Player Notes

Jets’ Sauce Gardner fires back (again) at refs who called him for costly penalty in loss to Chiefs ·

Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner fired a second shot at refs who called him for a costly fourth-quarter penalty that helped the Kansas City Chiefs — cheered on by pop star Taylor Swift — avoid an upset on Sunday night with a 23-20 win at MetLife Stadium.Gardner was penalized after the Chiefs failed on a third-and-20 — with the Jets trailing by three points and just under five minutes remaining. A flag ...

Bill Belichick on his 1-3 Patriots: ‘We’re still fighting’ ·

A day after sustaining the worst loss of his head coaching career, Bill Belichick had a simple message during his weekly Monday morning interview with WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.”“We’re still fighting,” he said of the 1-3 Patriots. New England’s 38-3 defeat against the Cowboys on Sunday resulted in not only the third quarter benching of quarterback Mac Jones, but also injuries to multiple starting ...

Chargers QB Justin Herbert suffers fractured left middle finger ·

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert fractured the middle finger on his left, non-throwing hand during the third quarter of the team’s victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, the team announced. He is expected to play when the Chargers return to action Oct. 16, after their bye this week.Tests revealed the extent of the injury on Monday.“Tough customer,” Coach Brandon Staley said.Herbert was injured ...

Patrick Mahomes’ slide was a wise move late in Chiefs’ win, but bettors were unhappy ·

Church was in service Sunday night.The Chiefs salted away a 23-20 win Sunday night with a 7-minute, 24-second drive that didn’t result in points but also didn’t allow the Jets to get the ball back.New York had the ball just once in the fourth quarter and it resulted in a turnover when Jets quarterback Zach Wilson lost a fumble. The Chiefs took over at the Jets’ 47-yard line and ran 15 plays, picking ...

What's next for Jonathan Taylor and the Colts? A look at all the options ·

INDIANAPOLIS -- Jonathan Taylor has a chance to come back and play for the Colts this week.When he actually does is now the question.Indianapolis' All-Pro running back is eligible to return from the Physically Unable to Perform List as early as Monday. Per NFL rules, he had to miss the first four games once the Colts placed him on the list to end the preseason, which they did for what general manager ...

Bengals will stick with Joe Burrow as starting QB despite lingering calf injury ·

Zac Taylor made it clear the Cincinnati Bengals are not going to sit quarterback Joe Burrow as he continues to deal with a lingering calf strain.Taylor was asked point blank if Burrow is going to start and play against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.“Yeah … that's a strange question,” Taylor said.Is it a strange question, though? Cincinnati’s fifth-year head coach then was asked if he believes his ...

Sam Howell, Eric Bieniemy change the tone for this team ·

What did the Commanders’ 34-31 overtime loss to the Eagles do?It changed the conversation about this team, from gloomy to gritty. It may have finally given some meaning to the incessant “opportunities” that coach Ron Rivera talks about. It restored some credibility to their young quarterback, Sam Howell. That’s quite a lot to have accomplished in a loss.Yes, they lost, but not all losses are the same. ...

Dreadful offensive line leaves Daniel Jones out to dry versus Seahawks: 'No excuse' ·

The Giants protected their own NFL record for offensive line futility better than they protected Daniel Jones.The decade-long struggle to build an offensive line might have bottomed out Monday, when the Giants allowed 11 sacks in a 24-3 loss to the Seahawks.It got so bad that even wide receivers were taking sacks, as Jones was spared one of the 11 when Parris Campbell was dropped for an 8-yard loss ...

Saints coach Dennis Allen says he doesn't plan to make changes to staff after Bucs loss ·

New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen said Monday that he has no plans to make changes to his coaching staff after Sunday's 26-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael has faced increasing criticism for an offense that has failed to live up to expectations, but Allen indicated Monday that his job is safe for now."We won’t make any coaching changes," Allen told the media ...

Vikings' Ivan Pace Jr. leads NFL's undrafted rookies in playing time ·

No undrafted NFL defender has played more for his team this season than Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.His 25 tackles, including five in Sunday's win against the Panthers, are tied for second among all rookies, whether drafted in the first round or signed after all 259 selections were made.And while Pace typically averages more tackles than words to reporters in a given week, he put a fine point on ...

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 ...