Player Notes

49ers' Brock Purdy quiets critics with bevy of deep balls vs. Seahawks ·

Brock Purdy torched the Seattle Seahawks with deep balls on Dec. 10, 2023 in the San Francisco 49ers' 28-16 win.Purdy threw for a career-high 368 yards while completing 19-of-27 passes in the 49ers’ 28-16 win over the Seahawks, but perhaps most impressive was Purdy’s performance on deep balls, completing all six passes that went 16 yards or further beyond the line of scrimmage.Purdy’s touchdown pass ...

Vikings beat Raiders 3-0 as Justin Jefferson is injured again and Joshua Dobbs is benched ·

22-28 minutes 12/11/2023LAS VEGAS — After each of the Vikings' 20 wins under Kevin O'Connell, the team's digital media crew records the coach's postgame locker room speech and posts it on the Vikings' website shortly thereafter. The video of O'Connell's postgame speech following Sunday's 3-0 win over the Raiders was the first of its kind in franchise history.It had to be, because the only other time ...

Rams' gutsy effort against Ravens ends with 'gut punch' in OT ·

4-5 minutes 12/11/2023BALTIMORE —The walk-off punt return that beat the Rams and ended their game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday unfolded much like the Rams’ season.It was pockmarked by regrettable lost opportunities.A missed tackle here.Hey, remember that home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers?A missed tackle there.How about that defeat against struggling-at-the-time Green Bay?By the time Tylan ...

Dan Campbell 'not worried' after another clunker, but Detroit Lions starting to show cracks ·

CHICAGO — Dan Campbell keeps insisting he isn’t worried, and his team keeps playing clunkers of games.Once the toast of the NFL, the Detroit Lions lost for the second time in three weeks on Sunday, 28-13, to the lowly Chicago Bears.They turned the ball over three times, gift-wrapped 12 second-half points with careless defensive mistakes and managed just 61 yards of offense and no points in a hard-to-watch ...

Everything that coach Nick Sirianni, QB Jalen Hurts said after the Eagles lost to the Cowboys on Sunday ·

20-26 minutes 12/11/2023What the Philadelphia Eagles said after losing 33-13 to the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Sunday. Postgame transcript courtesy of the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles media relations staffs.Coach Nick SirianniOn where he feels the team is at. At 10-3 but two losses to two teams that are contenders in the conference.Yeah, you know, obviously we’ve got to play a little ...

Don’t upset Cowboys' Stephon Gilmore. A.J. Brown learned the hard way ·

4-5 minutes 12/11/2023ARLINGTON—Stephon Gilmore is a mild-mannered person. He speaks quietly and mentors people who request it. Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons said the veteran cornerback is one of the best additions to this defense. He mentions how Gilmore helps players with eating healthier, training and fine-tuning their techniques on the football field.Gilmore’s presence is welcomed.Here’s the ...

Justin Fields keeps himself in Bears QB debate by leading them to win over Lions ·

6-8 minutes 12/11/2023With Justin Fields’ future in flux and everything seemingly stacked against him as he tries to convince the Bears he’s their franchise quarterback, he delivered a performance Sunday at Soldier Field that will keep the debate going.Fields made the decisive plays in a 28-13 win over the Lions — a landmark victory for him and the Bears — and gave everyone something to think about ...

Falcons’ Arthur Smith: ‘Obviously, frustrated losing like that’ ·

7-9 minutes 12/11/2023Here’s what Falcons coach Arthur Smith had to say after the 29-25 loss to the Bucs on Sunday:On the offense being able to move the ball late and what happened on the final defensive possession: “Couple things. You’ve got to give Tampa credit. You know, made some plays. Obviously, hit some plays on the outside or had some out breakers, and, you know, got the big first down. They ...

Chicago Bears QB Tyson Bagent is confident executing the game plan in his 2nd start: ‘I don’t want to put any limits’ ·

The nerves are still there for Tyson Bagent this week.But that’s a normal part of the process for the Chicago Bears undrafted rookie, not an exception as he prepares to make his second NFL start Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.Bagent always has what he calls “nerved-up” energy flowing through him during game weeks when he’s off the field, a product of homing in on the details ...

Can Titans' Levis make a better first impression than Willis? ·

One could make a case that if it were about fairness, then the Titans would give Malik Willis the start against the Atlanta Falcons in place of an injured Ryan Tannehill on Sunday.It was Willis, after all, who was named the team’s number two quarterback way back in March, just after the Titans had made Levis the 33rd overall pick in the NFL Draft.It was Willis who received the bulk of the Titans’ second-team ...

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 ...