receiver on the Tigers’ roster last season when I was waiting for Kayshon Boutte to round into first-round form. It never happened for Boutte, who is now in New England, but Nabers is every bit the first-round talent and that was on full display last weekend against Mississippi State.

If you need him to stack cornerbacks and make a deep throw into the end zone look like a long handoff, well, you’re in luck because those talents were on full display

Nabers pulled a Puka Nacua (imagine anyone writing that season even a month ago) and finished with 13 catches for 239 yards and those two touchdowns against the Bulldogs. And while we all witnessed his ability to win downfield, if you need a possession receiver, he can wear out defenses running hitches and shallows all day long. But don’t get it confused, he’s twitched up, consistently separating at the top of the route. Marvin Harrison Jr. is WR1 and that ain’t changing, but the race for WR2 is wide open and Nabers is firmly in the mix.

Jer’Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois

In the spring, the three defenders off the Illini defense were among the first 66 picks in the NFL Draft. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon went No. 5 overall to the Seahawks. Nickelback Quan Martin was the No. 47 pick of the Commanders and then, 19 selections later, the Eagles took safety Sydney Brown.

Even at 300 pounds, Newton got lost in the mix last season. But not in 2023 because he has been dominant, and at times unstoppable. And he’s not lining up against a bunch of early season creampuffs either; he was a problem for a good Kansas team earlier this month and Penn State had few answers for him last Saturday.

Newton is a first-rounder all day long. The only question is how high does he end up going. His motor is through the roof and unlike a lot of defensive linemen, he doesn’t seem to tire as the game wears on. He plays with heavy hands, regularly stands up the offensive lineman across from him (see above) and spends a lot of the game in the opponent’s backfield.

Droppin’

Joe Milton, QB, Tennessee

Milton has drawn comparisons to Anthony Richardson, and much of that has to do with his arm strength. In fact, Milton probably has a better arm than Richardson, but that’s where the similarities end. Richardson made just 13 career starts in college while Milton is in his sixth year of college. Milton began his career at Michigan and transferred to Tennessee before the 2021 season. And while he hasn’t played a ton, either, he has been around two-high profile programs competing for playing time going back to 2018. Milton also isn’t the athlete that Richardson is (and there’s no shame in that — no one is), but the biggest issue through the early season schedule is that Milton has struggled with accuracy, decision-making and seeing the entire field.

Against Florida, Milton was a mixed bag — he’d make touch throws into the end zone like this:

And he’d then inexplicably short hop a critical third-down slant that he could probably throw in his sleep. Milton also doesn’t throw with anticipation, something that could become a problem at the next level. And while he’s good in the quick game — he’ll consistently put the ball on his receiver’s face — when the chips are down and he needs to push the ball downfield, he doesn’t seem to play with a ton of confidence.

There’s time to right the ship, of course. And even though Milton has been in college since ’18, heading into Week 4 he’s attempted exactly 18 more passes in his career (233) than Richardson did in three years at Florida.

Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina

A year ago, when evaluating Will Levis coming out of Kentucky, it felt like you had to squint at times to see the talent that was underneath all the inconsistencies. Maye has certainly been more consistent than Levis, who was the 33rd overall pick back in the spring, but he hasn’t lived up to the “definitely a top-five pick” hype, at least through the early part of the schedule.

There has been plenty of good, for sure — he started 10 of 10 against South Carolina in the opener — but there have been too many reckless plays, poor decisions that led to needless turnovers. There were two against Minnesota last week and there’s no way to explain this one other than just forcing the issue instead of taking the sack and living to fight another down.

Again, there’s a lot to love about his game, and he makes plays — with his arm and his legs — that few others can. But the NFL is full of playmaking quarterbacks who at times can’t get out of their own way and their teams are, or soon will be, in the market for their next franchise QB. Put another way: In Maye’s last eight games dating back to Georgia Tech last season, he’s thrown as many interceptions (8) as touchdowns. 

If Maye can tidy up the mistakes, he’s a top-five pick all day long. If he can’t, then an organization is banking on potential, which is a dangerous position to find yourself if you’re a coach or general manager in win-now mode.

JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan

There’s been a lot of talk about Caleb Williams’ athleticism, and the comparisons to Patrick Mahomes — and both are warranted. He’s the clearcut No. 1 overall pick. But McCarthy is probably a better athlete and that athleticism gets him out of situations that might doom other quarterbacks. Unfortunately — and this is a recurring theme with almost every college quarterback — the lack of consistency can be problematic, at least when projecting McCarthy as one of the top passers in the 2024 class.

The Wolverines haven’t had a real test yet through three weeks, making quick work of ECU and UNLV. In those first two games, McCarthy completed a mind-blowing 87.3 percent of his passes for 573 yards, with five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Last Saturday, McCarthy threw two more TDs against Bowling Green, but also tossed three interceptions. And while not every pick is the same, it’s hard to argue that McCarthy was responsible in all three instances. The first came on a throw to the end zone, the second came on a downfield throw where either the ball was underthrown or the QB and the WR weren’t on the same page. And the third was a ball that you absolutely, unequivocally have to throw away unless it’s the last play of the game and you need a touchdown.

That said, there’s a lot to appreciate about McCarthy’s game. In addition to the athleticism, he’s shown the ability to layer balls over second-level defenders and hit his receivers in stride. And despite INT No. 3 above, McCarthy can win out of structure and will make off-platform throws that other QBs can’t. He’s also incredibly tough — he’ll take a hit and pop right back up. It’s also important to note that he has just one full year as a starter; he’ll continue to grow as a passer and mature as a decision-maker. It’s why NFL teams are high on him and why he’s a Day 2 pick right now — and he’ll have a chance to work his way into Day 1 before it’s all said and done.