With Turf Show Times The Texans are playing the St. Louis Los Angeles Rams this Saturday afternoon. To celebrate this momentous occasion http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/deshaun-watson-jersey , the most important preseason game of the year, I asked Joe of Turf Show Times three questions. This was the result. 1).Todd Gurley had 19 (19!) touchdowns last season. The most he had previously was 10 during his rookie year. The biggest change was the passing game. Gurley caught 64 passes on 87 targets for 12.3 yards a reception after being targeted only 58 times in 2016. Is this pass-catching Gurley going to be the Gurley we see from here on out? From a fantasy perspective, are you worried Gurley sees a drop in production after having an insane 2017 (19! touchdowns)?2.)The Rams added Marcus Peters, Ndamukong Suh, Aqib Talib, and Sam Shields to the roster over the offseason. Last season they finished in DVOA like the usual Wade Phillips defense does—excellent against the pass and fine against the run. The Rams ended the 2017 season sixth overall with a defensive DVOA of -9.8%. With the new additions Deshaun Watson Jersey Elite , how much better can the defense be? Do you think the Rams dethrone the Jaguars and end up with the best pass defense in football?3.)Sometimes in sports, we see this:A whale is dropped from a helicopter into a public pool during the offseason. A team spends a ton of money. It adds an insane amount of talent. Then, the following season, that team struggles to play well and their performance fails to meet their talent level. Do you have any concerns about the Rams failing to meet expectations after the excitement of last season and the new additions generated?Make sure to head on over to Turf Show Times to read more about the Rams before they host the Texans on Saturday afternoon. I sat down with Michael Nania of Gang Green Nation, the New York Jets SB Nation site. He asked me five questions. I also asked him five to preview this Saturday’s game between the Jets and Texans. This is what he had to say. 1.) Sam Darnold has been hurt and has thrown a lot of interceptions, but he has made some sublime throws. How would you describe his rookie year? Where would you rank him out of the rookie quarterback selected in the first round last year? How excited are you for future Josh Allen versus Sam Darnold matchups?2.) Quincy Enunwa Authentic Whitney Mercilus Jersey , Robby Anderson, Jermaine Kearse, Elijah McGuire, Isaiah Crowell, Christopher Herndon. The Jets have a bunch of decent skill players, but no one that can carry an offense on his own. The offensive line hasn’t pass blocked or run blocked well this year. Is Darnold in an environment where he can succeed?3.) The Jets blitz from every level of the defense.They blitz all the time. When it gets picked up Johnathan Joseph Jersey , it leaves them susceptible on the back end and allows the quarterback to step up and run forever. The Jets have a top ten pass defense, but they have trouble stopping the run. What’s your opinion of Todd Bowles’ defensive scheme? Are you expecting him back next year?4.) Leonard Williams is an undeniable talent, but he has only 15 sacks in his career and hasn’t put together a monstrous box score stuffing season. Why is that?5.) Do you give the Jets any chance of upsetting Houston? If so, why will the Jets win?
Dabo Swinney compared Deshaun Watson to Michael Jordan prior to the 2017 NFL Draft Womens Benardrick McKinney Jersey , where Watson would get passed over by nearly a dozen needy teams, a lot of people scoffed and snickered. Now, nearly two years later, while not the bragging sort, Dabo is probably thinking to himself “How do you like me now?” Having played his entire professional career behind arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL, Deshaun Watson leads the league in sacks taken. While he has a tendency to hang onto the ball too long, he also has some magic up his sleeve. Despite the line’s inability to open rushing lanes for the running backs, despite their inability to prevent opposing defenses from getting five steps into the Texans’ backfield faster than Watson can, despite having to field his backup’s backup, Joe Webb, as his WR3, Deshaun has found a way to drag this team Youth Ka'imi Fairbairn Jersey , sometimes kicking and screaming, to the #2 seed in the AFC Playoff race. Most of the Texans’ wins haven’t been pretty, and the losses have all been ugly, but when Watson is on his game, he’s proven to be unstoppable. Maybe the Texans should bring in Mercy Me to sing “I Can Only Imagine” as the their intro song before the next kickoff at NRG Stadium as we all dream of the day Watson, J.J. Watt, and DeAndre Hopkins hold up the Lombardi Trophy while standing behind an All-Pro offensive line. Or, maybe, just maybe, the Texans do it this year. The Texans have never been closer to a playoff bye than they are right now. In fact, if they can beat the Eagles and Jaguars over the next two weeks, they’ll have clinched the first bye in team history. Ugly wins or not http://www.thetexansfootballauthentic.com/zach-cunningham-jersey-authentic , that’s something to get excited about. And, ugly wins or not, the trio of Watson, Hopkins and Watt can find a way to beat anyone on any given Sunday. Sure, they don’t match up well against teams with star quarterbacks.Sure, they don’t have a great track record against the Chiefs or Patriots in the NFL Playoffs, having been ousted by both in recent years. But the ball has been bouncing Houston’s way this season. Anyone with the ability to examine football teams would conclude Houston doesn’t match up well with anyone else in the AFC playoff picture. One could also argue Houston is only where they are due to a weak schedule. But the difference between winners and losers in the NFL is razor thin, and the winners often simply are the teams that find a way to win. With Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt and DeAndre Hopkins – arguably three of the NFL’s biggest talents – Houston’s odds of success in the postseason should go way up. Most teams often only have one, possibly two superstars. Having a trio of them means if the Texans can get/stay healthy,if the offensive line can start functioning at a pro level, and if the team can continue to get some of the lucky breaks they had during the nine-game winning streak http://www.thetexansfootballauthentic.com/j.j.-watt-jersey-authentic , a Super Bowl trophy is not only possible, it’s highly probable. What do you think? Convinced Houston is going to crash and burn or do you think this year is THE year? The National Football League has a long regular season of sixteen games, spanning almost four full calendar months.A lot of teams go through certain phases over the duration of a season, as if the season is one elegant novel composed of eventful, but unique chapters.The roller coaster that has been the 2018 Houston Texans’ season is exactly how Mark Twain would have scripted it if he were still alive and assigned to tell the story of a football team.The plot is simple. The overly flawed protagonist falls into a hole, becomes resilient, rides a wave of success and luck before the magic slowly dies out as the goal lies within reach.The road to the NFL Playoffs for these Houston Texans fits that bill like Cinderella and her glass slipper.Looking like he might be just a flash-in-the-pan early in the season, unable to recapture his rookie year magic, September had Deshaun Watson looking like what he was—a young player still recovering from a torn ACL.Watson’s play was sloppy.His legs were not quite working yet. Everything on a football team begins with the quarterback, the most important position in all of sports, and Watson didn’t look like the guy who set the league on fire in 2017.An opening day loss in New England, followed by two more losses to the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants http://www.thetexansfootballauthentic.com/johnathan-joseph-jersey-authentic , put the Texans at 0-3, leaving them with a 2.8 percent chance of securing postseason berth. Only five of the 153 teams that started the season 0-3 since 1980 have reached the playoffs.The Texans proceeded to rally for a nine-game winning streak to reach the top of the AFC South division, squarely in contention for a first-round bye. The tables turned as Deshaun Watson began looking like the rookie dynamo he was last year and Houston’s defense saw improvement, most notably against the rush.The Texans finished third in the league in rushing yards allowed per game at 82.7, just behind the Bears and Saints. They allowed 3.4 yards per attempt, which ranks them first in the league in that statistical category.Of course, some fortunate late-game miscues by opponents assisted the Texans on some of their nine consecutive wins. Most folks outside of Houston disregarded this team as a true contender due to their excessive lack of style points in their wins.Good thing the NFL is not college football.The finish of the regular season was far from smooth. After losing at home to the Colts via a dominant performance from Andrew Luck, the Texans had their hands full with the New York Jets, squeaking by on a late touchdown.Houston followed that up with a last-second field goal loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia and a ho-hum win at home against the Jaguars, leaving some down on these Texans as the NFL Playoffs loom and Indianapolis Colts loom.JJ Watt will need to spearhead this defense if they have real aspirations in the postseason.Troy Taormina-USA TODAY SportsIn retrospect, 2018 has been a tale of three seasons. They just all happened to occur in the same four month period of 2018.The first season was full of dysfunction came early.Houston fans quickly put their hopes in the Astros repeating their World Series run of 2017 as the Texans appeared headed for a top ten pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.The second season, known as “The Magic Carpet Ride http://www.thetexansfootballauthentic.com/jadeveon-clowney-jersey-authentic ,” gave the Texans a historic winning streak that lasted two and a half months, propelling them from the graveyard to a potential first-round bye.The third season began once the winning streak ended, and it was time to see how this group would respond in the thick of a playoff race.There is a fourth season that begins this Saturday against the Colts. The postseason. While national attention will be directed towards the Chiefs and Patriots as it pertains to the AFC, the Texans will look to continue their under-the-radar journey and win a home playoff game for just the fourth time in franchise history.As good the novel has been so far, it would only be fitting if it were concluded in nail-biting fashion.That has been the name of the game for these Texans.No win is overly impressive.No loss is overly deflating. Everything seems to come down to a few plays, no matter how well or poor they perform.The Texans can look like the more talented and superior team yet still escape on a missed last-second field goal.Or they can look overmatched for sixty minutes and potentially come within an offsides penalty of having a chance to tie a game.Whichever result comes to pass on Saturday will only further write the novel that details how the season has gone for the Texans:The Little Engine That Couldn’t, But Then Sorta Could: The Story of the 2018 Houston Texans
It’s almost over. SO close. Just one more of these brain numbing Womens Julien Davenport Jersey , I wish I was hungover but I’m not hungover football games left. This time it’s the All-TEXAS battle between the Cowboys and Texans, where the winner gets to brag to their friends and enemies on the other side of the line that their team won because of the depth and overall talent of their roster. Yes, I have made that argument before. It was, like, 2012, and damn, I can’t wait to make that argument again. Because for this game, I’ll probably go hang out with some Cowboys fans and talk fantasy football, Labor Day Weekend, Canada, and the upcoming season. Hopefully, I get lucky and get some free food out of it. Also http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/bruce-ellington-jersey , this game should 100% should be played in San Antonio instead of Dallas or Houston. Tell my why I’m wrong. You can’t. What about you? What are you doing? Are you going to take to the internet and say mean things and big words to Cowboys fans that they can’t understand? Will you be hanging around the ones you love (or are acquainted with) who root for that other team in Texas? Will you be doing better things with your life instead, like sitting outside, reading a book, and enjoying the last days of summer, or exercising so you can gain it all back this winter? Whatever your plans, let us know in the Comments. If you’re still trying to figure out what you’re going to do, or if you’ll be a stranger in a strange land looking for somewhere to catch the game, pose any queries here; someone might have a suggestion for you. Similarly, if you’ve got a worthy spot staked out somewhere and want to clue fellow Texans fans in to it, please divulge that information in the Comments as well.Houston Texans Injury News: Updates On Whitney Mercilus, Seantrel Henderson, Kevin Johnson http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/tyrann-mathieu-jersey , And D’Onta Foreman This week, football is actually happening. I know I’ve said this to start every article this week, but dammit, it still doesn’t feel real, and until it does, to ensure it actually is real, this is how things are going to be. On the injury front, I have some good news and some expected news for the Texans. The first is Whitney Mercilus. The Texans’ starting outside linebacker has been out for the majority of the preseason because of a hamstring injury. He’s going to be back and starting right away this week against the Patriots. Expect him to be taking on the outside half of Rob Gronkowski in the run game, lining up against Gronk in coverage occasionally, and trying to get to Tom Brady as quickly as possible. Hopefully Romeo Crennel looks back at his past and gives him plenty of shots as an inside rusher as well. The Texans’ running back situation is sadly set for another six weeks. D’Onta Foreman tore his Achilles on a diabolical run against Arizona last year. We haven’t seen him since. Now we will have to wait at least six more weeks until he attempts to return from the same injury, as the team placed Foreman on the PUP List to begin the 2018 regular season. Look for Lamar Miller, Tyler Ervin Womens Kevin Johnson Jersey , Alfred Blue, and Buddy Howell instead. Additionally, Seantrel Henderson has returned to practice after having a cyst removed.Kevin Johnson is also expected to play on Sunday after suffering a concussion against the 49ers earlier this preseason. On New England’s end, information is less available. Rob Gronkowski will play. Rex Burkhead probably will too. Left tackle Trent Brown, the replacement for rookie first round pick Isaiah Wynn, should play, even if he missed practice yesterday with an excused absence. Rookie running back Sony Michel may miss Sunday’s game.As usual with New England, things are shrouded in mystery.
on Sunday Youth Larry Ogunjobi Jersey , seven weeks (and 70 minutes) after playing to a draw in Week One. A pair of defensive players who arrived in Cleveland via round one of the 2017 draft provided the same answer when asked on Friday whether the rematch entails a sense of unfinished business: “Absolutely.”That was the immediate response both from defensive end Myles Garrett and safety Jabrill Peppers.“You do not know who is the better out of the two yet,” Garrett said. “We have to finish it off and see who wins round two.”“I definitely feel like we let them sneak out of here,” Peppers added. “We fought all of the way back, but it should not have even been that if we did what we were supposed to do from the get go. We are just going to go over there focused, ready to go, hungry. They are coming off of a bye week so they will probably have a couple of wrinkles and things we probably have not seen on tape yet. For the most part, we know what we are going to get. We know what their guys are. We know what we have to do to win. It is just about going to battle.鈥滵uring the last battle, the Browns created six turnovers. Can they do it again?鈥淭hat is the goal,” Garrett said. “Six turnovers is a lot Youth Chris Hubbard Jersey , but I think that it is doable. Just have to keep on getting after [quarterback Ben Roethlisberger].”Both players also see the game as pivotal to the season of a 2-4-1 team that has been in position to win six of its seven games.鈥淔or our season and our momentum, we have to come back and punch them in the mouth,” Garrett said. “It is definitely a big game for us as it is for them — all division games are. We have to be on our p鈥檚 and q鈥檚.鈥漇aid Peppers: “You could not write this story any better. Coming off of a tough loss — three tough losses. Two of those, I think, we should have had, but that is the way the ball rolls some times. They are top of the division. We tied them at our place the first game of the season. Now, we get a chance to go up to their place. It is set up perfectly. Get this bad taste out of our mouths and start this run.鈥漈hey’re both right. There’s a huge difference between 3-4-1 and 2-5-1. And if the Browns are going to be true contenders in 2018, they need to find a way to come home from the confluence of three rivers with that third win.Cleveland Browns Training Camp 2018: Special Teams Preview (Kicking Game) We continue our training camp preview on the Cleveland Browns by looking at the special teams units. In Part 1, we’ll focus on the kicker Womens Kevin Zeitler Jersey , punter, and long snapper positions. In Part 2, we’ll look at return man candidates and special teams aces.KickerKen Blaze-USA TODAY Sports1. Zane Gonzalez - Returning KickerHeight: 6-0 | Weight: 202 lbs | Age: 23Experience: 2 years | College: Arizona StateZane Gonzalez did not have many field goal attempts as a rookie last year. He connected on 15-of-20 field goals and 25-of-26 extra points. Gonzalez’ rough patch of the season came in Weeks 4-5, when he went 0-for-3. The rest of the season, he was 13-of-15.Leg strength isn’t an issue for Gonzalez. His season long was 54 yards, and he never faced any issues on kickoffs. Gonzalez has the edge to begin this year’s kicking competition due to being the returning player, but it’s not very much of an edge. He will need to compete in this year’s training camp just as he did last year against Cody Parkey, knowing that nothing is set in stone. There is also a new special teams coach with the club, which cuts some ties of allegiance he may have had from Chris Tabor.Final Roster Odds: 70%William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports2. Ross Martin - Competing KickerHeight: 5-9 | Weight: 187 lbs | Age: 25Experience: Rookie | College: DukeRoss Martin was an undrafted free agent in 2016 who first signed with the New York Jets. He competed in training camp with the Jets in 2016 and 2017 Youth Baker Mayfield Jersey , but didn’t make the roster nor the practice squad either year. In 2016, Martin was 4-of-6 in the preseason on field goals and 1-of-2 on extra points, with a long of 55 yards. Last year, Martin was 4-of-5 on field goals in the preseason and 2-of-2 on extra points.The fun part of Martin’s story is that he is a local kid, growing up in Solon, OH and attending Walsh Jesuit High School before going to college at Duke. Here is a shot of Martin a week ago showing that he can stick it from 69 yards out:Final Roster Odds: 30%PunterKirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports1. Britton Colquitt - Veteran PunterHeight: 6-3 | Weight: 210 lbs | Age: 33Experience: 9 years | College: TennesseeBritton Colquitt finished with a career high in punting average last year (47.6 yards per punt). His net average of 40.6 yards per punt was the second best of his career. Punters age well, so the fact that this will be his ninth year in the NFL isn’t a bad thing, and he’s still under contract through 2020.The primary thing that could cost Colquitt his job is an injury. He did miss minicamp to injury, but the team labeled it as a very minor knee injury Youth Emmanuel Ogbah Jersey , and that he was expected to be ready for the start of camp. He does face some competition this year in the form of a punter who punted all season last year with Green Bay.Final Roster Odds: 90%Jim Matthews-USA TODAY Sports2. Justin Vogel - Veteran PunterHeight: 6-5 | Weight: 220 lbs | Age: 24Experience: 2 years | College: MiamiIn early May, the Browns claimed Justin Vogel from the Green Bay Packers. Vogel was an undrafted free agent out of Miami in 2017 who signed with the Packers. He played in all 16 games for them, logging 71 punts and setting a franchise record with a 41.6 net average.Why did the Packers move on from of Vogel? They wanted to give him a shot to catch on elsewhere after the front office decided to spend a fifth-round draft pick this year on P JK Scott. He also had some good hang time, per Pro Football Focus:If Vogel lights it up in camp compared to Colquitt, it wouldn’t be unheard of for the youngster to unseat the veteran. I’m not counting on it, though.Final Roster Odds: 10%Long SnapperScott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports1. Charley Hughlett - Veteran Long SnapperHeight: 6-4 | Weight: 248 lbs | Age: 28Experience: 4 years | College: Central FloridaThree full seasons completed in his tenure with the Browns, and Charley Hughlett hasn’t had the yips yet. He is under contract through the 2022 season. I’d be curious to ask a former NFL long snapper how often they snapped during the offseason to make sure they remained picture perfect in their craft. It is a high pressure position to play; any other position can afford to have a gaffe every now and then, but one miscue by a long snapper and they instantly turn into a goat.Final Roster Odds: 100% Custom Seattle Seahawks Jerseys
Mayfield’s attitude and charisma are “contagious http://www.brownsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-larry-ogunjobi-jersey ,” and that he knew the rookie was ready to play from the day the Cleveland Browns drafted him.Landry has said a lot. He has also backed it up by becoming the focal point of the Cleveland Browns offense. But even as a proven performer, the receiver said he needs to tweak some things with Mayfield taking over the quarterback position.“I got to turn up the JUGS machine to like eight or nine now, since Baker throws that ball so hard. He threw one to me in the game and I dropped it because I didn’t even know how to put my hands, and before I could make the decision, the ball was on me,” Landry said on NFL Network Ian Rapoport’s RapSheet and Friends podcast. “So, I just realized it’s a little bit of a different ball, a lot more velocity, so I definitely got to get on the JUGS for that, and catch as many balls from Baker as possible.”“I just kind of kept running and before you know it the ball was up and he throws the ball with so much zing,” Landry told Rapoport. “It got to me so quickly.”Mayfield’s velocity and quick decision-making were two standout traits he showcased last Thursday. While he might not fit the prototypical physical mold many think of when they imagine the ideal NFL quarterback Jarvis Landry Jersey , he spins a pretty football like you’d expect.You know there’s some English on those passes if a veteran like Landry is having to make adjustments to keep up.But throwing a pretty ball and making quick decisions aren’t all that goes into engineering a successful offense. It takes a connection between a quarterback and his receivers.“It is just trust. He is a football player and so am I. The trust level. To say that we have not gotten any reps [the trust level] seemed pretty high on Thursday,” Landry said during Wednesday’s player availability.There’s still a ways to go before Landry and Mayfield completely trust and are familiar enough with one another, but early returns have been positive. They’re going to be put in new situations each week and will benefit from figuring each other out when challenged in different ways.Since trust is so important, it’s remarkable how quickly the pair were able to build up a playing rapport despite not practicing together much at all. That speaks to how much both players prepare, not just in the week leading up to game day, but every day since they showed up in Berea.Because of his talent, attitude and work ethic, Landry said he has known for awhile that the rookie has what it takes to play in the NFL.“Since the day that that they drafted him,” Landry responded to the question. “Obviously, understanding the potential and the things that he can do and what makes him special and having the guys around him with the trust level at a premium to make the plays, as well.”“One thing that I know about him Authentic Nick Chubb Jersey , he walks it like he talks it,” Landry added. “That is something that I appreciate and I respect about him and that he has continued to do.”After another solid day of interviews, Landry wouldn’t escape without leaving us another sound bite to chew on as we prepare for Mayfield’s first NFL start.“It’s that walk it talk it. He definitely has that attitude and charisma, and you know that’s contagious,” Landry finished with a chuckle. “It’s contagious.“Contagious.” Cleveland Browns:Browns set to embark on “very thorough” head coaching search (DawgsbyNature.com) - “On Monday, general manager John Dorsey got down to the biggest task of the off-season: finding the team’s next full-time head coach.”John Dorsey: “There’s a bright future for this organization” (clevelandbrowns.com) - “General Manager John Dorsey addressed the media on December 31, 2018. John discusses the Cleveland Browns head coaching search, why this team is a desirable destination for a head coach and assesses Baker Mayfield’s rookie season.” (VIDEO)List and background of every reported Cleveland Browns HC candidate (Dawg Pound Daily) - “The Cleveland Browns are casting a wide net of candidates for their head coaching vacancy and we’ll take a look at every reported candidate.”Damarious Randall on the Browns in ‘19: ‘The AFC North knows it’s in trouble’ (cleveland.com) - “We know what’s ahead,’’ Randall said after Sunday’s 26-24 loss to the Ravens. “The NFL knows it’s in trouble, the AFC North knows it’s in trouble. We expect to win the AFC North next year, we expect to win a lot of games next year and we’ve just got to get back to the drawing board and get some rest and get back to work.’’Cleveland Browns’ opponents for 2019 season revealed (WKYC) - “With the 2018 season having come to a close Darren Fells Jersey , the Cleveland Browns now know who they’ll be facing in 2019.”NFL:NFL Power Rankings Poll: Saints No. 1, Chiefs No. 2 Heading into Playoffs (Sports Illustrated) - “The season is over and now the fun really begins. For 12 teams, the playoffs await. For 20 teams, it’s draft season.”Antonio Brown skipped walkthrough, left game early (NFL.com) - “The Steelers listed Brown with a knee injury on Thursday’s injury report after initially labeling him with a not-injury-related designation on Wednesday. He didn’t practice all week and, on Friday, Tomlin told reporters he was undergoing tests on his knee.”Marvin Lewis out as Bengals coach after 16 years (NFL.com) - “Marvin Lewis’ 16-year run as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals is over.Following a third straight losing season, the Bengals fired Lewis on Monday.”NFL Black Monday: Every coach who was fired after 2018 season (Fox): “Here are the coaches who found themselves out of a job on Monday” cheap football jerseys
We haven’t seen a ton of record-breaking performances from the Titans since CJ2K’s insane 2009 season Womens Jurrell Casey Jersey , but that could be changing soon. The talented, young team that Jon Robinson has assembled over the last few years certainly looks like one that should be competitive for years to come. That should yield some opportunities for records to fall. Here are a few that I expect to be in danger as soon as this season.All stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.Career Sacks (Titans Era)Current Record: 52 sacks - Jevon KearseChallenger: 44 sacks - Derrick MorganThis may come as a bit of a surprise to some, but Derrick Morgan has a real chance to become the Titans career sack record holder in 2018. The franchise record belongs to the great Ray Childress with 75.5 sacks with the Oilers, but Morgan currently sits 5th overall in franchise history and 2nd behind just The Freak in the Titans Era. Morgan is almost criminally underappreciated in my opinion. After an injury plagued first couple seasons, Morgan has turned in to one of the most reliable Titans defenders. He hasn’t reached the epic peaks that Kearse did, but his consistency over the past 8 seasons now has him within striking distance. He will need 8 sacks to tie and he’s averaged 8.25 sacks per season over the last two years so he has a real chance to get there this season. Jurrell Casey sits pretty close behind Morgan at 39 career sacks which means that he could be challenging Kearse or Morgan for this record in the near future as well. Career Pro Bowl Appearances (Titans Era)Current Record: 3 - Chris Johnson, Jurrell Casey, Jevon Kearse, Bruce Matthews, Steve McNair http://www.titansfootballauthentics.com/josh-kline-jersey-authentic , Kyle Vanden Bosch, Delanie WalkerChallengers: 3 - Jurrell Casey, Delanie WalkerBoth Jurrell Casey and Delanie Walker have been to 3 consecutive Pro Bowls from 2015-2017. If either of them continue their streak in 2018 they’ll become the first players to earn that honor 4 times in a Titans uniform. Both guys figure to have a pretty good shot at getting there again this year. The franchise record for Pro Bowl selections is also the NFL record for Pro Bowl selections — Bruce Matthews’ 14 is tied with Peyton Manning, Tony Gonzalez, and Merlin Olsen — and won’t be broken by a Titan for at least another decade. Matthews is too often overlooked due to his position and the fact that his career straddled the end of the Oilers Era and the beginning of the Titans Era, but he was amazing and quite possibly the best offensive lineman of all time.Single Season Passing Yards (Titans Era)Current Record: 3,571 yards - Matt Hasselbeck (2011)Challenger: Marcus MariotaThis is a good bar trivia question to stump your friends with. How many guesses do you think most fans would take to get to Matt Hasselbeck as the Titans single season passing yards record holder?Marcus Mariota would have already broken this record if not for his season-ending injury in Week 16 of the 2016 season. He finished that season with 3,426 yards with a game and a half left to play. In Matt LaFleur’s 7 NFL seasons as a quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator, the lowest his quarterbacks have combined to throw for in a season is 3,666 yards. If Mariota stays healthy in 2018 Womens Quinton Spain Jersey , he’s almost certainly going to break this record.The franchise record for single season passing yards — and 5 of the top 6 seasons in franchise history — belongs to Warren Moon as his 1991 season saw him reach 4,690 yards passing. It would take a near MVP level season for Mariota to break that record, but it’s not impossible. Matt Ryan put up 4,944 yards in this offense (or something very similar to it) during his 2016 MVP campaign. Single Season Passing Touchdowns (Franchise Record)Current Record: 36 - George BlandaChallenger: Marcus MariotaBlanda threw 36 touchdown passes in just 14 regular season games for the Houston Oilers during the second of their back-to-back AFL Championships in 1961. That franchise record has now held up for 57 years. If you want to look at post-merger NFL seasons only, the franchise record for that time frame is 33 touchdowns from Warren Moon in 1990.Mariota already owns the Titans Era singe season passing touchdown record with 26 in 2016. Getting to 36 touchdowns will be tough, especially on a team that wants to be balanced on offense, but it’s certainly within the realm of possibility for Mariota in 2018.Single Season Receiving Yards (Titans Era)Current Record: 1,303 - Derrick Mason (2003)Challenger: Corey DavisThe overall franchise record for receiving yards in a season belongs to Charley Hennigan who racked up 1,746 yards during the 1961 season in the AFL. That record seems highly unlikely to fall any time soon, but Mason’s 1 Youth Corey Davis Jersey ,303 yard mark from the 2003 season — which is also the Titans/Oilers franchise record for the NFL Era — could be reachable if Corey Davis breaks out in his sophomore campaign. Yes, going from 375 yards to 1,303 yards would be quite a leap, but Davis has the talent to make it. His rookie season was littered with flashes despite a hamstring injury and an archaic offense. A fully healthy offseason — including extra work with his fully healthy quarterback — combined with a fresh, new offense could yield big results for the 2017 5th overall pick. Single Season Receiving Touchdowns (Titans Era)Current Record: 11 - Drew Bennett (2004)Challenger: Corey DavisSimilar to the previous record, the franchise record comes from the AFL years as Bill Groman’s 17 receiving touchdowns in 1961 remains unbroken 57 years later. However, the NFL Era record for the franchise belongs to Drew Bennett who hauled in 11 touchdown catches in 2004. Remember that electric Billy Volek-Drew Bennett 3 game stretch at the end of that lost season? Bennett had 28 catches, 517 yards, and 8 touchdowns in losses to the Colts, Chiefs Womens DaQuan Jones Jersey , and Raiders. Such a weird season.The 11 touchdown mark is extremely reachable. Rishard Matthews came just 2 short of tying it in 2016 despite sharing snaps early in the season with Andre Johnson. I believe Davis to be the most likely receiver to surpass this record because of his red zone friendly skill set, but Matthews or Walker could also be threats here.Career Receiving Touchdowns (Titans Era)Current Record: 34 - Derrick MasonChallenger: 26 - Delanie WalkerThe Titans Era record for career receiving touchdowns currently belongs to Derrick Mason with 34, but Delanie Walker has a chance to take that down this season. Walker currently sits just 8 behind Mason with 26. His career high for touchdowns in a season is 7 so he would need to top that to get there in 2018, but an improved offense could give him the opportunity to do that. The overall franchise record for career receiving touchdowns belongs to Charley Hennigan who hauled in 51 during the AFL Era. That record figures to be safe for a few more years at least.Which record do you think is most likely to fall in 2018? Matt LaFleur shockingly was hired by the Green Bay Packers to be their next Head Coach. I say shockingly because he was terrible in his first year as the Titans OC. I believe Matt LaFleur was not good in his first year, and I also think it is bad for the Titans to lose him. Having continuity for Marcus is huge and he is now on his 4th OC in 5 years. That’s a recipe that spells disaster for almost all QBs that have to face this challenge. The next OC hire will be vital for not only the future of Marcus Mariota, who will enter the dreaded “make or break season” in 2019, but also for Mike Vrabel and JRob.In more positive news, Corey Davis grew in 2018 as a player and as a leader. Jim Wyatt answers questions on the offensive line and how it will change in 2019. Sidenote: Trevor Lawrence put on a show against a terrific Bama defense. Get that guy to be your QB, he’ll win some Super Bowls.
very successful at keeping their new offense with coordinator Matt LaFleur under wraps.The first-team offense scored only two touchdowns in seven series during the preseason Tennessee Titans T-Shirt , and only Atlanta (27) scored fewer points than Tennessee (40) through four games.The result: the first winless preseason since 1997 when the franchise debuted in Tennessee at 0-4. That team went 8-8 in the regular season playing home games 200 miles away in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.First-year coach Mike Vrabel made clear Friday that the Titans stayed very basic on both offense and defense to see how players responded. He also cautioned against expecting the Titans to experience growing pains simply because they have a new offense."I don't think that," Vrabel said Friday. "No one here should concede that. We're professional football players, professional coaches. We're expected to put a product out there that's successful and geared toward winning and production. So I wouldn't start making excuses about the new offense or injuries or anything like that."Now the Titans can start putting together their first offensive game plan for the season opener Sept. 9 in Miami, and LaFleur should have at least two key starters back.Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker did not play a snap as he sat out the opener in Green Bay before getting hurt in a joint practice with Tampa Bay but expects to be ready for the opener. Starting wide receiver Rishard Matthews was on the physically unable to perform list with an undisclosed injury before being activated Aug. 26. He watched the preseason finale, a 13-3 loss to Minnesota Tennessee Titans Hats , with 38 other Titans from the sideline.Walker and Matthews have been quarterback Marcus Mariota's top receiving targets over the past two seasons. Walker wasn't happy that the Titans went winless in the preseason."But it is the preseason. It's almost like a scrimmage," Walker said after the loss to Minnesota. "The outcome doesn't matter at the end of the day, but you still want to get the job done, and that's getting the W."Right tackle Jack Conklin spent the entire offseason and preseason recovering from surgery to repair a torn left ACL hurt Jan. 13 in a divisional loss to New England.Vrabel gave no indication of whether the Titans will keep Conklin on the physically unable to perform list to start the season, a move that would keep the right tackle out the first six games. The coach said only that no roster decisions had been made when he spoke to reporters at midday Friday with the NFL deadline to cut the roster to 53 looming Saturday afternoon."I would say Jack is progressing and doing well Tennessee Titans Hoodie ," Vrabel said.Mariota completed 61.1 percent of his passes this preseason and threw the two TDs scored by the first-team unit. He was intercepted once while being sacked three times. However the Titans attack the Dolphins, Vrabel made it clear he wants consistency. The coach was not happy with the first-team offense going three-and-out three straight drives in the third preseason game, a 16-6 loss in Pittsburgh .Actually the Titans went three-and-out on three of four drives, the fourth with the second-teamers in the game. The third drive ended when Mariota was intercepted on third down."You can't have three clunkers in a row where now they're getting opportunities and they're changing field position ... really forcing your defense into playing really perfect," Vrabel said.Follow Teresa M. Walker at teresamwalkerTitans News: Nobody Panic Every time something comes out about Marcus Mariota’s injury I feel like everybody acts like The Office does in this scene. It’s not time to freak out... yet. The Titans have not added a 3rd QB to the roster Customized Tennessee Titans Jerseys , which means they feel at worst, decent, about Marcus and his healing elbow. The Titans won’t play Marcus til he’s ready, which makes perfect sense. Here’s hoping it feels better today so we can go into Jacksonville with a team that’s close to 100% health.Jack Conklin and Taylor Lewan are progressing. I don’t think Conklin will play this week, but would be surprised if Lewan didn’t. Vrabel was a little more level than some of us on Landry’s debut www.authenticstennesseetitans.com , but the fact remains that the Titans got an absolute steal from the look of it in the second round. The Titans added Durden back and Nick Williams, cutting beloved TE Firkser and Cameron Batson, who was a great story. Williams was impressive this preseason, so hopefully he can make an impact.
The Numbers Philadelphia Eagles Hoodie , a weekly, stats-based game preview I do for Bleeding Green Nation. For more about the stats I use (and why I use them) to make my “armchair coach” observations, check out an archive of previous posts in this series here.Week 7 In HindsightI’ll be honest - I didn’t devote any attention to football for the rest of Sunday and all through Monday. I didn’t watch the late games, or Sunday Night Football. I barely checked my fantasy scores. I didn’t read a single football-related article on Monday. I don’t think I’ve ever been as disgusted with an Eagles loss as I was yesterday. Not even the Titans game earlier this year or the Joe Webb game in 2010. Or the Redskins game in 2008. I could go on, but you get the idea.What’s so frustrating is how hard this team is to figure out. On offense they look efficient and methodical. The defense gets pressure. Carson Wentz is having a better start to this season than he did in his MVP-caliber season last year. And yet, they fail to play complete games against scrappy teams. They’ve blown two 17-point leads. They haven’t beaten a team with more than 2 wins. The offense has only managed to score more than 21 points on one occasion. None of these facts feel right. But they are.It’s easy to blame yesterday’s loss on the defense for giving up 3 fourth quarter touchdowns. They definitely deserve their fair share of the blame, but at the same time, this “three score lead” was 17-0. Can we really expect to win games scoring 17 points in today’s NFL? Are the replacements in the secondary good enough to play a complete game? With their experience, should we expect them to be?This is a complicated issue, but the two biggest problems seem to be the lack of the big play (where have you been, Aggy?) and the unreliability on defense. In other words, this team is bland. They are effective, but lack the capability to give themselves a shot in the arm when they need one. The closest they came on Sunday was when Wentz baited the Panthers into a pass interference call deep down the field. It wasn’t even a completed pass. This, coupled with an injured and young defense that simply does not have the talent or experience to make plays consistently, has the makings of an efficient team that will beat you in the most boring way possible. The natural side effect of this is that if you can actually make the game interesting, you’ll probably beat them. Unless you’re the Colts. Because they’re bad.I’m not ready to blame Doug - he hasn’t shown any signs of being less aggressive than he as last season - but it seems obvious now he really misses the brain trust of Reich and DeFilippo. If things don’t turn around soon, he might need to shake things up with how he delegates game-planning responsibilities to the coaching staff. It’s becoming quite apparent that this team is lacking an “X” factor that they had last year in spades.With all that being said, it’s my turn to play coach as the team prepares to play the Jaguars in London. Bold-faced statistics indicate that team has the advantage, while numbers in parenthesis are the league rank.Game Preview: Jacksonville JaguarsThe Eagles have a decent advantage (almost) across the board, with the exception of sack percentage, and even that’s not that big of a difference. YPA is about even, although the Jaguars quarterback situation is in flux and the Eagles started Nick Foles for two games, so that might not be reliable. And while the Eagles’ 16.5 Y/PT is nothing to sneeze at Customized Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys , Jacksonville’s 21.4 Y/PT is downright abysmal. They are essentially needing two drives starting as touchbacks just to score a touchdown. There is also one more factor to consider not mentioned here: the Wembley Effect. This will be the fourth straight year the Jaguars play in London. They know the routine and how to deal with the time change. They have won their last three games at Wembley, including a total thrashing of the Baltimore Ravens last season. It’s not a “real” stat, but it is a real advantage at this point that we must consider going into this game. But now, for the actual game plan.Eagles OffenseIt’s tough to discern exactly what the Eagles should do on offense. The stats tell one story, and it’s clear that recently the eye test reveals the Jaguars have been struggling, but at the same time Jacksonville has one of the most talented defenses in the league. Do you plan around what they have been capable of historically? Or do you throw that to the wind and go off what we’ve seen in recent weeks?Personally, I think the Eagles need to risk a shock to their system. The Jaguars have been generating pressure at a rate similar to the Panthers and I felt the Eagles handled that very well. Carson often had time to throw and a clean pocket. As long as the early returns are similar in London, dial up some deep passes to liven up the offense and let the Jaguars know you’re not afraid to attack them. I know this has been the opposite of what I’ve been saying for the past month, but now that the offensive line has shown demonstrable improvement, I think they can afford to change things up a little bit.Of course, this isn’t Madden. I’m not suggesting they go “four verts” on every play. The screen game proved effective last Sunday against Carolina and I think that’s something they should continue to develop, especially since the Jaguars have the talent up front to bottle up a traditional ground game. Screens and bombs also complement each other quite well, and I think they can work in tandem to mitigate the aggressiveness of the defense.Eagles DefenseIf the Eagles need “a shot in the arm” on offense, the Jaguars need a punch in the face. I cannot overstate how bad their Y/PT is. Their figure of 21.4 is a full yard more than the next-worst team, the Oakland Raiders. If there was a team that needed a big play to reinvigorate themselves, it’s the Jaguars, which means that preventing long passes should be the Eagles’ top priority. In recent weeks they’ve done much better at defending the deep routes, but have still given up large catch-and-runs, including old friend Torrey Smith’s devastating fourth down reception last week. Dede Westbrook is very much in the Torrey Smith mold, so a focus on surer tackling in practice should be a focal point of game preparation. Blake Bortles seems to be hot-and-cold with his confidence, so keeping everything in front of them and forcing him to dink and dunk his way down the field should help them in the red zone, where the Eagles are either “very good” or “very bad.” They’ll need the very good red zone defense to win on Sunday, especially if the Jacksonville defense suddenly wakes up.Closing ThoughtsOverall www.eaglesauthorizedshops.com , this has been a disappointing start to the season. It sucks that, for some reason, they have to figure out how to close out and win games all over again. The offense just isn’t scoring at the rate we’re accustomed to - even with Carson’s improved play - and the defense simply does not seem to have enough talent on the back end to play a complete game. As weird as it is to say, maybe the Eagles suffered all the “right” injuries last year, and all the “wrong” ones this year. It might be easier for Schwartz to adjust for injured linebackers than it is for him to adjust to a banged up secondary. Likewise, Pederson might be more adept at covering for injured linemen and quarterbacks than he is at making up for injuries at other skill positions. We won’t know for sure until we see how they fare in the second half of the season.On that note, not all is lost. This is certainly not the start we wanted - or expected - but the NFC East kind of sucks again this year. They have 5 division matchups in their last 8 games to take control of their path to the playoffs. It’s also important to remember that the NFL season is often a tale of two halves. The 2013 Eagles started 3-5 before going on a 7-1 tear to close out the season, and in as recently as the 2016 season the Falcons were 5-4 before steamrolling their way to a Super Bowl berth that they reasonably should have won. This Eagles team is as talented as both of those (if not more), so there’s no reason why they can’t turn the corner for the home stretch. I still have faith that we can see the Eagles hosting a playoff game at the Linc in January.Do you? The Eagles have had a few days off since their win over the New York Giants, and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz spoke to the media on Monday to talk about some of the improvements he wants his group to make, and what makes preparing for the Panthers so challenging.Here’s what the DC had to say:On Avonte Maddox at safetySchwartz noted that on a short week, the team did what they had to do in terms of personnel decisions. He went on to say that he should really tip his hat to Maddox, as he was the guy who probably had the most on his plate on Thursday, not just in terms of playing safety but also to move over into the nickel without taking any reps there.He went on to say that Maddox’s flexibility there was a big reason the Eagles won that game. Schwartz then talked about the big tackle Maddox made to force the Giants to kick a field goal, and the DC noted that the rookie saved them four points, but that’s what a free safety is supposed to do.He continued, “That’s one of the things we liked about him, his range, he’s tough. He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he plays big.”Schwartz was then asked what about Maddox off the field that made them so comfortable giving him so much responsibility as a rookie. He went on to say that Maddox is a smart guy and is mature beyond his years, and since he’s gotten to Philadelphia there hasn’t been a situation that was “too big” for him. Schwartz also lauded Maddox as having a great attitude, and when they asked him to take reps at safety he just said, “okay”.He talked about players like that with low blood pressure Philadelphia Eagles Womens T-Shirt , who just go about their business, and it serving them well on the field.Schwartz was asked why they moved the rookie safety to the slot, as opposed to a veteran guy, but the DC noted that the rookie took all those snaps in training camp. He also pointed out that based on the corners they had and the matchups they were looking at, they thought Maddox at nickel made the most sense.He continued to talk about how Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills are both young players, but they do have a bit more experience, and so he tried to put the hat on those guys a little more. Schwartz did say they could get a little more help to the slot than they could on the outside.Defense vs. the GiantsSchwartz was asked how they get production out of a very young group — noting that Malcolm Jenkins was the only defensive back over the age of 24 to play on Thursday. The DC wasn’t willing to give out any gold stars just yet, and noted that the group has plenty of things to work on still.He did say that it’s a committed group of guys, and the veterans (read: older guys) who are sidelined with injuries are sure to help coach up some of their teammates and getting them ready. Schwartz emphasized, as he’s done in the past, that it’s a group effort moreso than based off of any one individual performance, and that the players among the group being so close helps drive that team mentality.He was asked about some of the missed tackles on Saquon Barkley on Thursday night, but Schwartz wouldn’t be so quick to call them misses, but rather that Barkley is just an impressive player. Schwartz noted that their game plan going into the matchup was to limit Odell Beckham Jr.’s targets, which made them more vulnerable to the run game, but that was a calculated risk they were willing to take.He said the most disappointing run from Barkley wasn’t any of those in which players “missed” the tackle, but the one where no one laid a glove on him and the rookie went for 55 yards. He continued to point out that with guys like Barkley, you just have to keep coming.“He was outstanding in that game, he was certainly all that we could handle,” Schwartz said of Barkley.On the roughing the passer callsSchwartz was asked how he coaches his pass rushers to be aggressive, while also trying to avoid a roughing the passer flag, specifically pointing to Tom Brady almost being taken down on Sunday Night Football before being let go and eventually scoring. Schwartz noted that something like that isn’t entirely new, and talked for a bit about when he was in Tennessee and they lost to Vince Young after a defender tried to avoid drawing the flag.On Carolina prepHe did go on to talk about specifically heading into the game against Carolina Philadelphia Eagles Hats , and having to prepare to face a 6-foot-5, 250-pound quarterback who’s hard enough to tackle alone, then to add in trying to avoid the roughing the passer penalties while also accounting for their designed runs, is challenging.Schwartz went on to talk about Cam Newton and how he’s opened up just about every designed run possible, and how the Panthers offense has used more quarterback designed runs than they have in the past.“To go Spinal Tap on you, they just turned their quarterback runs up to 11.”He summed up that it’s difficult to avoid those penalties, but they just have to make sure they stay within the strike zone, you can’t hit late, can’t use their head, and now have to try and shift their weight to avoid coming down on the quarterback. Schwartz admitted in the heat of battle it’s a little easier said than done, but that’s the job they have to do.Schwartz was later asked how the Panthers’ run game compares to others, and he noted that while a lot of teams are using zone reads, even in the redzone, that Carolina is a team that you can’t put constraints on based on down and distance. He was asked if Carolina’s offense looks the same or different under new OC Norv Turner, and Schwartz thinks there were significant changes this offseason. He went on to point out that there were some familiar faces, but there were also a lot of changes along the offensive line and to some of the receivers.Schwartz acknowledged that it’s not just a new offensive coordinator on the Panthers sideline, but also a lot of new personnel to account for.On injuriesSchwartz noted that the string of injuries to the defense this season is one of the reasons they emphasize cross-training and versatility in their players. He said injuries are nothing new, and it’s just a matter of when they happen and to how many people in the same position group that matter most.He was then asked when he started putting such an emphasis on cross-training, and he pointed to when offenses started using three wide receivers and it sort of took the box safety out of the equation — somewhere around the early- to mid-2000s.
After embracing that role last year and overcoming huge odds to win their first Super Bowl title Cheap Fletcher Cox Jersey , the Eagles haven't lived up to expectations as defending champions. They blew a 17-0 lead in the fourth quarter and lost 21-17 to Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on Sunday."Pressure's off, so we can go play, have fun and just relax," coach Doug Pederson said. "A lot of football ahead, too. Anything's possible, anything can happen."Pressed on the topic, Pederson continued: "I think no one has really given us a chance, anyway. Whether we're putting pressure on ourselves to perform, to play Cheap Jay Ajayi Jersey , whatever it is, live up to a certain expectation. ... I think sometimes we force issues. We try to press just a little bit."Despite their struggles, the Eagles (3-4) are in the mix in the NFC East. They'll quickly try to forget about their disappointing loss and focus on a trip to London to face the equally struggling Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4)."We put high expectations on ourselves every week," Carson Wentz said. "My approach will never change, win or lose, on to the next week and that's the way I'm approaching it."For Newton and the Panthers, this was a statement game.The Panthers (4-2) were dominated for the first three quarters but rallied for an impressive win on the road in a hostile environment. It was the biggest comeback in franchise history."This is a confidence-booster for us," Newton said.Newton tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Greg Olsen with 1:22 left and Julius Peppers sacked Wentz, forcing a fumble on fourth down from the Panthers 14 to seal the victory.After Carolina took the lead http://www.eaglescheapauthenticstore.com/brandon-brooks-jersey-cheap , the Eagles started at their 30. A 48-yard pass interference penalty on James Bradberry against Alshon Jeffery put the ball at the Carolina 22. Eric Reid appeared to intercept Wentz's overthrown pass but the play was overturned on a video review. Wentz threw incomplete to Jeffery in the end zone on third-and-2 and was stripped on the next play.Some things we learned from Carolina's comeback victory over the Eagles:TROUBLE FINISHINGThe Eagles wasted a 17-3 lead in the third quarter of an overtime loss at Tennessee in Week 4. They're having trouble closing out games and beating teams they're supposed to beat."It's one play here, one play there that turns into big deals," Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "Margin of error in this league is tight, especially against a good team."RESILIENT CAMNewton wasn't happy with his performance at the end of a 23-17 loss at Washington last week and vowed to he'd make the best of another opportunity. He threw three straight incomplete passes on the go-ahead touchdown drive, but took a hit on fourth down and still completed a 35-yard catch-and-run pass to Torrey Smith to reach the Philadelphia 34. A 22-yard pass to McCaffrey gave Carolina first down at the 4. Newton ran it to the 1, setting up the score to Olsen, wide open in the back of the end zone."There are a lot of people depending on me to put this team in the best situation and to a degree, I think I could have been better last week," Newton said. "And this week we were in the same situation and I didn't want to let anyone down."GROUNDED ATTACKThe Eagles got 55 yards rushing on 21 carries from running backs Wendell Smallwood Youth Destiny Vaeao Jersey , Josh Adams and Corey Clement. They lost Jay Ajayi to a season-ending knee injury and Darren Sproles has missed the last six games with a hamstring injury. They could try to add a back before the trade deadline on Oct. 30.SHORT MEMORYBradberry bounced back from the penalty on the final drive to help keep the Eagles out of the end zone."In my head, I knew they still had to score," Bradberry said.QUESTIONABLE PLAYCALLINGInstead of working on the clock, Pederson called nine passes and no runs on Philadelphia's two possessions with the lead in the fourth quarter. Eagles coach Doug Pederson said his message to the team after Sunday’s loss was to tell them that the “pressure’s off” now that they are 3-4 on the year.Many found that message counterintuitive given the expectations that accompanied the team into the season and Pederson was asked about what he meant during a Monday press conference. Pederson clarified that he knows pressure to perform still exists, but said he wants players and coaches to stop putting undue pressure on themselves and “wanted to reiterate to the team that you don’t have to do that.”Pederson acknowledged that the Eagles “kind of dug ourselves in a little bit of a hole,” but noted that the team has five divisional games left and can still control their fate. He also expressed his belief that the team will find its footing.“Listen, I have so much confidence in this football team, you don’t understand,” Pederson said. “Listen Mike Wallace Jersey , we’re losing games by just a couple of plays. We lost the Tennessee game fourth-and-15. We lost yesterday, you could say the fourth-and-10 play. You could almost say the last couple plays of the game. It’s coming down to two, three plays and we’re sitting here at 5-2, instead of 3-4. We’re only talking about a couple of plays and this thing is different. We’re talking a whole another deal. I have so much confidence in this football team and coaching staff that we’re going to get this fixed.”The Eagles will head to London this week to face the Jaguars and then they’ll return home for a bye that they hope will set the table for a strong finish to the regular season.
loss since late September Womens Nick Martin Jersey , you probably need to come up for fresh air and crumple up the brown bag you've been breathing into. The best way to take your mind off of the increasingly stressful AFC South race is to watch two other teams play in a game that could indirectly benefit the Texans. The Kansas City Chiefs are the best team in the AFC even without Kareem Hunt and are inches away from locking in a first-round playoff bye after both the Texans and Patriots lost last week. The second best team in the AFC? The Los Angeles Chargers, who are 9-1 in their last 10 games and are playing complementary football that would make Bill O’Brien blush. Both teams have a lot to offer for a Thursday Night Football game.The Chiefs look to be quite vulnerable heading into the game. Sammie Watkins is out with a foot injury, backup RB Spencer Ware is a game-time decision with shoulder and hamstring injuries, and left guard Cam Irving may miss the game with a knee injury. For the Texans, a Los Angeles win would keep Kansas City from clinching a first-round bye for the playoffs. With the Texans in the third seed only by tie-breaker, any small victory for them could pay dividends in the future as the team tries to secure the franchise’s first playoff bye. The Chargers winning would also tie them in first for the division; making Kansas City the most terrifying potential wild-card team in recent memory.Boy, I hope the Texans don’t have to play them in the playoffs.Finally Authentic J.J. Watt Jersey , just for the sake of information, here are the Texans’ scenarios to clinch the AFC South division title this weekend:1) HOU win + IND loss or tie + TEN loss or tie OR2) HOU tie + IND loss + TEN lossEnjoy Thursday Night Football. Florida is a swirling hellscape of plastic pink flamingos, cargo shorts, and Blake Bortles turnovers. Houston is once again living in the past, a fine, pretty okay past. In this week’s episode, Matt and BFD discuss Houston’s reversion back to before Authentic Johnathan Joseph Jersey , DeAndre Hopkins v. Jalen Ramsey, pass protection, defensive reality checks, Jadeveon Clowney’s dominance, Blake Bortles getting benched, playoff odds, and [NAME REDACTED] http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/benardrick-mckinney-jersey , who will be in town for Thursday Night Football as the Dolphins’ starting quarterback. The show has changed a little bit. It isn’t LIVE for now. If there is an outcry or desperate plea for us to broadcast LIVE, we can make provisions, but for now, we aren’t broadcasting LIVE. It’s no longer hosted on Blog Talk Radio, and the show is better for it. If you don’t know, now you know.We do, however http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/ka_imi-fairbairn-jersey , still need questions from you. Post whatever questions you have for us below. No matter how intelligent, silly, or trivial they may be, we will get to them at some point during the show.After the show the direct link will be here, and the embedded player will be below. You can subscribe on Itunes here.You can subscribe on Android/Google here. You can subscribe/listen on Spotify here.You can subscribe/listen on Stitcher here.While you’re at it, you should write a lovely review and give us the five star rating we deserve. Keep that in mind when you download the episode this week.Thanks for staying awhile and listening. Enjoy the show while you do whatever it is that you do.
Trade Deadline Houston Texans Hats , a day that did not draw much ire in years past but did bring a flurry of activity a year ago. Last year, the Texans participated by trading Duane Brown and a fifth-round pick to Seattle for a third-rounder in 2018 and a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.This trade gave the Texans an extra second-rounder this year, meaning the Texans currently have three of the first 64 picks of the 2019 NFL Draft. Given that both Houston and Seattle will likely not be Super Bowl contenders, it seems likely the Texans have three of the first 50 or so picks in April.I say that because of this:Trading the Arizona Cardinals a Top-50 pick, along with possibly another late Day 3 pick, could be entice Arizona to send seven-time Pro Bowler Patrick Peterson to Houston.If they struck such a deal, the Texans would still have two picks in the first two rounds while likely fixing Houston Texans Womens Hoodie , or at least greatly lessening, their problems at cornerback, especially because Peterson is an answer that will last beyond this season.Peterson, 28, is playing in his eighth NFL season and is still one of the elite corners the league has to offer. The Texans would likely spend one of their top picks on a corner anyhow, so why take the risk of drafting a young question mark in the first two days when you can acquire one of the league’s best players in their prime with one of those picks?Peterson is making $11 million this season and will be making that much next season as well. He sees a slight raise in 2020 to $12 million and does not become a free agent until 2021.That means any team that acquired him would have Peterson for the rest of 2018 and the next two seasons as well, all at a very affordable price.The Texans are still competing this year. Despite their ugly 0-3 start Womens Customized Houston Texans Jerseys , the team is tied for the AFC South lead right now and still has life in what’s turned out to be a rather lifeless division. And if this squad could make any upgrades, corner (or offensive line) is probably the first place you’d look if you were in Brian Gaine’s shoes.Here’s what the top receiver has done in each of the offenses against the Texans this season:The pattern seen in the first six weeks is either top receivers are balling out against the Texans or they are at least achieving a big play or two. Houston has had a difficult time giving up big plays this season, so putting the Patrick Peterson blanket on a team’s top weapon is definitely a positive for Houston.With all of this into consideration, I ask you, BRB, to change my mind. Tell me why the Texans shouldn’t send a second round pick to Arizona for Patrick Peterson.Here Are The Details Of Benardrick McKinney’s Contract Extension Last week, the Houston Texans announced they had extended the contract of inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney for an additional five years. The run game clubbing Authentic Deshaun Watson Jersey , quarterback devouring blitzer is a very good football player, so it makes total sense for him to stay in Houston even after his rookie deal is completed. What wasn’t announced were the contract details. How much will McKinney be paid this year? How much will he count against salary cap in 2018 and going forward? When could Houston cut him if things don’t go right? How will the signing bonus be spread out? This morning, the contract details were announced on Over The Cap.The majority of McKinney’s bonus will be paid to him in 2018 in conjuction with the final year of his cheap rookie contract. If things go south, Houston can save cap space if they cut B-Mac by 2020, although the amount saved won’t be enough for this to be really a possibility until 2021. McKinney’s cap number for 2018 is $7.7 million. As plainly as possible, this is a good deal for a good player. It’s going to be fun to watch him mash against Derrick Henry and Leonard Fournette for the next few seasons.
Tyrod Taylor didn’t endear himself to Cleveland Browns fans in his first start with the team against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But there are a ton of factors to consider before even discussing a quarterback change so early in a season Authentic JC Tretter Jersey , including the team’s long-term stability.But that hasn’t stopped the speculation around whether the Browns might been more efficient offensively with Baker Mayfield behind center, which hypothetically might have given them a better shot at dethroning the Steelers.Shortly following the tie, I received numerous calls, texts, e-mails, and Tweets about what might have been if Mayfield had played instead of Taylor. The majority of them favored moving on from Taylor immediately.Now, FS1’s Skip Bayless may not bring the most credibility to the table. We know how Bayless and others in his industry use shocking and polarizing sports takes to drive their business. The hyperbole and generalizations are the medium they work with and are an unfortunate part of the deal if you follow those outlets.So, in what we can label the most unsurprising thing that happened in Week 1, Bayless led the charge supporting Mayfield starting over Taylor.Again, we know what this is, and it isn’t nuanced analysis. It’s Bayless stirring the pot and drawing more attention to himself. His general thesis is that Mayfield is more of a playmaker, so the Browns would have won the football game.There are so many problems with using that as support for your opinion, too many probably to list here. Interested by his attention grabbing Tweet, I decided to poll my followers to see where everyone else stands on the issue.I’d say I’m shocked at the results, but I’m not. Out of 875 votes (as of the time of this post), the overwhelming majority thinks the Browns would have won if Mayfield started the game. Not given the Browns a better shot to win, but would have won the game.Now, I am not going to defend Taylor’s play on Sunday. It was categorically insufficient to lead a team to a win in the NFL, but he should have been good enough to win given the team’s defensive success.The idea that Mayfield is a bigger playmaker than Taylor is opinion, not a fact. Mayfield has never played a down in the NFL Womens Damarious Randall Jersey , and Taylor’s legs and improvisation skills sure looked like the traits of playmaker, to these eyes at least.But we do know playing quarterback at a high level, or even a level proficient enough to win a game in which the Steelers gifted you on a silver platter, requires more than mobility and playmaking with your legs. Taylor, for the most part, looked slow in processing his reads and didn’t trust himself enough to make throws that were there—whether that was a result of the weather of his own decisionmaking. And there were some opportunities he saw and passed on in which maybe he could have pulled the trigger instead of taking seven sacks and being chased outside the pocket all afternoon.Was his offensive line perfect? Negative, they weren’t even good for much of the game. They had plenty of assignment lapses and lost battles, but Taylor had plenty of his own mistakes in failing to recognize pre-snap reads and also in understanding what the Steelers defense was doing to beat him.In short, it’s easy to conclude Taylor was not very good in Week 1 when using any kind of metric for evaluating quarterbacks. He made a couple good throws, missed a bunch of others, and ultimately threw a poor ball that could have put the Browns in position to win the game in regulation.He didn't, and they didn’t. He left it short of the sideline and Josh Gordon was boxed out by the defensive back despite having a step on him down the sideline. If Taylor makes that one throw, the Browns probably win, but there are no guarantees. I digress.The idea that Mayfield would have fared better, though, is an interesting but highly problematic proposition. Although he was the No. 1 pick, Mayfield was not groomed to start in Week 1—that’s a different conversation, we can only talk about the reality here—having played extremely sparingly with the first-team offense prior to the game.Should he have started? Maybe if Jackson had approached things differently and prepared for that possibility, but he didn’t, and Mayfield didn’t play. That alone makes me inclined to reject this question.But just for the sake of argument Youth Terrance Mitchell Jersey , would the Browns have won the game if Mayfield had been properly prepared?Throughout preseason Mayfield has flashed a strong arm and the awareness of a savvy vet. He hasn’t been perfect, although his ability to move up and make throws from the pocket has been promising for a rookie quarterback. He has put in the work and knows the playbook enough to deploy Todd Haley’s game plan.While he appears to be progressing, Mayfield hasn’t handled a live game situation against a defense specifically designed to defeat his team’s offensive tendencies, and his own. The main way to overcome that obstacle is to play, sure, but was Sunday against Pittsburgh the best opportunity for him to start and to succeed?The weather was awful, including swirling winds and persistent rain showers. It wasn’t a passing friendly environment, and Taylor fared about as you’d expect under the conditions. OK, maybe he was a little worse.We’re not going to debate the merits of starting a rookie quarterback from his first game, mainly because there are valid arguments on each side, and every player is different.But I’ll say this, I’m not as sure as many that Mayfield would have made a significant difference in this particular game, whether or not he was prepared to be the starter or not. That isn’t to say he won’t and can’t help the Browns be better offensively, but maybe it’s best to let him keep learning from Taylor in order to ensure he’s ready when his number is called. That’s true whether that time is next week, half-way through the season, or next year.If Taylor continues to struggle, and the Browns can’t play competitive football offensively, there's at least a conversation that needs to happen as to his progress and whether the organization believes it’s time to start his career.That time wasn’t in Week 1, and it probably didn’t matter as far as the game’s outcome. Things could have also gone even worse with a rookie starting his first game in a torrential downpour, so keep that in mind.This is a very simple poll http://www.thebrownsfootballauthentic.com/christian-kirksey-jersey-authentic , requiring only a “yes” or “no” response, but I encourage you to support your choice in the comments below if you’re so inclined. Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse — a survey of fans across the NFL, powered by SurveyMonkey. Each week, we send 32 polls to 100+ plugged in fans from each team. Browns fans, sign up HERE to join FanPulse.The Week 2 polls are in, so let’s take a look at the results!How confident are you in the direction of the team? Last week: 97 percent confidenceHeading into Week 1, 97% of fans were confident in the direction of the Browns. That number is still very high for heading into Week 2 at 85%, but it’s still a little discouraging to see a 12% drop after the team’s best start since 2004 (that is supposed to be half funny).I think those “mehs” can turn back to confidence with a win in Week 2 against the Saints. If the club falls back to the bottom of the AFC North, though, how quick will we see the “not confident” category start to register some votes?Will the Browns win or lose in Week 2?Odds: Saints are 10-point favoritesDawgs By Nature FanPulse: Tie (yes, really)Canal St. Chronicles FanPulse: Saints by 7This is pretty hilarious, and not-at-all intentional: among the Browns fans who voted this week, the net outcome of the vote ended up being a dead tie. Wouldn’t that be something if Cleveland started 0-0-2? I’m actually going to touch on the possibility of another tie later this week, and what it would mean for the standings.Other than QB, what is most valuable to an NFL offense? 56% of fans say a left tackle is most valuable to an NFL offense after a quarterback. I actually voted wide receiver, because I think that position has taken a premium. Great left tackles are hard to come by, and I love Joe Thomas to death, but his long-standing greatness wasn’t enough to make a difference for the Browns in the standings. However, the poll kind of insinuates that your team has “the” quarterback already. Custom Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys
Game in 1964 by defeating the Baltimore Colts 27-0. After winning eight combined titles between the All-America Football Conference and the NFL Authentic Terrance Mitchell Jersey , this 1964 squad has since become the last championship for the franchise. Amongst the defensive players on that squad was a tough and reliable veteran at the DT position by the name of Dick Modzelewski. On Friday, Richard Blair Modzelewski passed away at his home in Eastlake, Ohio at the age of 87. They called him “Little Mo” because of his older brother Ed who also played with the Browns. He grew up in Pennsylvania the son of Polish immigrants where his father was a coal miner.Modzelewski was drafted in the second-round of the 1953 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. Little Mo had instant conflicts with head coach Joe Kuharich and after two seasons, Modzelewski signed with Calgary of the Canadian Football League. The Redskins filed an injunction to stop him from leaving his contract and Calgary rescinded their offer. Instead of playing him, the Redskins traded his rights to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In those days, the Steelers were always the worst and most dysfunctional club in the NFL, so when a player was traded there it was like going to Siberia. The following year, the Steelers traded Little Mo to the Lions who then traded him to the Giants three days later. Little Mo was an instant starter and a key component to the Giants. Despite other defensive players that received quite a bit of attention such as LB Sam Huff and DE Andy Robustelli, he was the rock of the center of the defensive front. In 1956, the Giants captured the NFL title. During the eight years he played in New York, the Giants would play in six NFL Championship Games, with 1956 the only title won. He even opened up a local restaurant. Beginning in 1962, Giants head coach Allie Sherman began to trade off the key defensive players for more offensive firepower as he believed anyone could be plugged in and play defense. LB Cliff Livingston was the first one traded to the Minnesota Vikings Womens David Njoku Jersey , followed by DT Rosey Grier to the Rams, and then Little Mo was traded to the Browns for WR Bobby Crespino. Other defensive players were also traded. The end result for New York eventually dismantled the club from going to the NFL title game three years in a row, to the beginning of horrid teams from 1964-1978. These seasons are what Giants’ fan call the “Wilderness Years.”For Little Mo, the trade came at the right time with the right team. The Browns had parted ways with head coach Paul Brown after the 1962 season. Longtime assistant Blanton Collier was then named the new head coach. The Browns were successful under Collier with mainly Brown’s players and his systems still in place. In 1963 Cleveland went 10-4-0 but did not qualify for the playoffs, one game behind the Giants. The following year, the Browns captured the Eastern Conference with a 10-3-1 record and a trip to the 1964 NFL Championship Game against the 12-2-0 Baltimore Colts. After a scoreless first half dominated by defense, the Colts tried to gain yardage into a very hard wind in the third quarter at Cleveland Stadium. The offense for the Colts could not mount any kind of drive against the elements. The Browns kicked a Lou Groza FG and then QB Frank Ryan found WR Gary Collins for two TD passes. In the fourth stanza, another Groza FG and one more Collins TD catch from Ryan ended the game with a 27-0 domination by Cleveland in front of 79,544 hometown fans. Defensive standouts for the game were LBs Bill Glass and Vince Costello, CB Bernie Parrish, and Modzelewski. After the season, Little Mo was named to the Pro Bowl. The Browns would return to the Championship Game in 1965 against the Green Bay Packers with the winner headed to the first Super Bowl, but lost 23-12.Modzelewski retired after the 1966 season. He became the Browns’ defensive line coach and then defensive coordinator in 1976. In 1977 Womens Nick Chubb Jersey , Cleveland fired head coach Forrest Gregg and named Little Mo as the interim head coach for the final game of the season. The following year new head coach Sam Rutigliano offered him the DL coaching position. Instead, he accepted the DC position with the Giants. After that, he had coaching positions with the Cincinnati Bengals, Packers and Detroit Lions before retiring in 1989.Dick Modzelewski was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 and then the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993 (University of Maryland). Little Mo was named to the 1952 College All-America Team and was the starter in eight NFL championship games, a record he now shares with New England Patriots QB Tom Brady.Modzelewski’s funeral is October 26, 2018 in Mentor, Ohio. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Dorothy Jane, and four children.Barry Shuck is a pro football historical writer and a member of the Professional Football Researcher’s Association. Jarvis Landry said Baker Mayfield’s attitude and charisma are “contagious,” and that he knew the rookie was ready to play from the day the Cleveland Browns drafted him.Landry has said a lot. He has also backed it up by becoming the focal point of the Cleveland Browns offense. But even as a proven performer, the receiver said he needs to tweak some things with Mayfield taking over the quarterback position.“I got to turn up the JUGS machine to like eight or nine now, since Baker throws that ball so hard. He threw one to me in the game and I dropped it because I didn’t even know how to put my hands, and before I could make the decision Authentic Duke Johnson Jersey , the ball was on me,” Landry said on NFL Network Ian Rapoport’s RapSheet and Friends podcast. “So, I just realized it’s a little bit of a different ball, a lot more velocity, so I definitely got to get on the JUGS for that, and catch as many balls from Baker as possible.”“I just kind of kept running and before you know it the ball was up and he throws the ball with so much zing,” Landry told Rapoport. “It got to me so quickly.”Mayfield’s velocity and quick decision-making were two standout traits he showcased last Thursday. While he might not fit the prototypical physical mold many think of when they imagine the ideal NFL quarterback, he spins a pretty football like you’d expect.You know there’s some English on those passes if a veteran like Landry is having to make adjustments to keep up.But throwing a pretty ball and making quick decisions aren’t all that goes into engineering a successful offense. It takes a connection between a quarterback and his receivers.“It is just trust. He is a football player and so am I. The trust level. To say that we have not gotten any reps [the trust level] seemed pretty high on Thursday,” Landry said during Wednesday’s player availability.There’s still a ways to go before Landry and Mayfield completely trust and are familiar enough with one another, but early returns have been positive. They’re going to be put in new situations each week and will benefit from figuring each other out when challenged in different ways.Since trust is so important, it’s remarkable how quickly the pair were able to build up a playing rapport despite not practicing together much at all. That speaks to how much both players prepare, not just in the week leading up to game day, but every day since they showed up in Berea.Because of his talent Womens Myles Garrett Jersey , attitude and work ethic, Landry said he has known for awhile that the rookie has what it takes to play in the NFL.“Since the day that that they drafted him,” Landry responded to the question. “Obviously, understanding the potential and the things that he can do and what makes him special and having the guys around him with the trust level at a premium to make the plays, as well.”“One thing that I know about him, he walks it like he talks it,” Landry added. “That is something that I appreciate and I respect about him and that he has continued to do.”After another solid day of interviews, Landry wouldn’t escape without leaving us another sound bite to chew on as we prepare for Mayfield’s first NFL start.“It’s that walk it talk it. He definitely has that attitude and charisma, and you know that’s contagious,” Landry finished with a chuckle. “It’s contagious.“Contagious.” Wholesale NFL Jerseys
against the Eagles and they hadn’t scored a touchdown in the last nine quarters Womens Brett Kern Jersey , which made for a pretty good backdrop for a dramatic comeback.Quarterback Marcus Mariota authored one by running for a touchdown and then throwing for another one as the Titans jumped in front 20-17 in the fourth quarter. The Eagles would tie the game and then take the lead with an overtime field goal, but Mariota had another comeback left in him. The Titans converted three fourth downs, including one that came when they passed on a chance to tie the game with a 50-yard field goal, and Mariota won it with a 10-yard touchdown pass.After the game was over, Mariota was asked how he was able to keep an even keel through all of the ups and downs. The Hawaii native credited “Aloha Spirit” for helping them on their way to victory.“It is gratefulness http://www.titansfootballauthentics.com/malcolm-butler-jersey-authentic , it is thankfulness, it is being humble, and understanding that it takes much more than yourself to accomplish something,鈥?Mariota said. 鈥淎nd when you have that in your mindset, you tend to just go about your business in a calm way.鈥漈he comeback win was the 11th of Mariota’s career Youth Dennis Kelly Jersey , so the spirit appears to be strong in Nashville.Titans release WR Rishard Matthews The Tennessee Titans have released wide receiver Rishard Matthews. General Manager Jon Robinson confirmed the move this morning during a press conference. Matthews had made a minimal impact so far in 2018 after missing all of training camp with an injury. Tajae Sharpe and Taywan Taylor seemed to pass Matthews on the depth chart, prompting Rishard to want out. Robinson said that Matthews asked for his release on Monday. The team explored a trade, ultimately deciding to move on today. As for how we got to this point, Robinson pointed towards Rishard’s diminished role in the offense.“I think it was his role, his use in the offense http://www.titansfootballauthentics.com/kamalei-correa-jersey-authentic ,” Robinson said of Matthews. “I think he spoke to that last week when you guys asked him. He reached out to me Monday and asked to be released or traded. We explored the trade market with several teams, but I would say that market never really manifested itself to get a deal there.He missed a lot of time with injuries in training camp. I thought he was coming back. He was working hard at practice and I was looking forward to him getting back into kind of what we had seen from him in the last couple years on the field. He just felt like that wasn’t happening.”The 28 year old Matthews posted his two best seasons as a pro with the Titans. He put up over 1,700 yards and 13 touchdowns in those two years, providing some stability to a receiver room that really needed it at the time. Now the Titans will be extremely reliant on the development of Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor, who were already playing ahead of Matthews to start the season. The biggest concern for the team right now is depth http://www.titansfootballauthentics.com/will-compton-jersey-authentic , which is something that could be addressed soon. “I think that’s something we’re going through now, just going through and looking at all of the players that are available, that are going to fit our football team,” Robinson said. “We’re looking at all players.”
The Tennessee Titans franchise is coming to a fork in the road over the next 12 months and the path that Jon Robinson takes will set the course for the roster for years to come.Last weekend Jimmy Morris highlighted the 11 players who may be playing their last season in Tennessee. In addition to that group — which includes 7 projected starters in Taylor Lewan Youth Derrick Henry Jersey , Delanie Walker, Brian Orakpo, Derrick Morgan, Rishard Matthews, Bennie Logan, and Quinton Spain — the team is entering contract extension range for Marcus Mariota, Kevin Byard, and Derrick Henry next offseason. Robinson will also need to decide whether or not to pick up the 5th year option on Jack Conklin’s rookie contract next spring and could even face decisions on what to do with Logan Ryan, Wesley Woodyard, and Ben Jones in this time frame. That’s 13 of 22 starters that the Titans brass could be making long term commitments to (or deciding to walk away from) in the next 12 months and it’s a group that includes many of the team’s best players. In fact, I’d argue that 7 or 8 of the team’s top 10 players are listed above. The biggest of the decisions center around stars coming to end of their rookie contracts in Lewan, Mariota, and Byard. Lewan’s contract has been the talk of the Titans offseason and for good reason. When the deal gets done it will almost certainly make Lewan the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL. Based on the recent contracts handed out to other top offensive linemen in Andrew Norwell, Zack Martin, and Nate Solder, I would expect the numbers to come in around 5-6 years with $15-17M per year and about 50-60% of the total dollars guaranteed. That would make it the second largest contract ever handed out by the franchise behind only Steve McNair’s 6-year, $112M deal* signed in 2004.*In reality this deal was a restructuring cap maneuver made by former GM Floyd Reese to try to squeeze one or two more runs out of that early 2000’s Super Bowl window. That contract ultimately led to the ugly break up between the Titans and McNair when the ridiculous $23.46M cap hit came due in 2006.The next two major contracts are unlikely to come this offseason, but will probably get done before the start of the 2019 season. Kevin Byard’s first two seasons as a pro have been outstanding and he already has his new coaching staff raving about his preparation and leadership. Those qualities have allowed him to quickly become an instrumental piece of the Titans defense. Though his rookie contract runs through the end of the 2019 season, it seems likely that the team would try to lock him up to a long term deal by the end of next summer. If Byard’s 2018 performance is anywhere close to his First-Team All-Pro season a year ago, his agent will have a real argument to make him the top paid safety in the NFL. That throne currently belongs to Eric Berry who signed a 6-year, $78M deal before the start of the 2017 season. I think the floor for any long term deal would start at Reshad Jones’ 5-year, $60M contract. However, both of those potential contracts would be dwarfed by the looming Marcus Mariota extension. The Titans picked up Mariota’s 5th year option on his rookie deal earlier this offseason which means he is now officially under contract through the 2019 season. Franchise quarterbacks are the NFL’s most valuable asset and it’s reflected in their pay. The average annual salaries for quarterbacks hit the $30M mark with Matt Ryan’s 5-year, $150M extension earlier this offseason and you can expect Mariota’s deal to top that number. There is no doubt that Ryan is more accomplished than Mariota, but the Titans QB is younger and has shown tremendous potential for the majority of his 3-year career to this point despite a less than stellar supporting cast. Besides Navy Malcolm Butler Jersey , quarterback contracts will continue to skyrocket as long as there aren’t enough good QBs to go around. One small benefit to the Titans is the fact that Jameis Winston likely isn’t going to be getting a mega-contract from the Bucs with his current off-the-field issues, so there will be one fewer contract to one-up for Mariota’s agents. If the Titans aren’t 100% sold on Mariota’s long term prospects by the end of 2018, they can always choose to let him play out his 5th year option and then have the option to franchise tag him for a couple years before truly committing long term. The risk with that strategy is that you antagonize your most important player and you also likely end up paying more in the long run thanks to larger and larger comparable QB contracts hitting the market. If the Titans extend all three of these players before the start of next year’s training camp, they will have handed out three contracts worth more than $10M per year in less than 12 months after only giving out three such deals in the team’s entire existence to this point (McNair, Chris Johnson, and Jurrell Casey). It’s possible that they allow either Byard or Mariota to play on the final year of their deal in 2019 with the knowledge that they could use the franchise tag to hang on to them for another year if needed, but again, the franchise tag tends to be a distraction and frequently leads to hold outs during the offseason. If they can reach a reasonable deal without getting to that point, it’s certainly in the team’s best interest to do so.Those deals would add roughly $60M per year to the Titans bottom line — nearly one-third of the projected 2019 salary cap — and will completely change the team’s cap dynamic moving forward. Tennessee currently ranks 4th in the NFL with $33.2M in available cap space for 2018 and roughly $68M (after rolling over their unused cap and assuming a league wide cap bump to $190M for next season) for 2019. That $68M number includes a $20.9M cap hold for Mariota and a $1.1M cap hold for Byard based on their current deals, so the Titans would be able to pay Lewan, Mariota, and Byard prior to the 2019 season and still have about $30M to spend on free agency and the rookie contracts for their 2019 draft class. That will make it very difficult for the Titans to afford Orakpo, Morgan, Walker, Matthews, Logan, and Spain. You could have three of those guys back, maybe four if one or two of them take a team friendly deal, but that won’t leave room for much else. And that doesn’t even begin to speak to other 2019 free agents like special teams ace Brynden Trawick, depth tight ends Phillip Supernaw and Luke Stocker, or other potential depth/special teams players like Will Compton, Kevin Pamphile, Nate Palmer, and Michael Campanaro. Those roster spots will all need to be filled one way or another. Draft picks will likely play a big role in that, but I would expect at least two or three veteran starters to be playing elsewhere by 2019.The team has some opportunities to save money elsewhere if needed as well. Logan Ryan Navy Will Compton Jersey , Ben Jones, Wesley Woodyard, and Johnathan Cyprien will all have very little guaranteed money left on their deals for the 2019 season so they would be prime candidates to be cut or restructured next offseason. Of course cutting any of those players also means replacing another starter. That means that we will soon find out what Jon Robinson truly values. Where will he choose to invest his limited capital on the roster? Will he try to build a dominant defense and hope Mariota’s play can raise the level of the offensive players around him? Or will he continue to try to build Mariota’s supporting cast and hope to get by with one or two defensive stars surrounded by young or unproven talent? Will he invest more in receivers or offensive linemen? Derrick Henry will also be looking for a new contract by the end of 2019. Will the Titans give it to him, or will they choose to dip back in to the draft for a cheap replacement? Does Robinson prefer a dominant pass rush or a dominant secondary? These questions will start to be answered over the next calendar year and it could either set the Titans up for a long run of relevance and another legitimate title window or it could cause them to backslide in to more mediocrity (or worse). There is far more reason for optimism than fear for Titans fans heading in to this pivotal stretch though. Robinson has been excellent during his first two and a half years on the job, changing the culture and upgrading the talent of the team. His complete lack of fear when it comes to making bold decisions is refreshing and should serve him well as he faces some of the most important questions in this franchise’s history over the next 12 months. With this back drop, I will be taking a look at what analytics and history have to say about some of these team building decisions over the next few weeks, but if you’re Jon Robinson, who would you pay and what’s your plan moving in to this new era of Titans football?Get your “Honor” Landry shirt here.Takeaways from the Titans initial 53-man roster The Titans finalized their initial 53-man roster for the 2018 season yesterday. There weren’t any real shockers, but there were a few mild surprises among the selections. Here are the most surprising keeps and cuts according to me. Surprising KeepsAaron Stinnie, GI was pretty certain that Stinnie was going to be cut after a really bad showing against the Steelers in the preseason, but the Titans must have liked what they saw from him in practices. The 6’-3”, 312 pound UDFA guard from James Madison fits the athletic profile of a zone blocking guard though, running a 4.65-second short shuttle and a 7.63-second 3-cone during his pro day. Stinnie is a relatively raw prospect who only played two years of high school football and began his college career as a defensive lineman. I thought Tyler Marz was likely to be the 9th offensive lineman kept, but he ended up getting added to the practice squad instead. The Titans must think Stinnie has considerable upside to use a roster spot on him. Cameron Batson, WR/KRBatson is another guy that I don’t think I saw on any 53-man roster projections. Most felt like the 6th wide receiver spot — if the Titans chose to keep 6 — would come down to Nick Williams or Deontay Burnett, but it ended up being the explosive Batson who got the nod. Batson played his college ball at Texas Tech, totaling 1,499 receiving yards over 50 games. He also returned kicks and punts during his Red Raider career. Batson is undersized at 5’-8” tall and 175 pounds, but he makes up for it with his explosiveness. He ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at Texas Tech’s pro day which would have tied for the fastest time at the combine if he’d run it there. Batson also posted blistering 3.96-second short shuttle and 6.69-second 3-cone and a 39” vertical. In addition to being a tremendous athlete, he’s also a highly intelligent player, graduating from Tech with honors and majoring in accounting. He’s was a 2017 semi-finalist for the Campbell Award, an honor given to college football’s best scholar-athlete.During the preseason Batson was the Titans primary kick returner, picking up 161 yards on 7 returns. He also added 19 yards on 4 punt returns and 7 catches for 74 yards in the passing game. He repeatedly earned praise from Vrabel for his fearlessness in the return game and, obviously, special teams will be his primary role on the team. My guess is that Batson is the opening day starting kick returner with Adoree’ Jackson handling punts. That’s probably what made him the choice at this spot over a guy like Deontay Burnett too. While he likely won’t get much work as a receiver in 2018 Youth Jonnu Smith Jersey , Batson clearly profiles as a slot type player who can offer elite run after catch ability. Something he showed off on the play below. Vrabel was very complimentary of the UDFA receivers that the team brought in right before cut day so that speaks to how much they must like Batson as he was the only one to make the roster.Matt Dickerson, DLDickerson probably qualifies as a surprise, but this is one that I thought was in play. I even had him making it on my second-to-last 53-man roster projection before regrettably leaving him off on my final version. Dickerson is a guy that Jim Wyatt first put on my radar when he mentioned him as one of the UDFAs that stood out to him during OTAs. Dickerson is a great size-weight-speed prospect at 6’-5” and 292 pounds with good movement skills. During preseason, Dickerson flashed consistently as both a run defender and an interior pass rusher. Dickerson figures to get some snaps a small part of the defensive line rotation for the Titans this season as the team only kept 5 at this position. Anthony Firkser, TEIf you read my early training camp practice reports or follow me on Twitter, you know I loved Firkser from day one. I didn’t think the Titans would end up keeping him after an up and down preseason, but I’m glad to be wrong in this case. Firkser is a 6’-2”, 246 pound move tight end who played his college ball at Harvard. He led the Crimson in receiving yards during his senior season in 2016. After going undrafted in the 2017 draft, he spent time with the Jets and Chiefs at various times last season. During camp, Firkser made play after play in the passing game. He flashed that ability in the preseason game against the Steelers, turning in a 5 catch, 68 yard, 1 touchdown line, including this great grab up the seam. Firkser can contribute on special teams as well which gives him a chance to be active on game days this fall. I can’t wait for NFL announcers to learn that he went to Harvard. Surprising CutsJulius Warmsley, DLThe fact that Warmsley’s omission from the 53-man roster qualifies as a surprise is a testament to the work he put in during camp and preseason. As a 28 year old player who had spent the better part of the last 4 seasons on and off various practice squads Warmsley didn’t profile as a training camp darling coming in, but he ended up as one anyway.He earned some early praise from Vrabel and quickly vaulted ahead of David King on the defensive line rotation, even getting some snaps with the first team defense from time to time. He continued his excellent play throughout the preseason which led many to think he was a borderline lock for the 53-man roster. My read on why Warmsley didn’t make the cut is that the Titans likely felt that the gap between Warmsley and Dickerson was relatively small and Dickerson is 6 years younger, offering higher long term upside. Nick Williams, WRWilliams made some waves early in camp and preseason and looked to be a likely roster candidate as a slot receiver who could contribute on special teams as well. However, like Warmsley, Williams is an older player at 27 years old and a hamstring injury suffered during the Steelers game likely played a role in him getting left off the 53. It’s possible that the Titans wait for Williams to heal and then add him back later in the season. Deontay Burnett, WRThis may be the least popular of all the Titans cuts. Fans loved Burnett, who showed great feel for the game and outstanding hands during preseason action. At just 20 years old, he also offered considerable upside as a long term development prospect. I understand why people liked him, but I think his undoing was likely special teams related. He didn’t offer as much there as guys like Batson and Darius Jennings and was pretty much limited to just the slot role on offense. As a back of the roster receiver Navy Kamalei Correa Jersey , it’s tough to make the team without offering more versatility. He went unclaimed through the waiver process before signing on to the Jets practice squad. I’m guessing the Titans would have liked to bring him back on their practice squad, but Burnett chose to reunite with his college QB, Sam Darnold, in New York. Akrum Wadley, RBWadley is a guy that many expected to compete for the third running back spot with David Fluellen, but that battle never really materialized in camp. The question then became whether he would force the Titans to keep four backs, but injuries held him back and left him on the outside looking in by cut day. The Titans signed Dalyn Dawkins to the practice squad already so it seems like they are moving on without Wadley altogether (though there are still four practice squad spots open as of this writing). Other TakeawaysLuke Falk didn’t earn a spot on the 53-man roster and I agree with the decision to let him go, even if he provides some information about the offense to the Dolphins. He doesn’t have an NFL arm and that’s not something that usually develops at the professional level. Keeping Firkser tells me that we are going to see plenty of 12 personnel in this offense. Matt LaFleur has commented that the Rams league-leading use of 11 personnel was more by necessity than design last season based on getting their best players on the field. I expect the Titans to use multiple tight end sets fairly often in 2018, though probably not at the level that Mike Mularkey did.The Vrabel Titans will prioritize special teams. The team kept at least three players — besides specialists Ryan Succop, Brett Kern, and Beau Brinkley — for their ability to impact the game on 4th down. Batson, Daren Bates, and Brynden Trawick are all on the 53-man roster to help in the kick coverage and return games primarily. Additionally, players like Darius Jennings, LeShaun Sims, Dane Cruikshank, and Will Compton all likely had their roster odds boosted by their ability to help on special teams. Jack Conklin was activated off PUP which means the team believes their starting right tackle will be ready to return at least a week or two prior to Week 7 (when he would have been eligible to return had he stayed on PUP). That’s great news for the Titans. The Titans ended up keeping 4 players from their 2018 UDFA class — Stinnie, Dickerson, Batson, and Sharif Finch — even though it may not have been some of the guys fans expected to make it. Will the Titans have a Malcolm Butler/Wesley Woodyard/Quinton Spain success story out of this group?
after the Eagles beat the Falcons is something you need to see Philly Philly play aside Womens Corey Graham Jersey , the best moment of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons was when Matt Ryan’s final pass attempt for Julio Jones was incomplete out of bounds along the sideline. Another great moment from that night came right after the Eagles’ win was finalized.I like to envision this Jim Schwartz moment with the description that Michael Kist gave on the latest episode of BGN Radio: “My work here is done.” A job well done, indeed. Schwartz held the Falcons to just 12 points (with six coming on a short 27-yard drive) on Thursday evening. Atlanta’s offense was 4-of-16 on combined third and fourth conversions. They were just 1-of-5 in the red zone. It seems safe to say that Schwartz legally owns Steve Sarkisian.Another part of what makes this Schwartz moment great is it embodies the swagger and confidence this Eagles team possesses. An interesting thing I heard from a #leaguesource a few years back is that people in the NFL believed that the Seahawks, when Seattle was at their peak, believed that they legitimately couldn’t be beat. They were just so confident in themselves. Given the way that this Eagles team plays and coaches and just generally carries themselves, it seems like they’re developing an unshakable confidence as well. Schwartz’s defense has the potentially to be really good this year. Maybe not peak Seattle good, but still really good. It was encouraging to see them get off to a strong start in Week 1. The Eagles might need more of those games while they wait for Carson Wentz to return. The Philadelphia Eagles have had to deal with a number of injury issues this season. The good news is that help might be on the way.Now that the first six weeks of the 2018 NFL season are over http://www.philadelphiaeaglesteamonlines.com/derek-barnett-jersey , defensive tackle Tim Jernigan and safety/special teams ace Chris Maragos are both eligible to return to the 53-man roster. Again, let me be clear: Jernigan and Maragos are now eligible to be activated. That doesn’t necessarily guarantee it’ll happen any time soon, though.Jernigan began the season on the non-football injury list (NFI) while Maragos was placed on the physically unable to perform list (PUP). This means that neither player was eligible to play during the first six weeks. The trade off is that they don’t count towards the 53-man roster. Jernigan and Maragos will continue to not count against the roster limit until they are officially activated. It’s unclear exactly when that’ll happen. The Eagles have a six week window (day after Week 6 to day after Week 11) where these players can return to practice. Once they return to practice, there’s then a 21-day window where the player must either be officially activated to the 53-man roster or kept inactive for the rest of the season.Let’s take a closer look at each player.TIM JERNIGANBack in early May, Adam Schefter reported Jernigan was expected to be out for “four-to-six months” after having surgery on a herniated disc in his back. If that timeline holds true, the sixth month point would be in November. Jernigan did recently send out a picture on social media Womens Jake Elliott Jersey , which sparked some fan optimism: I’m not sure this means much, though, because the things I’ve heard from inside the Eagles’ facility aren’t encouraging. I mean, Doug Pederson wouldn’t even commit to Jernigan 100% playing this year.Jernigan has intentionally avoided being in the locker room during media availability, so he clearly doesn’t want to discuss his status.Hopefully the pessimism regarding Jernigan’s situation proves to be fruitless. The Eagles could really use him back next to Fletcher Cox. His return would be a big boost for Philadelphia’s defense. I’d just caution against getting your hopes up. Back injuries are very serious. Like, career-threatening serious. And the fact that Jernigan reworked his deal earlier this year to make it very team-friendly doesn’t seem like a great sign. Perhaps we’ll get a more informative update on Jernigan down the road.CHRIS MARAGOSMaragos has been out ever since suffering a PCL injury in October 2017. It seems like he should be physically ready to return at some point. From what I’ve read Authentic Cameron Johnston Jersey , 12 months is the longest it takes to recover, and it’s now been a full year since Maragos first got hurt.Getting Maragos back could be a boost to the Eagles’ special teams unit. His presence also gives Philadelphia an emergency option at safety, which isn’t insignificant based on the injuries the Eagles are dealing with there.Again, it seems like Maragos should be closer to returning than Jernigan is. We’ll see if the Eagles plan to activate him soon. There’s been no indication either way.It should be noted that returning Jernigan and/or Maragos to the 53-man roster does NOT impact the Eagles’ ability to bring back two players from their injured reserve list. Jernigan and Maragos were not on IR. But speaking of injured reserve, here’s a look at the players eligible to return for the Eagles this season.Ajayi’s inclusion here is a formality since his ACL injury will prevent him from actually coming back. It seems like the other four players could actually be healthy enough to return at some point.Wallace seems like one of the two prime candidates to return this season. The Eagles are in need of a legitimate deep threat and the coaching staff seems to be hoping he can be activated. Back when the Eagles placed Wallace on IR due to his fractured fibula, there was a report “that there is optimism that Wallace can return late in the year.” Wallace’s first game back could potentially be against the Saints in Week 11.If McLeod is healthy enough to return Authentic Jay Ajayi Jersey , the Eagles would certainly love to activate him. It’s unclear if he will be after suffering a torn MCL. For now, the Eagles will have to continue to move forward with what they have on the 53-man roster and hope they’ll be able to pick up some reinforcements later this season.
Philadelphia Eagles host the rival Dallas Cowboys in a key divisional game on Sunday Night Football and The Kist & Solak Show has you covered from every angle. Up first in Bleeding Green Nation’s trio of preview shows is taking an in-depth look at the Cowboys’ struggling offense and how they match up against the Eagles’ defense.With the addition of Amari Cooper Brandon Brooks Jersey , the Cowboys have still failed to pump life into their dying offense, but there are ways they can add juice. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for us they seem reluctant to use Dak Prescott’s legs in the passing/running game, but at 3-5 will they finally decide to rip off the bubble wrap?We also dig into Prescott’s woeful pocket presence that has led to Dallas having the worst sack percentage per dropback in the league (article coming).All that, thoughts on the running game, offensive line, and more on the newest Kist & Solak Show!Stream it on the media player below or click here if the player doesn’t load. You can also subscribe here, and while you’re at it Darren Sproles Jersey , drop us a 5-star rating and leave a review! FLY EAGLES FLY!Eagles’ red zone run concepts provide a boost The Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles had a peculiar problem in 2017. Despite having a backfield featuring sledgehammers LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi, the red zone was not an area where they thrived pounding the rock.They ranked towards the bottom of the league in rushing touchdowns and conversions from inside the 20 and struggled to punch through from 5 yards and in. The fault wasn’t that of Ajayi, however, who didn’t receive any touches from within 5 yards.Projecting a positive regression to the mean regarding red zone efficiency, I cited Ajayi’s career 5 for 11 touchdown rate before coming to Philadelphia. In the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, Ajayi added on to his past success. He toted the rock on 2 red zone carries for 12 yards and 2 touchdowns. The first came in the 3rd quarter; a go-ahead score from the 1-yard line on a well designed inside run.Your browser does not support HTML5 video.What helps this play work is the Eagles use of jet motion and the unbalanced line. They screw with the snap timing a little, snapping it before tight end Josh Perkins screams across the formation. Instead of being merely used to take the defensive back with him Jason Kelce Jersey , he lunges to get in the way of defensive end Vic Beasley.This allows Jason Peters, who is lined up outside of Lane Johnson, to get a piece of linebacker Duke Riley. Johnson does his part by showcasing his elite athleticism, securing a reach block on Grady Jarrett with the help of Brandon Brooks. A tick late to the hole, Riley and safety Ricardo Allen are unable to stuff the powerful Ajayi.The second of Ajayi’s touchdowns was even sexier. Down two points with a little over two minutes left in the game, the Eagles dialed up a pin-pull concept that they pulled off with flawless execution.Here’s the pre-snap look and how it’s drawn up:Eagles go heavy, so they’ve got their regular offensive line alignment Cheap DeAndre Carter Jersey , but they added Isaac Seumalo lined up outside of Lane Johnson. Zach Ertz is aligned outside of Jason Peters.Falcons safety Ricardo Allen is initially aligned over on Ertz’s side, but before the snap he goes to the heavy side with Seumalo. As Allen is flying across the formation, Nick Foles stands up and wipes his chest, and it’s an educated guess in saying that he’s flipping the play.To the playside you’ve got 4-on-4, here’s what happens:Your browser does not support HTML5 video.Ertz pins the 5-tech to allow Peters to pull.Left tackle Peters pulls into space and displaces linebacker De’Vondre Campbell who is attempting to set the edge, which is a huge size mismatch.Left guard Stefen Wisniewski pins the 1-tech allowing Jason Kelce to pull.Center Kelce cuts off linebacker Deion Jones who is shooting his gap.Right guard Brandon Brooks, despite being grabbed Womens Ronald Darby Jersey , climbs and reach blocks the backside linebacker Foye Oluokun to seal him off from the play.Right tackle Johnson, who is unable to reach Jarrett, transitions to a modified “slingshot” technique and finishes with a pancake.Ajayi reads hats on the edge and finds a line before running through the attempted tackle by Allen for a touchdown.This is a positive grade for every player involved on this touchdown, with a bonus gold star for Johnson for his high difficulty slingshot. This is the type of execution that lacked at times for the Eagles and it’s of note that they didn’t attempt these pin/pull concepts to the left much when Halapoulivaati Vaitai replaced the injured Peters last year. The return of the athletic Peters allows the Eagles to use this concept ambidextrously and more effectively.It’s still early, but so far the red zone running for the Eagles has been lights out. That’s a big boost for an offense that has yet to find it’s way with several starters missing from the line-up.
against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday in a No. 7 jersey bearing the hashtag "IMWITHKAP" to support Colin Kaepernick and his protests of social and racial injustice because: "he's standing up for what's right."Hopkins was photographed entering the stadium in the black jersey with white lettering and posted the photograph on social media before the game with an emoji of a hand making a peace sign and the word "love."When asked why he wore the jersey during a news conference after the game http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/christian-covington-jersey , Hopkins would only say it was because "That's my homie." But the star receiver later discussed his motivation for the clothing choice to The Associated Press.Kaepernick created controversy in 2016 when he began kneeling during the national anthem as a way to protest police brutality and social and racial injustice in America. He opted out of his contract after the end of that season and hasn't been able to get a job in the NFL since. He's suing the league for collusion."I support his movement and everything that he's doing," Hopkins told The AP. "In my eyes he's a legend. In a lot of people's eyes he's a legend. He's standing up for what's right."Hopkins said he knows a lot of people criticize Kaepernick, but he wouldn't let that deter him from vocally supporting the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback."There's going to be negative things said about him http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/kareem-jackson-jersey , but I just want to let him know that a lot of people support him, not just (me), but my family Womens Julien Davenport Jersey , other people on this team," Hopkins said. "Some people won't stand up and speak out and say they support him because of what might come behind that. But I know that after this life is done I stood up for something that's right, not just for where I'm at right now but for people after me."Kaepernick retweeted Hopkins' tweet of the picture and wrote: "Appreciate love from one of the best ... thank you brother!!!"Hopkins believes it's "very unfair" that Kaepernick can't get another NFL job http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/bruce-ellington-jersey , and exaggerated the number of quarterbacks he played with in Houston before the Texans drafted Deshaun Watson last year to illustrate his point on the subject."He can still play," Hopkins said. "I know he can still play ... he can win games for an NFL team. I've played with dozens of quarterbacks and I can honestly say that I think he belongs in this league."Hopkins had seven receptions for 91 yards Sunday as the Texans beat the Cleveland Browns 29-13 to extend their franchise-record winning streak to nine games.Houston Texans News: August 20, 2018 Houston Texans NewsTexans’ young star ready for breakout season - Yahoo SportsIf Deshaun has a year like Carson Wentz had last year http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/tyrann-mathieu-jersey , oh boy.Texans CB Kevin Johnson doing “great” after concussion - Houston ChronicleKevin Johnson was concussed in Saturday’s win over the 49ers.Ailing Texans safety Andre Hal joins teammates for warmups - Houston ChronicleA good sign for the safety!NFL NewsRedskins hosting RBs Peterson, Darkwa, Charles - NFL.comThe Redskins need RB help.Stunner: Bengals cut veteran safety George Iloka - NFL.comThe Houstonian safety has started every game he’s played in since 2013.Report: Seahawks offered 2nd-rounder for Brissett - NFL.comCould the Seahawks be looking for QB depth?Houston & Collegiate SportsGame Recap: Astros’ Stand Holds. Beat Back A’s 9-4 - Crawfish BoxesThey’re still in first place.Real Salt Lake scores twice in stoppage time to beat struggling Houston Dynamo - Dynamo TheoryThe Dynamo cannot seem to catch a break.
with hopefully Houston’s offense not http://www.texansauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ka_imi-fairbairn-jersey , stalling in the red zone and Josh Allen hasn’t started hurdling linebackers again. Enjoy your second quarter here.NOTE: Please do not post any images, videos, GIFs, or non-text comments in any of BRB’s live game threads. They tend to slow the thread down and can take a long time to load. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.NOTE II: Due to the fast-paced nature of these threads, there will be no warnings before bans on game day. If a moderator deems a comment or user to be problematic, he or she will remove that person from the discussion for the good of the collective game day experience. If you’re on the wrong side of the law today and want your posting privileges reinstated, please send an e-mail to one of us tomorrow.NOTE III: Please refrain from any reference to or mention of any religion or religious figure, even if you believe it’s celebratory or inoffensive. If you make such a reference or comment, it will be deleted and you will be warned. Two violations of this rule will result in a ban Demaryius Thomas is playing for a team other than the Denver Broncos for the first time in his career after his trade to the Houston Texans.The receiver won't have long to miss Denver though D.J. Reader Jersey , with the Texans visiting the Broncos on Sunday."It was strange to get traded first off, and then come here and get ready to play in the Mile High City that you've been playing for the last 8陆 years is very strange," Thomas said.The Texans traded for Thomas on Tuesday, adding the veteran to replace Will Fuller, who tore a knee ligament in Houston's win over the Dolphins last week. The 30-year-old Thomas was a first-round pick by the Broncos in 2010 and has piled up 9,055 yards receiving with 60 touchdowns since then."I like his size ... I think he can do a lot of different things," coach Bill O'Brien said. "I like his intelligence, his experience. I don't think there's any substitute for experience. Obviously, he's got good hands. There's a lot of things to like about Demaryius Thomas."Acquiring Thomas was a big move for a team which has reeled off five straight wins since opening the season 0-3 to move into first place in the AFC South. The Texans have star receiver DeAndre Hopkins Authentic Christian Covington Jersey , but didn't have any proven playmakers to pair with Hopkins after Fuller was lost for the season.Quarterback Deshaun Watson, who tied a career high with five touchdown passes against the Dolphins, is excited about the possibilities for this offense with two receivers as talented as Hopkins and Thomas. Watson doesn't think it will take long for Thomas to get acclimated in Houston and expects big things from him immediately."It's going to be great," Watson said. "Nothing really should stop the train. (Thomas) is a veteran guy that can do a lot of different things and he's played a lot football, so it's a great opportunity for all of us to get on the same page and continue to put a lot of yards in the air and put a lot of points on the board. We're going to bring him along and he's going to fit in ... well."Despite his years of experience, Thomas admitted to being a little nervous on his first day with the Texans on Wednesday.He said the transition was made easier by the warm welcome he received from his teammates, including Watson, who was the first to text him after the trade. Thomas said he's admired Watson from afar for a while and is looking forward to playing with him."He gets the ball out, great throws Youth Tyrann Mathieu Jersey , on time, on point," Thomas said. "He can also scramble, too, and that's another exciting thing. That's some of the things you see from him that you can count on as a receiver, because if he scrambles outside of the pocket, he's looking downfield, he's not looking to run. So, that's big plays for guys like me Womens Tyrann Mathieu Jersey , Hop (DeAndre Hopkins) and everybody else."Another change Thomas will have to get used to in Houston is wearing a different number since the No. 88 he's worn for his entire NFL career is taken by rookie tight end Jordan Akins. NFL rules mandate that a player isn't allowed to change numbers if he's played more than 30 percent of the team's snaps on his side of the ball in a season, which applies to Akins.Thomas didn't know the rule when he first learned of the trade and was prepared to negotiate with Akins for the number."I was ready to pay him and everything," he said. "I was going to give him whatever he wanted for it."Since that wasn't an option, Thomas settled on No. 87, but said that if he remains in Houston next season he'll try and snag his number back.With his new team and his new number, Thomas is ready for a new start in Houston. But first he'll have to revisit his past on Sunday and knows that it will be a difficult trip considering all the memories he made in his time in Denver."It'll be tough," he said. "But that's ball and I have to deal with it."
as the hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners and moving into a new role as a hitting adviser for the entire organization http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-willie-mcgee-jersey , the club announced Tuesday.Martinez said the move is largely based around his desire to spend more time with family, but with the help of the Mariners he was able to create a role that gives him the flexibility he seeks while still keeping him connected with the major league team and the organization.“Coaching goes into long hours and the travel and with the situation with my family at this point, I thought if I could have an ideal situation where I could spend some time with the MLB team and be part of it and help and expand in other roles, but also be home more with the family, that was what I was thinking,” Martinez said.General manager Jerry Dipoto said Martinez approached the team after the end of the regular season. Martinez considered seeking a role like this after the 2017 season but opted to stick around for one more year as the hitting coach before broaching the idea with management.“We have spent the past three weeks working with Edgar to design a new position that will allow us to take advantage of his knowledge, passion and teaching skill at both the major and minor league levels Mike Matheny Jersey , while allowing Edgar flexibility that is unavailable in his current role,” Dipoto said in a statement.The decision leaves Seattle needing to fill two key positions on its coaching staff after manager Scott Servais opted not to bring back pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. Martinez just completed his third full season as Seattle’s hitting coach, and was the one holdover on the coaching staff after Servais arrived in 2016.Martinez was hired by then-manager Lloyd McClendon midway through the 2015 season after Howard Johnson was reassigned in the organization.The move was initially met with skepticism and was viewed as an attempt by a struggling team to garner goodwill by hiring one of the best players in franchise history. But Martinez was able to transfer some of the hitting skills and knowledge from his standout playing career to the current crop of players.Martinez played with the Mariners for 18 years until retiring in 2004. He is entering his final year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame and last year fell just short of getting the votes needed to make him one of just two inducted players who were primarily designated hitters.Martinez said he’s looking forward to working with both the major leaguers and younger hitters in the organization.“I always had the question of how it would be to go back and coach. I’m very happy that I got the opportunity to do it,” Martinez said. “I enjoy it. I will miss it not being there the whole time. Being around for part of the season will help. But I’m glad I tried it and the time I spent with the guys and the coaches, it was a lot of fun.” The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced its 10 Today's Game Era candidates for 2019 induction Monday, highlighted by late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner."The Boss" is the only executive on this year's list, which will be discussed at the winter meetings Dec. 9. Former playersHarold Baines http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-red-schoendienst-jersey , Albert Belle, Joe Carter, Will Clark, Orel Hershiser and Lee Smith are also on the ballot. Former managersDavey Johnson, Charlie Manuel and Lou Piniella are also eligible.Steinbrenneris the only deceased candidate. He died in 2010 of a heart attack at age 80. The longtime Yankees owner purchased the team in 1973, winning seven World Series championships and 11 pennants.One of the most controversial owners in team sports history,Steinbrennerclashed with MLB management Enos Slaughter Jersey , his own players and managers, and he was suspended twice for his off-field actions. He served a suspension for making illegal campaign contributions to Richard Nixon's re-election campaign in the 1970s and was permanently banned from management of the team in 1990 after paying a gambler to investigate Dave Winfield.Steinbrennerwas later reinstated in 1993.Piniellaserved two stints underSteinbrenneras manager in the 1980s. He finished with a 1,835-1,713 record over a career with the Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs.Carter andHershiserare most famous for their postseason contributions. Carter famously hit a game-winning home run with the Toronto Blue Jays to capture the 1993 World Series http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-chris-carpenter-jersey , only the second such walk-off win in history.Hershiserwon the 1988 World Series MVP, throwing two complete games for the Los Angeles Dodgers to defeat the Oakland Athletics.