The Daily Briefing Wednesday, September 21, 2022

AROUND THE NFL

TAMPA BAY

In addition to suspending WR MIKE EVANS, the NFL has sent a strongly-worded letter to ex-coach Bruce Arians for stirring things up from the sidelines.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

The decision to impose a one-game suspension on receiver Mike Evans was only part of the league’s reaction to Sunday’s brouhaha between the Bucs and the Saints. The NFL also had a message for the team and former head coach Bruce Arians.

Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL sent a warning letter to Arians and the Buccaneers in the aftermath of Sunday’s incident.

Arians was properly in the bench area generally, but he was clearly in the white stripe reserved for officials, players, and coaches during the altercation. He also was clearly involved in the verbal aspect of the kerfuffle.

The specifics of the warning aren’t known at this point. Presumably, the Buccaneers face potential penalties during the game, and Arians faces potential discipline in the form of a fine or possibly even a banishment from the bench area. Regardless, it likely won’t get to that.

“He’ll comply,” the source said.

The league realizes that there’s a potential problem from having a former head coach serve as an unofficial agitator and/or otherwise behaving as if he’s still the coach even though he isn’t. Good for the league to shut it down, swiftly and decisively.

Greg Auman of The Athletic explains why Arians (and GM Jason Licht) were on the sidelines.  The Saints had refused/failed to provide another location for them that they deemed acceptable.

@gregauman

A bit more on Bruce Arians on the sidelines as a point of contention: Jason Licht and his staff have generally watched games from the sidelines for the past two seasons. There are a finite number of bench passes each team has for staff, and Arians has one. Nothing improper there.

As it relates to Saints on Sunday, stadiums have a finite number of booths/boxes on press level, and because game was also on national radio, Saints couldn’t offer one to Bucs as they normally would to an opponent. So Licht, Arians and others were on the sidelines instead.

Just to make this more clear: Bucs had their normal booth at press box level for coaches Sunday in New Orleans. They didn’t have one for front office personnel, as they often do, because Saints didn’t have one available.

This is true, and Licht and his front office staff have sat in the press box in years past. They chose not to do so Sunday in New Orleans.

The Saints had seats available for Arians and Licht in the press box, but the DB would think two things worked against it – the ability of Arians to get to the press box at the Superdome which is high and accessible only be stairs and the propensity of Arians to say things that perhaps would best not be heard by the media.

Appeal officer James Thrash heard the appeal by Evans, the Bucs and the NFLPA on Tuesday – but did not act.  He was the appeal officer in 2017 and upheld the joint suspensions of Evans and Saints DB MARCUS LATTIMORE for their fracas then.  Lattimore, the 2022 instigator, escaped suspension this time.

– – –

The interior of Tampa Bay’s defense has lost a key component for a while. Jenna Laine of ESPN.com:

Buccaneers veteran defensive lineman Akiem Hicks tore the plantar fascia in his left foot and is expected to be sidelined for a month, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

Hicks suffered the injury in the second quarter Sunday in the Bucs’ 20-10 victory at the Saints — their first regular-season victory against New Orleans since 2018.

He was taking on a double team of guard Andrus Peat and center Erik McCoy, with outside linebacker Shaq Barrett sacking quarterback Jameis Winston and forcing a fumble when the injury happened.

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles, meanwhile, said on his radio show Tuesday that he doesn’t expect left tackle Josh Wells to be available this week for the game against the Packers. Wells suffered a calf injury against the Saints on Sunday. He was starting in place of Donovan Smith, who was inactive because of an elbow injury.

Hicks, 32, signed with the Bucs as a free agent this offseason on a one-year deal worth $8 million, replacing Ndamukong Suh.

The Bucs’ defense has gotten off to a stellar start this season under Bowles, surrendering an average of 6.5 points through the first two games — the best mark in the NFL.

Rookie second-round draft pick Logan Hall, who has primarily been utilized on third down, is expected to step into Hicks’ role.

ARIZONA

After the big win in Vegas, QB KYLER MURRAY went up against the railing to see some fans – some supportive in red, some in Silver and Black not so much.  It’s hard to say what happened.  But Murray filed a police report.  Detective Mike Florio is on the case:

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray got slapped in the face while celebrating his team’s ability to dump an ice bucket of cold water on a win the Raiders thought they had in hand. Murray reportedly filed a police report.

It seems based on available video that it would be difficult to prove a deliberate and intentional assault.

TMZ.com has a new angle. The article characterizes the fan as “winding up.” That’s a stretch. The “windup” looks more like an attempted high five gone haywire.

The article also acknowledges this possibility. Indeed, the video is inconclusive at best as to whether the person was trying to hit Murray. The fact that it was an open hand and not a closed fist could be enough to get prosecutors to ultimately choose to not proceed.

Unless, of course, they identify the guy and he admits that he intentionally smacked Murray in the face.

Kliff Kingsbury has no doubts:

Murray’s head coach, Kliff Kingsbury, called the man who hit Murray “a lowlife,” adding, “I hope they arrest him and he gets fired and can never go to another game.”

SAN FRANCISCO

This is the headline in The Athletic: Who’d have guessed Jimmy Garoppolo saga would end with QB back in driver’s seat for 49ers?

Well, actually the DB sort of did, knowing that the 49ers value Garoppolo more highly than any other NFL team, knowing that Garoppolo is an amiable sort and knowing that QB TREY LANCE was unproven.

But, here is how scribe Jeff Howe sees it with some good info on Garoppolo’s shoulder surgery:

For pretty much the entire offseason, there was no tangible reason to believe quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers would stay together.

The improbability of the situation Garoppolo and the 49ers now find themselves in is staggering, even if it is true both sides were best served staying together all along. But improbable or not, their eleventh hour contingency plan has the potential to reshape the trajectory for the 30-year-old’s career and a franchise that still hopes to contend for the Super Bowl.

Garoppolo was given permission to seek an offseason trade, and a few teams explored a potential deal, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Other teams were more willing to pounce if the 49ers released him, believing they could sign Garoppolo to a more affordable contract than the $25 million cap charge he was carrying.

But because he was rehabbing from a relatively uncommon shoulder surgery, the trade designs fell through, and the 49ers understood that he was far too valuable to let walk for nothing. And because Garoppolo knew the benefits of remaining in San Francisco for a sixth season outweighed a new start elsewhere — late in training camp, no less — he was willing to restructure his contract to free up salary cap space.

Now, with quarterback Trey Lance out for the season due to a nasty ankle injury — he’s since undergone successful surgery — Garoppolo is back in the driver’s seat, and both the team and the veteran are better for having stuck together.

Garoppolo suffered a torn shoulder capsule during the 49ers’ playoff opener against the Cowboys and played through a significant amount of pain for two more games. After the season, Garoppolo hoped the injury would heal with physical therapy, and it began to feel better to an extent.

But there were certain arm angles that continued to present too much pain, so he opted for surgery with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the same doctor who handled his ACL repair in 2018. Garoppolo’s underwent his procedure March 8, and he wouldn’t be permitted to throw for 16 weeks.

Even though it was an uncommon injury for a quarterback, ElAttrache was confident in the recovery plan.

“I was rather optimistic,” ElAttrache told The Athletic recently. “I thought this would be a good prognosis.”

Still, the timing was less than ideal.

When the 49ers traded three first-round picks and a third-rounder to move up in the 2021 NFL Draft for Lance, it was a foregone conclusion the North Dakota State product would eventually become the franchise quarterback, ideally in time for the 2022 season. Garoppolo was set to consume nearly $27 million in cap space during the final year of his contract, which was far too much for a backup quarterback, so it was logical to explore the trade route.

But even the interested teams had two concerns: Whether Garoppolo would recover quickly enough for training camp and how willing he’d be to take a sizable pay cut. That uncertainty essentially made Garoppolo an afterthought during an offseason when Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Matt Ryan, Baker Mayfield and Carson Wentz were traded, while Marcus Mariota and Mitch Trubisky joined new teams as stopgap starters.

“Jimmy absolutely needed to have it done,” ElAttrache said of the hourlong surgery. “But the timing was such that he was going to find himself in a situation where not many people would be able to take the risk of assuming a contract like that before they saw if his throwing shoulder was good. He understood it, and he was awesome with it. He knew he needed to have it done. He accepted it, and he didn’t let it bother him too much. He stayed focused on his rehab and with the throwing program. We were optimistic and spoke to the team and told them we were pretty confident he was going to be a good quarterback for them. It was just something that everybody had to see.”

Garoppolo’s rehab required immense patience and discipline. He had to be honest with himself and his medical team during daily physical therapy sessions to ensure a full recovery without setbacks. He couldn’t afford to rush anything for the sake of returning to the field during a pivotal time in his career.

For the first two to three weeks after surgery, Garoppolo had a limited range of motion as the wound healed and the soft tissue swelling decreased, and he needed to avoid the risk of scar tissue and the shoulder tightening. Every few weeks after that, he was able to increase the range of motion until the 12-week mark when it had largely healed. At that point, Garoppolo could get more aggressive with his stretching without any concern of suffering a new tear.

Garoppolo and the 49ers also agreed that it made the most sense to rehab with ElAttrache’s team in Los Angeles rather than in San Francisco with the 49ers. This helped ElAttrache closely monitor each phase, which was necessary to prevent setbacks or waste any time.

“He got better right on schedule,” ElAttrache said. “When something is on such a tight timeline, you can’t afford to lose a couple weeks here or there.

“He has to be thinking about it 24/7. If he’s not, he’s not going to get out of it what he needs to. He deserves all the credit.”

Even though Garoppolo couldn’t throw for 16 weeks, he had to maintain strength in his legs and core. Then, once he was cleared, the early throwing phase was geared toward reproducing his mechanics before eventually getting to the point where the spin rate and precision passes returned to normal.

“That’s when you know a quarterback is back, when he can throw those passes,” ElAttrache said. “The long ball looks good for strength, and everybody is happy that he can throw it long. It’s the shorter-range, quicker passes though — those are the ones when you know that he’s back.”

Garoppolo has since fully recovered. He worked tirelessly, ElAttrache said, to get ready for the season — wherever he’d wind up.

“It looks as good as we could have hoped,” ElAttrache said. “The tissue is healed. His range of motion is there. Any part of measurable strength that I can do has all returned to normal.”

Garoppolo worked out on his own at the 49ers’ practice facility during training camp. He threw passes on a different field as the team prepared for Week 1 with Lance as the starter, a role head coach Kyle Shanahan determined Lance had earned during organized team activities in the spring.

The 49ers held out hope that serious trade talks would evolve in August, but no one stepped up. Teams preferred to see if they could get Garoppolo at a reduced rate upon the presumption he’d get released.

Along the way, Garoppolo and the 49ers found clarity. Sure, Garoppolo could have outright refused to take a pay cut to essentially force the 49ers to cut him.

But by the time he joined a new team in late August or early September, it’s unrealistic to think Garoppolo — or any QB — could learn a new system by Week 1. And if called upon to replace that team’s starter, how productive could he really expect to be under those accelerated circumstances? And if the performance wasn’t great, that would impact his contract negotiations next offseason in free agency.

As for the 49ers, they remained high on Lance but were reasonable regarding the element of the unknown. Lance started two games as a rookie and hadn’t played a full season of football since 2019, so the 49ers expected there to be some growing pains. And if those struggles snowballed or Lance got hurt, they couldn’t stomach the idea of a lost season with a roster that’s talented enough to make another deep playoff run.

So the 49ers and Garoppolo made a levelheaded compromise and struck a deal. Garoppolo took $6.5 million guaranteed with incentives that could carry the value to north of $15 million if he was called upon to replace Lance. Garoppolo also secured no-trade and no-tag clauses. Executives from several teams believed Garoppolo signed a market-value deal, meaning it was a fair contract based on what he might have gotten if the 49ers released him.

It was a laudable resolution for both sides.

Lance was carted off the field Sunday in the first quarter of the 49ers’ 27-7 victory against the Seahawks, and he had surgery Monday to repair a fibula fracture and ligament disruption in his right ankle.

Garoppolo took over when it was 3-0 and completed 13-of-21 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown, and he also rushed for a score. Given the complexities of Shanahan’s offensive system and Garoppolo’s success within it since 2017, the veteran is unquestionably a superior backup to any other quarterback the 49ers could have promoted from within or acquired elsewhere.

Garoppolo is also in the best situation for his own career. He has resumed control in a familiar situation for a team with championship aspirations. If Garoppolo plays well and stays healthy, it’s reasonable to believe he’ll be the top veteran quarterback on the market this offseason.

And to think, what if Garoppolo played hardball when approached about the pay cut?

What if another team stepped up to trade for him, either in July when Garoppolo was cleared or when an injury elsewhere adjusted a rival’s strategy?

What if Garoppolo didn’t get injured in January, or his rehab went awry, or Lance didn’t go down Sunday?

This situation could have played out in a myriad of other ways. Instead, Garoppolo’s back in charge of the Niners’ huddle, as improbable of a scenario as it once seemed.

SEATTLE

Pete Carroll sends a message to his offensive staff.  Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic:

Through two weeks of the season, the Seahawks have had one of the worst offenses in the league.

They’re among the NFL’s bottom five teams in points per game, points per drive and EPA per play (all stats from TruMedia, unless stated otherwise). They’re good at completing passes — one of the best in the league, in fact. But those passes don’t travel very far. Seattle is averaging just 5.3 air yards per attempt, one of the lowest marks in the league. Seattle also isn’t very good at running the ball, averaging a league-low 56 rushing yards per game.

Coach Pete Carroll and his offensive staff need solutions, and they need to discover them quickly ahead of their Week 3 game at home against Atlanta. Carroll revealed one adjustment Monday morning during his weekly KIRO-AM radio show: allowing Geno Smith and his pass catchers to have more of a role in the offense.

“After two weeks of watching Geno play, we don’t need to hold him back at all,” Carroll said Monday after Seattle’s 27-7 loss to the 49ers on Sunday. “Geno has got his game ready to go. We need to trust him and maybe give him more opportunities and stuff. We’ve been pretty solidly conservative, counting on running the football.”

“When we didn’t run the football, we didn’t have as much of a mix that we needed. We can do better with that. Whether that’s right or wrong, that’s not the point. The point is we need to keep expanding. We have too many explosive avenues to go to, and we’ve got to make sure these guys show up.”

The numbers don’t necessarily suggest that Seattle has been “counting on the run game.” Seattle, at the time of Carroll’s comment, ranked last in total offensive plays run with just 96. The league average is 118.7. The Seahawks rank last in rushing attempts per game and 30th in yards per carry. They’re 12th in early-down passing rate in neutral situations, according to RBSDM.com. On paper, Seattle has relied on its passing game when adjusting for time and score.

But Carroll is referring to Seattle’s mentality more than the raw numbers. Seattle’s offensive identity is predicated on being more physical than the opponent in the run game and forcing the team to put more defenders in the box to avoid being dominated on the ground. Having more defenders in the box creates a numbers advantages in the passing game and leaves teams vulnerable to play-action concepts, which is good news for a team employing DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

As Smith said Sunday, it’s very difficult to consistently cover Metcalf and Lockett with just one defender. That’s something teams cannot feasibly pull off when they’re dedicating additional men to the run game.

This is a fairly conservative offensive approach. It prioritizes handing the ball off, which is inherently safer than dropping back to pass, and it assumes that the passing offense will not function at a high level without being put in advantageous situations because of a dominant run game. This offensive strategy is often used when teams have a young quarterback who needs time to develop into a proficient dropback passer.

Carroll treated Russell Wilson that way until midway through his rookie season when, during a Week 13 win over the Bears, the coach felt Wilson needed to be cut loose and given more opportunities as a passer. Carroll has come to a similar conclusion after two weeks of watching Smith, who has completed 81 percent of his passes.

“He’s handling everything. He’s fine,” Carroll said. “He’s calm, he’s poised. He’s accurate with the football. He and Tyler have been hooking up tremendously for the first couple weeks. There’s a good chemistry there. We need to make sure we’re using all of the speed that we have. Marquise (Goodwin) is going to be a factor for us, we’ve got to get him involved in the game, too, to threaten the entire field.

“There’s just things that we can do. We gotta come out and get after it better than we did. That’s the way we’ve gotta do it.”

Two players stand to benefit most from this strategical shift toward a more aggressive approach: Metcalf and tight end Noah Fant.

Through two games, Metcalf has just 11 catches on 13 targets for 71 yards and no touchdowns. Fant has just five catches on six targets for 27 yards and hasn’t scored. Metcalf recently received a lucrative contract extension, making him one of the highest-paid receivers in football. Fant was acquired in the Wilson trade and had his fifth-year option exercised. Seattle is heavily invested in those two fourth-year players, but through two games, they haven’t been very involved relative to their usage in previous seasons.

If Seattle wants to score points, Metcalf and Fant have to get the ball. When Carroll was asked to explain what opening up the offense entails, Metcalf was the first name he mentioned.

“We’ve got to make sure the ball is going to DK down the field,” Carroll said. “We gave him a shot; he makes a great play. We’ve got to make sure the tight ends are involved getting the ball more. We know that they can play, and we love the heck out of them, we’ve just got to make sure that’s more of the attack. We have it, it just hasn’t really shown up.”

– – –

If Seattle gives Smith more freedom to attack downfield, will he remain one of the most accurate passers in the league? Carroll is betting the answer is yes.

The Seahawks are still going to run the ball, to be clear. Rashaad Penny has 18 carries for 75 yards and no scores in two games. DeeJay Dallas doesn’t have a regular-season carry yet. Kenneth Walker III made his regular-season debut against the 49ers and carried the ball just four times for 10 yards. Carroll wants more touches for that group, too. He’s very excited to see what Walker can do with more game action.

“He’ll be calling for a regular workload as we are going forward,” Carroll said of Walker, the 41st pick in the NFL Draft.

But there is a difference between a team that feels it needs to build its passing game off a successful run game and a team that has legitimate confidence in its quarterback and its offensive line to be explosive throwing the ball down the field. According to Carroll, the Seahawks are going to become the latter.

CLEVELAND

Time flies.  CB JOE HADEN is retiring after 12 seasons.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

Three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden is sailing off into the sunset.

The former Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers corner is retiring after 12 seasons, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday, per a source informed of the decision.

It’s apropos the CB’s decision to retire comes a day before the Browns and Steelers meet in Cleveland on Thursday Night Football.

Haden plans to retire as a member of the Browns. He was a free agent after five seasons in Pittsburgh.

Drafted No. 7 overall in 2010, Haden flashed his ability from a rookie, netting six interceptions in his first season. He made two Pro Bowls in seven seasons in Cleveland before his release in 2017. The rival Steelers quickly scooped up the corner, who earned another Pro Bowl honor in 2019.

Haden started 148 of 158 games in his career and retires with 29 INTs, two TDs, 155 passes defensed, seven forced fumbles, three sacks and 615 tackles.

HOUSTON

C JUSTIN BRITT is said to be ill.  The AP:

The Texans placed center Justin Britt on the reserve/non-football illness list Tuesday.

Coach Lovie Smith said last Wednesday that Britt was out for personal reasons and he remained out all week. Britt also missed Sunday’s game at Denver.

Asked Monday if Britt would be back this week, Smith said he didn’t know. He didn’t provide details on why Britt was out.

Britt, is in his eighth NFL season and second with the Texans, started 11 games last season. He started this year’s opener against the Colts.

With Britt out, the Texans will again look to Scott Quessenberry to take his place.

Question – are there any “football” illnesses?

JACKSONVILLE

There were some eyebrows raised when the Jaguars gave big money to WR CHRISTIAN KIRK – but he’s been just fine in the first two games.  Kevin Patra ofNFL.com:

Christian Kirk’s four-year, $72 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars brought chuckles from critics in the spring. Through two weeks of the regular season, the snide remarks have been silenced.

Kirk, who had never earned a 1,000-yard season in four years in Arizona, has netted 197 yards and two touchdowns on 12 catches in his first two games in Jacksonville.

“I don’t want to say it in [these] terms, but we paid that man a lot of money and he deserves every bit of it,” defensive end Josh Allen said, via ESPN. “We know that as a team. I was super excited that we got him because I know what type of player he is. I played against him. I’ve seen him. I watch film. I know what type of player he is so to have him on our team to make big plays is incredible. I think he’s going to continue to make big plays for us.”

Kirk has already become Trevor Lawrence’s No. 1 target and go-to guy on key downs. He ranks seventh in the NFL in receiving yards through two weeks and is second in yards per reception at 16.3 (minimum 10 catches).

Kirk has lined up mainly in the slot (62 percent), but coach Doug Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor have moved him around the formation, from out wide to a few backfield snaps to find mismatches.

“It’s all about matchups,” Kirk said. “One thing when we first installed this offense is Doug and Press kind of harped on is, ‘We’re going to put you guys in the situations and the matchups to be able to take advantage of that.’

“It’s great week in and week out they have a plan, they have a vision of what they want to look like.”

Kirk had some big stretches when he was in Arizona but was never the go-to target. In Jacksonville, with Lawrence looking his way often, the 25-year-old wants to prove he’s worth the money for the long haul.

“The way I look at it is it doesn’t say much because I’ve got to do this for all 17 weeks,” he said. “And that’s my plan. This is just two weeks. That’s my demeanor. I’m here to do this for all 17 weeks and help this team win. Being productive and helping this team getting W’s and putting us in position to make a playoff push, that’s all I can ask for.

“That’s my mentality and that’s my attitude for the rest of the year.”

TENNESSEE

Mike Vrabel sort of defends his staff.  Ben Arthur of The Tennessean:

Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel stressed Tuesday that he has no intention of making coaching changes amid outcry from some team observers to fire offensive coordinator Todd Downing.

The offense has scored just three touchdowns in the Titans’ 0-2 start, with the run game struggling and the passing attack unable to find consistency. Downing also faced strong criticism last season, when the passing game regressed drastically from the previous season and the red-zone efficiency took a dip.

Vrabel said firing Downing, or any other coach, is “not something that’s going to happen right now.”

“I have confidence in our staff,”  Vrabel said. “I have confidence in the guys that we put out there. We have to continue to coach and execute better. … I appreciate everybody’s opinion, but I have to make sure that everybody here – players and coaches – are all aligned and I know that they are. That’s how you get things fixed and you win a game.”

One of the Titans’ most alarming trends has been the inability to establish star running back Derrick Henry, the focal point of the offense. He has just 34 carries for 107 yards (3.1 yards per carry) and a touchdown in the first two games.

Left tackle Taylor Lewan suffered a knee injury on the first play from scrimmage against the Bills and didn’t return. Tennessee also has two new offensive-line starters this season in left guard Aaron Brewer and right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere, which could be playing a factor in the early run game struggles.

Vrabel believes the Titans have the personnel to maintain their long-standing offensive philosophy.

“We have to understand who we are and what we believe in and what we’ve had success in in the past. This isn’t all of a sudden a time for wholesale changes,” Vrabel said. “This is about getting back to basics and what we believe in and what we’ve had success in and making sure that everybody sees it the same way that I do. I think we’re going to make sure that we’re doing less better. Instead of trying to do a whole bunch of stuff, we’re going to get back to doing things with fundamentals and technique and trying to make sure everybody understands the basics.”

MIAMI

Dan Wetzel of YahooSports.com on TUA’s rise:

The Miami Dolphins tried to get Deshaun Watson, even at the risk of fan backlash. They tried to get Tom Brady, even at the risk of NFL tampering penalties.

They tried all sorts of ideas because, it’s fairly clear, they didn’t want to try again with Tua Tagovailoa for the 2022 season.

Yet try as they might, nothing worked.

And now, perhaps, it’s Tagovailoa who is becoming the star they were searching for all along.

It’s early. Painfully early. Small sample size and all of those caveats most certainly apply.

Yet Miami is 2-0 and Tagovailoa is coming off a 469-yard, six-touchdown performance in a 42-38 shootout victory over the Baltimore Ravens. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the effort.

It wasn’t just that he racked up big numbers either. He conveyed a calm and a sense of control over the game that speaks to this being more than just a hot day against a weak defense.

He even bounced back from two interceptions and a sack to play his best in the fourth quarter. It was there Miami scored four touchdowns to dig out of a 21-point hole and out-duel former league MVP Lamar Jackson.

In the past, it’s quite possible Tagovailoa would have collapsed under the pressure and the mistakes. On Sunday, it was onto the next play.

 “I want to do good every time I go out there,” Tagovailoa said. “I don’t want to throw interceptions; I want to throw touchdowns. I want to put our team in the best situation that I possibly can, but you know we’ve got to be real. You know those guys on the other side of the ball get paid, too. And they’re really good players.

“All I can do is go out there and do what we’ve done throughout practice,” he continued. “Just going to play football and hope we can bring home wins.”

Whatever doubts there were about Tagovailoa in the past, there apparently aren’t any inside the current Dolphin locker room. This is their guy, and this is the guy they have been seeing develop in the offseason and practice.

“I think there’s also something to the fact that none of his teammates were surprised, which is much more impactful than words,” Miami coach Mike McDaniel said. “You can feel that when guys, they’re not like, ‘Whoa, dude, where did that come from?’ ”

Maybe the Dolphins aren’t surprised, but almost everyone else is. The rub on Tagovailoa was that he couldn’t throw deep, he couldn’t lead like a franchise guy, he let mistakes snowball.

Where Miami once sought to replace him, they instead surrounded him with weapons. Adding Tyreek Hill from Kansas City to go along with Jaylen Waddle means the Dolphins are rich with deep threats … and a QB proving he can hit them.

Tagovailoa had two 40-plus-yard touchdown passes Sunday to Hill, including one that traveled in the air 55.5 yards, per Next Gen Stats.

So is this the real Tua — the guy who led Alabama to a national title, won a Crimson Tide QB derby that included Jalen Hurts and Mac Jones and went fifth overall in the 2020 draft despite dealing with a hip injury that ended his college career early?

Time will tell, but in Miami right now, they think this is the real guy.

“I don’t have to say too much, man, all you’ve got to do is look at his game film,” said Hill, who created headlines last offseason when he declared Tagovailoa was more accurate than Patrick Mahomes. “It’s Tua, and who he is and how consistent he is.”

Well, he hadn’t been consistent. His 27 touchdown passes in his first two pro seasons were offset with 15 interceptions. He completed a good, but not incredible, 66.2 percent of his passes. There is a reason Miami wanted Watson despite the baggage.

Tagovailoa’s 2022 numbers: seven touchdowns against two interceptions, plus a 71.1 completion rate. And that’s just the basic stats. Some of that is being credited to improved mechanics that came from a relentless off season of work.

Tagovailoa took all the stories about how Miami wanted someone else and used it to fuel becoming the guy they needed.

“He’s done an outstanding job with his footwork,” passing game coordinator Darrell Bevell said. “I think you can go back and look at some of the plays from last year as opposed to what he’s doing this year. It’s a major focus for us. He’s buying into the focus and I think he’s done a good job with that.”

It’s just two games. It’s just two wins. There is still plenty to prove.

Say this about Tua Tagovailoa though, he knows all of that, knows all of the past doubts, and hasn’t let it impact his game. If he is still proving himself to the Dolphins, then so be it. He seems quite happy to do it.

“He deserves it,” McDaniel said. “None of it was given at all. He earned every ounce of that which I know players respect a great deal.”

NEW ENGLAND

LB JAMIE COLLINS could be a four-time Patriot.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Free agent linebacker Jamie Collins keeps coming back to New England.

Collins, who has had three separate stints with the Patriots, made a free agent visit on Tuesday. Although there’s been no word on the level of interest between the two sides, it opens up the possibility that he’ll now sign for a fourth time.

The 32-year-old Collins was a 2013 second-round draft pick of the Patriots who played in New England until 2016, when he was traded during the season to the Browns. The Browns then made him one of the highest-paid linebackers in football, but he didn’t play at the same level in Cleveland as he had in New England, and he was released after the 2018 season.

Collins then signed a one-year deal in New England in 2019 and played well, which earned him another lucrative contract, this time with Detroit in 2020. But Collins again didn’t live up to expectations and was released early in the 2021 season. He then re-signed with the Patriots and finished the season there.

Collins had been a free agent since March and has drawn some interest from other teams, but New England has always been where he has played his best, and another stint with the Patriots could be coming.

THIS AND THAT

TRENDING COACHES

After two weeks, Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com has some coaches who are heading up and some who are heading down:

Just two weeks are not enough time to judge a coaching staff, let alone a team. But in the NFL, every week matters. And some coaches — both first-year hires and longtime veterans — certainly did more to help their teams than others in Week 2.

Approaching Week 3 of the 2022 season, here’s a look at which prominent coaches are on the rise and decline:

Trending up

Jaguars HC Doug Pederson

Season: 1st with Jaguars | Last Game: 24-0 win vs. Colts | Team Record: 1-1

Is it possible the Jaguars are suddenly the favorites in the AFC South? With Dougie P at the helm, yes. While the Titans pick themselves up off the mat after a Bills beatdown, and Jim Irsay starts eyeing his next quarterback, and the Texans fail to move the ball in ugly games, Pederson has revived Trevor Lawrence’s confidence and allowed first-time defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell to turn his young pass rushers loose. Doug was already a beloved leader; now he’s showing early results.

Giants DC Don Martindale

Season: 1st with Giants | Last Game: 19-16 win vs. Panthers | Team Record: 2-0

“Wink” has single-handedly enabled Giants fans to forgive the fact that Daniel Jones is still under center, running a scattershot offense best known for pinning Kenny Golladay to the bench. Even with his top edge rushers banged up, the former Ravens DC has dialed up blitz after blitz to rattle the Titans and Panthers in back-to-back weeks. Once Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari are in the lineup, Martindale should have even more flexibility to keep New York competitive.

Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon

Season: 2nd with Eagles | Last Game: 24-7 win vs. Vikings | Team Record: 2-0

After failing to scheme up late-game pressure on Jared Goff in a Week 1 battle with the Lions, Gannon upped his blitz count in Monday night’s home opener, and Eagles fans ate it up. Why? Because it worked, forcing Kirk Cousins into one desperation throw after another. With top-level personnel at every level of the defense, Gannon has no excuse but to deliver, and his guys were both tenacious and opportunistic when faced with one of the NFL’s top skill groups in prime time.

Trending down

Bengals HC Zac Taylor

Season: 4th with Bengals | Last Game: 20-17 loss vs. Cowboys | Team Record: 0-2

He doesn’t deserve all the blame for the perpetually shoddy offensive line in front of Joe Burrow, but as the CEO of their on-field operation, he’s not exactly propping up his best weapons. The play-calling has been suspect since Cincinnati’s Super Bowl loss, and it’s ultimately on him to ensure Burrow gets rid of the ball before absorbing big hits or forcing high-risk throws. After falling to Cowboys backup Cooper Rush, he’s got the explosive and/or motivated Jets, Dolphins and Ravens up next.

Ravens DC Mike Macdonald

Season: 1st with Ravens | Last Game: 42-38 loss vs. Dolphins | Team Record: 1-1

Martindale’s successor, Macdonald fared just fine overseeing a Week 1 rout of the Jets, but everything came apart on Sunday against Miami. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle aren’t the easiest wideouts to defend, of course, but the way the Ravens secondary folded was an eyesore. Not a single big name, from Marcus Peters to Marcus Williams, seemed in sync or fully dialed into Macdonald’s strategy as Tua Tagovailoa unloaded one deep ball after another.

Vikings DC Ed Donatell

Season: 1st with Vikings | Last Game: 24-7 loss vs. Eagles | Team Record: 1-1

The 65-year-old former Broncos DC got the best of Aaron Rodgers in Week 1, but he deployed a similar sit-back approach against Jalen Hurts on Monday night, and the mobile Eagles QB proved early he would pick it apart. The worst part is that Donatell seemingly didn’t make any adjustments thereafter, relying almost exclusively on two-high Cover-3 lineups. The only reason Philly didn’t have an even more lopsided victory is because it went more conservative in the second half.

BROADCAST NEWS

Were you among the 20+ million who watched the joint Monday Night Football broadcasts?  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

It’s harder than ever to sift through the spin and the smoke when it comes to viewership numbers. ESPN and ABC had plenty of extra fodder for spinning and smoking on Monday night, with an overlapping doubleheader.

Here are the basic, raw numbers. Titans-Bills on ESPN averaged 7.9 million viewers on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes. Vikings-Eagles on ABC and ESPN+ averaged 12.9 million viewers. Neither number is all that phenomenal, which likely has something to do with the fact that neither game was all that compelling.

The P.R. spin doctors at Disney have whipped up a bigger number regarding the total viewership during the inherently frustrating (for many) two-game overlap. The two games being played at once generated an average audience of 20.6 million on all networks. That exceeds the average audience for the entirety of the Week One Broncos-Seahawks game.

It should. It was two games. Four fan bases. And during the period of overlap, the game being played on the larger network (Vikings-Eagles) was not yet decided.

The question becomes whether two games played back to back could do better, especially with a six-hour ManningCast marathon to go along with the consecutive games. Maybe ESPN and ABC (working with the NFL) should try that next year.

Maybe the Mannings don’t want to do six straight hours on the air…

LOOKING AT THE UNBEATENS

Six teams are undefeated – including the Giants! – and Jeff Kerr tries to separate gold from fool’s gold among them:

Sizing up the 2-0 teams

Buffalo Bills

The Bills are just annihilating their opponents through the first two games, proving they’re the best team in the NFL. Buffalo has outscored its opponents by 55 points, the only team in the league to outscore its opponents by 30 after the first two weeks. The Bills lead the NFL in scoring, are third in total yards, and third in yards per play. They’re also the only team in the league to convert 60% of their third down attempts.

Buffalo is second in points allowed, first in rushing yards allowed, and second in passing yards allowed. The Bills are just as good on defense as they are on offense, beating the defending Super Bowl champions and the No. 1 seed in the AFC from last year in convincing fashion.

They’re Super Bowl contenders. Expect to see them deep into January.

Miami Dolphins

Miami has quite the impressive start, having a thrilling comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens to get to 2-0 and showcasing how dynamic the offense will be all year. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will be a problem for opposing defenses all season, especially with Tua Tagovailoa emerging as one of the best passing quarterbacks in the league through two weeks.

Miami’s defense makes plays, but will get a strong test with Buffalo’s offense this week. The Dolphins have the makings of a playoff team and a potential contender in the AFC East — pending how they fare against the Bills this week.

Of the seven playoff teams that the AFC will take, Miami seems to have one of those spots based on how well their offense is playing and the timely plays of their defense.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have never had a season which they won fewer than 12 games with Andy Reid as head coach and Patrick Mahomes as quarterback. Kansas City is always a Super Bowl contender with that duo and have proven as such through the first two games.

Kansas City has a daunting schedule coming up with Tampa Bay in Week 4 and Buffalo in Week 6, but the Chiefs have an offense capable of the challenge. The Chiefs are second in the NFL in scoring and first in passing touchdowns, with Mahomes playing at his typical high level. The defense is also making the plays that has Kansas City as Buffalo’s biggest threat in the AFC.

Or does the AFC still go through Kansas City?

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles being 2-0 isn’t a surprise given the opponents they faced over the first two games. How they are 2-0 is why the Eagles are being considered a Super Bowl contender in the NFC. Jalen Hurts has been playing at an MVP level thus far, leading the NFL in total offense and yards per attempt — while being tied for first in rushing touchdowns.

Philadelphia has arguably the best offensive line in the game and the top rushing attack. Combined with Hurts being one of the most dangerous players in football, the Eagles have an offense that can challenge any team in the conference. The defense has playmakers across the board too, including a revamped secondary that is forcing game-changing turnovers.

With the league’s easiest schedule the rest of the way, the Eagles are set up to go to the playoffs again and are the favorites in the NFC East.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay’s offense hasn’t been at the level the league is accustomed to seeing, but the Buccaneers still have Tom Brady to lead the way. They’ll eventually get better as the season goes on.

The defense is one of the best in the NFL, leading the NFL in points allowed. The 13 points allowed is the third-fewest through two games in franchise history. The Buccaneers are the only team in the league with 10 sacks and fifth in the league in pressures with 31. Opposing quarterbacks have just a 54.6 rating when facing the Buccaneers, second worst in the NFL.

Tampa Bay is the best team in the NFC South and finally beat the New Orleans Saints with Brady at QB. They’re a playoff team, but need to figure things out on offense to be a Super Bowl contender. Fortunately, they have Tom Brady.

New York Giants

The Giants are the surprise 2-0 team of the NFL, shocking the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 then rallying to beat the Carolina Panthers in the second half (both 0-2 teams by the way). Brian Daboll has turned around the culture in New York, as the Giants have a pulse on offense and a defense that has allowed a league-best 54.8% completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks.

New York still doesn’t get pressure on the quarterback, but also hasn’t had Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari the first two games. The defense is still ninth in points allowed and 12th in yards allowed, much better than last year. Their 22% third-down conversion rate is also the best in the league.

The defense is clearly carrying the offense, which is averaging just 20 points a game (good enough for 15th in the NFL). Saquon Barkley is leading the league in rushing and the offensive line is better at the tackle position. Daboll’s creative play calling has set the Giants up for a chance to win games, which they’ve taken advantage of.

Is the winning sustainable? New York has winnable games against Dallas and Chicago over the next two weeks and has a favorable schedule for most of the year. The Giants aren’t one of the best teams in the NFL, but they have an opportunity to be respectable.

New York certainly isn’t an easy out.