Player Notes

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL · Dec 14, 2018

NFL Team Report - Tennessee TitansFRIDAY INJURY REPORTTENNESSEE TITANS --OUT: RB David Fluellen (knee), LB Brian Orakpo (elbow), TE Cole Wick (shoulder)NEW YORK GIANTS --OUT: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (quadriceps)PLAYER NOTES --T Austin Pasztor was signed off the street to take Jack Conklin's place on the Titans 53-man roster and to provide additional depth on the offensive line. --T Dennis Kelly ...

NOTES, QUOTES · Dec 14, 2018

NFL Team Report - Tennessee Titans--The Titans put tight end Jonnu Smith on injured reserve with a reported MCL injury to his knee. Smith's role had increased this season after Delanie Walker was lost with a broken fibula in the season opener. And while Smith started slowly and was barely part of the offense for the first half of the season, his play improved as the year went on. He had 20 catches ...

INSIDE SLANT · Dec 14, 2018

NFL Team Report - Tennessee TitansTitans need hot stretch to stay alive Several times already this season, the Tennessee Titans have had opportunities to establish themselves as legitimate NFL contenders. At one point, they were 3-1 following an overtime win over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. That was immediately followed by a three-game losing streak that included an ...

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL · Dec 14, 2018

NFL Team Report - Atlanta FalconsFRIDAY INJURY REPORTARIZONA CARDINALS --QUESTIONABLE: S Budda Baker (knee), LB Deone Bucannon (chest), WR Chad Williams (hamstring)ATLANTA FALCONS --OUT: DT Terrell McClain (toe) --QUESTIONABLE: RB Ito Smith (knee, neck)PLAYER NOTES --WR Julio Jones fought through a hand issue last week and caught eight passes for 106 yards. He became the first player in NFL ...

NOTES, QUOTES · Dec 14, 2018

NFL Team Report - Atlanta Falcons--Don't read anything into the fact that rookie running back Ito Smith had more carries than veteran Tevin Coleman last week against the Packers. It just happened to work out that way, head coach Dan Quinn said. Smith had 11 carries for 60 yards, including a long run of 17 yards. Coleman ran 10 times for 45 yards, including a long gain of 13 yards. "It wasn't anything ...

INSIDE SLANT · Dec 14, 2018

NFL Team Report - Atlanta FalconsFalcons focus on more attention to detail Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn has never shied away from outside-the-box thinking. This week he reached a new level, reaching into the sport of boxing to help motivate his team. The Falcons, who take a five-game losing streak into this week's game against Arizona, showed a championship fight to the team in an effort ...

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL · Dec 14, 2018

NFL Team Report - Green Bay PackersFRIDAY INJURY REPORTGREEN BAY PACKERS --DOUBTFUL: T Bryan Bulaga (knee) --QUESTIONABLE: CB Bashaud Breeland (groin, not injury related), DT Kenny Clark (elbow)CHICAGO BEARS --QUESTIONABLE: S Eddie Jackson (shin), DT Bilal Nichols (knee), WR Allen Robinson II (hip)PLAYER NOTES --Starting RG Byron Bell was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. He had ...

NOTES, QUOTES · Dec 14, 2018

NFL Team Report - Green Bay Packers--Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is 16-4 as a regular-season starter against the Bears. Including playoffs, that record goes to 17-4. He has a career passer rating of 105.9 against Chicago. Of quarterbacks with 200 career attempts against Chicago, that's by far the best, with Drew Brees a distant second at 95.4. --Running back Aaron Jones is third in the NFL with 5.58 ...

INSIDE SLANT · Dec 14, 2018

NFL Team Report - Green Bay PackersPackers hope success continues in Chicago The Green Bay Packers' long-shot playoff bid received a major shot in the arm last week when they beat the Atlanta Falcons and four teams ahead of them in the playoff chase lost. Now comes the biggest challenge for the Packers: A trip to Chicago. Soldier Field might as well have been Lambeau Field South over the last ...

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL · Dec 14, 2018

NFL Team Report - Cincinnati BengalsFRIDAY INJURY REPORTOAKLAND RAIDERS --QUESTIONABLE: DT Maurice Hurst (ankle), G Gabe Jackson (elbow, ankle), G Kelechi Osemele (toe), LB Kyle Wilber (hamstring)CINCINNATI BENGALS --OUT: LB Vontaze Burfict (concussion) --DOUBTFUL: CB KeiVarae Russell (finger) --QUESTIONABLE: T Cordy Glenn (back), DE Michael Johnson (concussion), CB Dre Kirkpatrick (ankle), ...

Recent Stories

NFL roster madness explained

Something always has to have a nickname. Like “Black Monday” in the NFL, when head coaches are fired the day after the end of the regular season, it was only a matter of time before someone slapped a name on the cutdown in the NFL. Some have called it “Black ...

CeeDee cashes in, sets stage for rookie WR class

Now that the Dallas Cowboys finally quieted the daily discussion about wide receiver CeeDeee Lamb with a massive contract, there is no doubt the trend is to covet these pass catchers second only to the almighty quarterback. The prolific All-Pro wideout agreed ...

Must-see 2024 NFL rookie QB battles

After the first 12 picks in this year’s draft were complete, the 2024 quarterback class was destined to be forever linked to that celebrated 1983 draft, which also saw six quarterbacks, including three Hall of Famers, taken in Round 1. With the countdown to the ...

Rookie IOLs with mettle to medal

Amid the Summer Olympics, the NFL season has officially begun with a full slate of preseason games. This is the time of year when the attention is typically on the skilled position players as fantasy football degenerates are fine-tuning their draft strategies to ...

When Life Choices Become Grave Mistakes

I'm deeply saddened to hear about the tragic "accident" that claimed the lives of three young men: Khyree Jackson (24), Isaiah Hazel (23), and Anthony Lytton Jr. (24). These childhood friends shared dreams and aspirations of becoming professional athletes. They ...

Running back: Devolution of a proud position

In this, the first in a series on the state of running backs, we discuss how a dramatic evolution has negatively impacted a once proud position. The series will look back at RBs selected in the 2024 draft, ahead to a 2025 class that seems loaded with runners and ...

Trump's forgotten charge: Killing the USFL

July 11, 2024, is already etched in history as the day former President Donald Trump will be sentenced for 34 felony convictions. Regardless of the outcome, I am reminded of July 29, 1986, when he actually won his battle in a New York court and lost the war. Trump ...

Larry Allen: A long road to respect

Arguably the most dominant offensive lineman in football history, Larry Allen died Sunday while on vacation with his family in Mexico. He was 52.   His life story redefined perseverance. It could have been the original plot line for Straight Outta Compton, but ...

Controversy: Are punters, kickers NFL-draft worthy?

Kansas City Chiefs’ placekicker Harrison Butker made an impression in 2023 by making 33 of 35 field goals. Last week, he made quite an impression at Benedictine College, where Butker, shall we say, pushed his commencement speech wide right.   Controversy and ...

Jim Otto, the original Mr. Raider, dies at 86

The original Mr. Raider has passed. Jim Otto, the first Raider to touch a football, died Sunday at his Auburn (CA) home, with his family at his side. He spent most of his 86 years sneering at the inevitable, enduring last rites three previous times. Otto is survived ...

2024 Draft: A next-gen affair

As we look forward to watching the 257 draftees selected last week in the 2024 NFL Draft, we also gaze in the rear-view mirror at those relatives who preceded them and established the family name long ago. Fathers, uncles, and brothers with names everyone ...

Calculating the 2024 Draft grades of all 257 picks

 2024 DRAFT: 32 TEAMS AND 257 PLAYERS GRADED Exhale. The 2024 NFL Draft did indeed conclude when Mr. Irrelevant, Jaylen Key (DB, Alabama) was drafted by the New York Jets with the No. 257 selection. We can break out the calculators and over analyze the selection ...