Month: September 2017

The Steelers have ruled out linebacker T.J. Watt for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears because of a groin injury.

Starting right tackle Marcus Gilbert (hamstring) is also out. Defensive end Stephon Tuitt (bicep) is questionable.
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Watt said Friday that he had hoped to be a game-time decision in case the injury improved over the weekend. He considers the injury minor but wants to be smart and avoid aggravating it.

The Steelers’ first-round pick in April’s draft, Watt has two sacks, one interception and a pass deflection in about six quarters of play. He got hurt during the first half of Sunday’s 26-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Third-year pass-rusher Anthony Chickillo will likely start in his place. Veterans Arthur Moats and James Harrison, who logged zero snaps last week, are also available to replace Watt.

Kids Wilson Ramos Jersey “I’m just doing what I’m asked,” Harrison said repeatedly about his playing time.

Keeper leagues arguably are the most fun to play, because like real general managers, you construct your roster over the course of many seasons. If your team stinks this season, you can build for next year. If you think you may have a winner this season, you can trade away young talent for high-end stars to put you over the top now.

Welcome to Gramatica Errors, SB Nation’s weekly discussion of NFL kickers and punters. As always, we will do our best to avoid any and all foot puns. Now let’s kick things off:

This is the section where we talk about what’s buzzing amongst the Foot Gang, which is the name I’ve made up for all of you Morten Fandersens out there on the internet.*

Ereck Flowers Elite Jersey When the Chargers host the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 at StubHub Center in suburban Carson on Sept. 17, the place will be filled to capacity — 27,000 seats, about 50% fewer seats than the next smallest NFL stadium, the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum.
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Playing at such a small stadium may have been the Chargers’ only option, but the result will be the best fan experience in the league. In no other stadium will all fans be as close to the field — NFL 3-D, as one ex-Charger said. Fewer people also means shorter concession lines and less of a hassle parking.

Arians was the Colts offensive coordinator in 2012. When current Colts head coach Chuck Pagano dealt with cancer that season, Arians took over a 1-2 team and led it to a 9-3 record before Pagano returned. That boosted Arians into the spotlight — he became the Arizona Cardinals head coach the following season.

Now he returns to Indianapolis with an 0-1 team that looks sluggish and lost. He is playing a Colts team that just got waxed 46-9 by the Los Angeles Rams. Arians this season has already showed signs of frustration bordering on hysteria over his Cardinals. This is a get-well game for Arians. For the Cardinals.

Some Indianapolis fans wish the Colts had pushed Pagano out and kept Arians. Arians will seek to light up the Colts, first to heal his own team, his own wobbly ego, but also to show those fans why that idea had merit.

John Ross made his NFL debut on Thursday night, and his first play wasn’t a great one to start on.

As Ross was making his way upfield, Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson popped the football out from Ross’ grasp, and Jadeveon Clowney was off to the races. He was eventually caught and tackled at the Bengals 20-yard line.

An underrated part of this play, was how Clowney casually ran with the ball like he was holding some sort of smaller object in his hands.

The first quarter of the game hasn’t been the most interesting, with all prior drives ending in punts. But this play was certainly a fun one. Thanks to the play, the Texans ended up taking a 3-0 lead.

Perhaps the most shocking application of the personal conduct policy was the league’s decision to issue a one-game suspension to former Giants kicker Josh Brown after he was arrested for domestic violence against his wife. Brown referred to the incident that led to his arrest as “just a moment,” but police records showed that Brown had been accused of more than 20 acts of violence against his now-former wife.

The NFL defended the minimal consequences for Brown based on the fact that his former wife did not cooperate with the league’s investigation. The league later re-opened its investigation when documents were released in which Brown admitted to abusing his wife repeatedly. They issued a six-game suspension at the conclusion of that investigation.

Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson and Mike Daniels all appear to have avoided season-ending injuries after dropping out of Sunday night’s loss at the Atlanta Falcons, but all three Green Bay Packers playmakers likely will need all week to determine whether they can play against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Coach Mike McCarthy refused to give any injury details on specific players during a news conference Monday night.

Game Kids Henri Richard Jersey Range of recovery varies for these particular injuries, but there are other NFL offensive skill position athletes who have suffered Jones fractures recently who can serve as comparables. Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant missed six games (over seven weeks) in 2015 after undergoing surgery to repair a Jones fracture. Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was injured in Week 10 of the same season and missed the remainder of the regular season but returned in the playoffs (nine weeks later). Both of these players ended up undergoing subsequent procedures in the offseason (which can happen in a small percentage of athletes).

This week there appears to be more optimism.

He responded well to treatment, McAdoo said after practice Friday. He responded well to his work [Thursday]. Got a little bit more [Friday], but he’s still limited.

Beckham said Thursday that he was dealing with a 6-8 week injury. But that timetable could vary or change depending on the individual.
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Joe Haden was only out of the AFC North for a few hours. After the Browns released the two-time Pro Bowler on Wednesday morning, the Steelers swooped in to sign Haden to a three-year, $27 million deal before most steel workers had clocked out for the day.

Womens Eric Ebron Jersey We didn’t do anything different or try to out-trick them, Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr said. You know, line up and play, do your job.

Coby Fleener caught the only touchdown toss, after the 2-minute warning. Will Lutz made four field goals, three under 25 yards.

The bottom line, Brees said, is you’ve got to score touchdowns.

Brees and Bradford are both in the final year of their contracts, with the same agent, Tom Condon, who is sure to cash in on both clients. Brees has by far the better resume, nine seasons further into his career, but Bradford stole the show on this prime-time stage.

Behind mostly clean pockets created by a remade offensive line, Bradford completed 27 of 32 passes without a turnover. With three rookies and three free agents in the starting lineup, the Saints tried hard to better a defense that has held Brees and company back since the Super Bowl title eight years ago. The first performance left a lot to be desired, with Diggs and Thielen consistently finding favorable matchups underneath and along the sideline.

Womens Michael Cooper Jersey In addition to the adaptations the Bills will need around their quarterbacks, their offense is adjusting to a new depth chart at running back. Williams, who was slated to back up starter LeSean McCoy, became a surprise cut Sunday.

Tom Brady can keep playing and become the oldest starting quarterback in NFL history, so says teammate Rob Gronkowski on the ageless wonder and five-time Super Bowl winner.
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Having turned 40 this year, Brady does not seem to be slowing down. And while some NFL players can play into their mid-40s, it’s rare to see a quarterback do so. Even Hall of Fame quarterback George Blanda, who retired at 48, contributed more as a kicker than as a quarterback.

So we wondered: Can Brady really play another five years and play as a 45-year-old?

In his mind, he says it all the time, and the way he’s looking right now at age 40, there’s no doubt in my mind he can play until that age, Gronkowski told Sporting News during a phone interview. The way he just works, the way he prepares every week, the way he works out, he’s just always super ready.

He’s not slowing down. It’s great to see, motivates everybody and it’s awesome to play with.
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Watson tweaked his ankle in Sunday’s game and was on the Texans’ injury report on Monday, but was listed as a full participant Tuesday.

However, the team continues to monitor his progress.

The health of any player is the first determinant in whether they play or not, O’Brien said Tuesday.

Even when things didn’t go exactly the way the Raiders wanted, Lynch was still out there having fun. Look at this graceful flip he did after a miscommunication between him and Carr:

It’s not uncommon to see players visibly upset after a play like that. It could have been a nice gain for the Raiders who were locked into a tight game at the time. But Lynch shook it off with the flip, and the Raiders were able to handle their business the rest of the way.

Aaron Donald’s contract holdout will extend into the regular season.

The Rams defensive tackle is expected to miss the team’s opener Sunday against the Colts as he continues to wait on a new deal, EPSN reported Thursday.

Rams general manager Les Snead provided an update on his status last Tuesday, saying Donald likely wouldn’t be available for the opener if he didn’t report to the team that week after skipping training camp and the preseason.

Slay said Fitzgerald isn’t afraid to dole out pieces of advice to other cornerbacks throughout the league. If anything, he said that’s what makes Fitzgerald such a good and unique player.

“Everybody looks up to Larry,” Slay said. “Fourteen years in the game, takes care of his body, be so professional about everything. Great, great guy. I met him a couple times. He’s a very, very great guy. I just look forward to always working and going against him challenging him cause the only thing he’s going to do is make me better.”

Lions safety Glover Quin also shared an interesting tidbit about how Fitzgerald is on the field.

He said Fitzgerald, who has a history of knee injuries, will tell defensive players to hit him high, and that if it’s an illegal hit he would help that player pay his fine.

Danny Woodhead’s first season with the Ravens appeared as if it was off to a fine start, as the running back compiled 37 total yards on three catches and one carry in the first quarter of Baltimore’s Week 1 game at the Bengals.

Youth Vernon Butler Jersey The appeal could have been heard either by Goodell or by an arbitrator Goodell designated. Goodell selected Harold Henderson, who also heard the appeals of Hardy and Adrian Peterson. Henderson has denied a request from Elliott’s representatives to make his accuser available to testify during the appeal hearing. Henderson also declined to release transcripts and notes from meetings with Elliott’s accuser.

In Hardy’s case, Henderson determined that the 10-game suspension issued by the league was excessive. Henderson reduced Hardy’s suspension to four games. Henderson upheld Peterson’s suspension. Both Peterson and Hardy were suspended before the league adopted its current domestic violence policy in Dec. 2014.

Aqib Talib Elite Jersey The appeal began on Tuesday, Aug. 29, and continued through Thursday, Aug. 31, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano. Elliott, the NFL’s director of investigations Kia Wright Roberts, and the NFLPA’s forensics expert all testified on Tuesday. The appeal hearing was initially scheduled for two days, but was extended after the NFL decided to make a witness available by telephone after initially refusing.

Henderson had three options: overturn the suspension, uphold the six-game suspension, or reduce the number of games Elliott is suspended. Henderson chose to uphold the suspension.

O’Brien remains adamant that Savage is the best option at quarterback based on his familiarity of the offense and, true to their organizational personality, his players have echoed that sentiment. While there might be a sense of inevitability that Watson will someday supplant Savage, a change won’t come anytime soon barring the unforeseen. Savage has ample support.

I expect him to continue where he left off this preseason, Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who sat out the preseason with a thumb injury but has been cleared to start the opener.
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We’ve got to get off to a good start, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said. There’s no excuses about 10 a.m. (Pacific time start) and all that (nonsense). We all know the schedule. So yeah, we’ve got to get off to a good start and we’ve got to get off to a good start in those games. You don’t want to get behind on the road in a domed stadium, for sure.

Carson Palmer is back behind center, but the Cardinals’ biggest weapon is running back and fantasy football darling David Johnson. He scored a combined 20 touchdowns a year ago while rushing for 1,239 yards and catching 80 passes for an additional 879 yards.

I’ve always said, he’s the closest thing I’ve been around to Marshall Faulk, Arians said. Marshall could start at wide receiver and probably on defense as a safety or corner. They’re very smart guys. If a guy isn’t real smart, you overload him to where he can’t play fast if you put a bunch of things on his plate. Obviously, David’s very bright and it’s good to see Andre (Ellington) back healthy because he can do a lot of things like that, too.
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Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden said safety Su’a Cravens needs time to work out personal issues, but that he would welcome him if he wanted to return.

Game Youth Harrison Smith Jersey Osweiler was a second-round pick by the Broncos in 2012, the same year the team signed Manning in free agency. Osweiler spent four seasons as Manning’s backup and didn’t make a start until 2015.

Manning replaced Osweiler in the regular-season finale in 2015 and led the Broncos to a comeback win over the Chargers. Manning then started all three of the Broncos’ postseason games, including their victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

The move left some hard feelings among some in Osweiler’s support group, though the Broncos were prepared to sign him to one of the bigger offers he received in free agency that offseason. However, the Broncos’ offer wasn’t nearly as big as that of the Texans, who signed Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million deal.

Asked about whether those hard feelings would be an issue that needed to be addressed in Osweiler’s return, Elway said simply: That’s not true.”

It’s the most obvious and inherent risk that comes with fighting in mixed martial arts. No matter how well someone’s physical skills translate or how well the fight pays that athlete, there’s still a realistic chance of a loss that carries devastating consequences.

But Mitrione played sparingly in just nine NFL games. Those with more longevity with the sport bring with them much more bumps, bruises and the possibility of a history of concussions.
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