Tonight Schefter reports that the Lions are hopeful that their first round pick, Nick Fairley will make his NFL debut this week. The 3-0 Lions are looking to bolster their dominant defensive line rotation with the former Auburn star. Fairley would rotate in at defensive tackle with Ndamukong Suh, Corey Williams, Sammie Lee Hill, and Andre Fluellen. The Lions defense have registered 8 sacks, 4 of them last week against the Vikings, and appear to just be getting warmed up. Tony Romo better hope those ribs heal fast.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Rex Ryan says he isn't going to change who he is just because Joe Namath criticized his team's preparation, and the New York Jets head coach welcomes the franchise's only Super Bowl winning quarterback to watch his team practice and see how they prepare first-hand.
In fact, Ryan jokingly said he might even let the long-retired Namath participate in practice and compete to be Mark Sanchez's backup -- that is, if the 68-year-old can still sling it.
"I'm not gonna change who I am because Joe Namath said something," Ryan said Monday. "Joe Namath can come in here, and if he can still throw, we'll have him as a backup quarterback. He doesn't know our team. He's on the outside. Even though he's a Jet, and once you're a Jet you're always a Jet ... but he's on the outside, he's not in these meetings. I think if he was he'd be shocked at the preparation.
"I'm confident with our football team. There's no question about it. And, I've told you this many times, I've never gone into a game that I didn't think I'd win. I haven't won them all, but I certainly think we can and will."
Namath had said he was alarmed by the way the Jets lost to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday afternoon, and questioned Ryan's team's preparation during a Monday interview on ESPN 1050's "The Michael Kay Show."
"It wasn't disheartening so to speak," Broadway Joe said of the Jets' 34-24 setback in Oakland on Sunday, their first loss of the season. "It's rather alarming is the way I'm looking at it.
"It starts at the top. Coach Rex Ryan I think has been doing a great job getting the team to two (AFC) Championship Games. But if there's one thing about the athlete, if you keep telling him how good he is, he's going to start believing it, to the point that he may not be preparing not quite the way he should. He may be losing some respect for the other team."
After hearing Namath's disparaging comments during his weekly segment on the radio show, Ryan said he disagreed with Namath assessment.
"I'd welcome Joe out here anytime he wants to see this team prepare, because this team prepares as well as any team I've ever coached and ever been a part of," Ryan said. "So I totally disagree with him.
"But hey, I'm not apologizing for anything. This is a bend in the road, but it's not the end of the road, and we get to prove it."
Ryan said he understands if his 2-1 team has its detractors, but he wants them to know that they're going to turn it around.
"If there's detractors out there that don't believe, I can understand that, especially after that type of performance," Ryan said. "But I believe we'll get this team fixed, and I know I'm the right guy for the job, so I get to prove it."
The Jets, who sported the top-ranked defense in the NFL in 2009 and the third-best defense last season, surrendered 383 total yards to Oakland, including 234 on the ground -- 171 of those courtesy of Darren McFadden. New York's run defense currently ranks 31st in the league.
Hey folks, my name is Alex Welch and I am going to be contributing The Tiger Report.
I'll tell you a little about myself. I am 21 years old and I attend Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. I've lived in Georgia my entire life, so naturally I am a passionate Falcons fan.
I write for BleacherReport.com, and I've recently started covering prep sports in my area for a local paper. I'm also a copy editor at my school newspaper. As you can see, I'm trying my best to make it in the world of writing.
Pro football is my favorite sport of all. There's nothing like a Sunday with NFL football. I'm also a huge fantasy football nut, so I'll be attempting to bring some of my insight to you all. I've won several fantasy leagues in the past and I probably take the whole thing a little too seriously at times to be honest. My ESPN fantasy football app on my phone kills my battery on a daily basis.
You can follow me on twitter: @alex__welch. That's two underscores in there, sorry for the inconvenience. I look forward to doing my part for The Tiger Report. Stay tuned for more.
The fourth Cowboy listed as questionable, kicker David Buehler, is inactive for the Redskins game, as is receiver Miles Austin, who will be replaced in the starting lineup by Kevin Ogletree.
For the Redskins, safety LaRon Landry is active and will see the field for the first time since November.
These guys are pulling down a handsome $64.5 million in guaranteed money, not counting bonuses and escalators. But are their teams getting what they paid for? How about no.
These three superstar running backs have combined for 307 yards on 132 carries resulting in 2.32 yards per carry and 1 touchdown. Sprinkle in 26 receptions for 173 yards at a clip of 6.65 yards per reception.
These guys certainly have the ability to turn things around and give something to the teams that are paying them so richly, but what if they don't?
Let's have a little fun speculating...
We will give these three the numbers they are on pace to produce, then we will find out exactly what these Panthers, 49ers and Titans RoI yields.
Chris Johnson is currently on pace to have an electrifying 63.0 all purpose yards per game, at this pace he can certainly scratch a thousand all purpose yards. With 1,008 all purpose yards we can stop calling him CJ1.3k and just affectionately start calling him CJk. So much easier.
Frank Gore, you football warrior. You were mad they wouldn't pay, now they should be mad that you won't play. I mean, you are going through the motions, but 61.3 yards per game rushing and receiving are just not going to cut it. You have at least registered 1 TD, but you also put the ball on the ground once, so it's a wash. Total yards from scrimmage, 981.
DeAngelo Williams, my favorite amigo. Your "production" has been epic, 35.6 all purpose yards per game is amazing. Amazingly bad. Not only are you stealing from the Panthers, but you are stealing from your teammate Jonathan Stewart. Not only is Williams per touch average awful, but his 3.1 is less than half of Stewart's 6.6 yards. Yet they continue to literally split the touches 34/36 in Carolina. Williams is not only on track for an unreal 570 all purpose yards, but you are vulturing 5-10 touches per game from Smash, who hypothetically could raise his production from 76.7 yards per game to at least 109.7 all purpose yards. Only a real jerk would steal hypothetical yards.
So who are the winners and loser's in this episode of Bang for your Buck?
Winners:
Chris Johnson, Frank Gore, and DeAngelo Williams.
Losers:
San Francisco 49ers are shelling out $3,440.36 per yard to financially fit Frank.
Tennessee Titans are paying CJk $4,960.31 for every yard he gains.
Carolina Panthers are the biggest losers, forking over $7,368.42 per measly yard that DeAngelo figures to gain this year.
Come on DeAngelo, it's my turn! I wanna play!
All numbers were based on their guaranteed money divided by the contract lengthy, then divided by their hypothetical year end production.
To say that Titans running back Chris Johnson has been overpaid since receiving a six-year, $56 million contract wouldn’t come close to telling the whole story of Johnson’s first three games this season.
The truth is, based on what he’s done so far this year Johnson would be overpaid if he were making the league minimum.
Johnson’s rushing numbers are stunningly awful. Through three games he has 46 carries for 98 yards, an average of 2.1 yards a carry. That’s the lowest yards-per-carry average of any of the 35 NFL players who have more than 25 carries so far this season. Only three of Johnson’s 43 runs have gone for first downs. Although Johnson is supposed to be a big-play back, his longest run all season is nine yards, and he has yet to score a touchdown.
Heading into this season, Johnson had only been held under 25 yards in a game twice in his career. He’s been held under 25 yards in two of his three games this season.
So what’s going wrong? Johnson wrote on Twitter that it’s just a matter of keeping at it until he starts to get more productive.
“Got to keep pushing,” Johnson wrote. “At least we still winning will get this fixed very soon.”
The Titans had better hope they get it fixed very soon. They’ve tied a lot of money up in a player who’s giving them next to nothing in return.
Mario Manningham confirmed Monday that he has been medically cleared to return from his concussion for Week 4 against the Cardinals.
He'll probably avoid the injury report. Manningham caught seven passes for 105 yards in the Giants' first two games, before sitting out Week 3. He's an excellent buy-low target for receiver-needy fantasy owners. The Cardinals field quite possibly the worst pass defense in football, already having allowed 100-plus yard games to Steve Smith South, Fred Davis, and Sidney Rice. Manningham's return will remove Victor Cruz from the starting lineup.
NBC 4 in Washington is reporting that Redskins SS LaRon Landry (Achilles, hamstring) will start Monday night's game against Dallas.
Landry hasn't played a snap since he went on I.R. last year -- either in an exhibition or regular season game -- so the Skins could conceivably ease him in with an early-down only role. Regardless, he should upgrade the run defense.
12. Ryan Mathews has Philip Rivers' back on so-so days. Of the last two times Rivers failed to record a TD pass (including Sunday's struggle against the Chiefs), Mathews has picked up the slack with 269 combined yards and five touchdowns. Not bad for a runner who's been 1) Victimized by Coach Norv Turner's ill-conceived prediction of "300 carries" in 2010 ... 2) Haunted by comparisons to Albert Haynesworth after failing San Diego's post-lockout conditioning test ... 3) Stunned by Mike Tolbert's nuclear blast of three touchdowns in Week 1. Bottom line: Through all the adversity, through all the premature claims that Mathews (149 total yards, 2 TDs vs. Kansas City) was an overhyped asset coming out of college, he remains a rubber-stamped starter on 10-, 12-, 14- and 16-team leagues. It's as simple as that!
ICONWill the real Matt Ryan please stand up?
13. It's hard to get a read on Matt Ryan and Josh Freeman these days. Obviously, Freeman (215 total yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) is more concerned with winning than fantasy stats; and making a post-Super Bowl pitch for Disney apparently holds greater appeal than starring in one of NFL.com's hilarious fantasy commercials, previewing the 2012 season. That isn't to say Ryan (330 passing yards, 1 TD) doesn't value winning or post-championship Disney spots; nevertheless, it's odd to see him attempt 47 passes for the second time in 14 days -- something that never happened from 2008-10 -- while Michael Turner (20 total yards) accepts a subservient role in a game that was reasonably close the whole way through. But then again, it's not like many teams can match the 1-2 receiving combo of Roddy White (9 catches, 140 yards; 17 targets) and rookie Julio Jones (6 catches, 115 yards). At this point, the Buccaneers might settle for back-to-back 50-yard outings from WR1 Mike Williams (5 catches, 43 yards) ... while asking the defense to carry the brunt of their NFC South title hopes.
14. The Vikings passing offense is more 'train wreck' than a 'work-in-progress.' While Minnesota'sMichael Jenkins (9 catches, 88 yards; 11 targets) deserves kudos for a stellar Sunday, he simply doesn't possess the consistent traits of a quality No. 1 receiver ... and, in a bit of total honesty, neither does Percy Harvin. In my warped fantasy mind, I tried to rationalize Harvin (88 total yards) as a near-equal to RB Adrian Peterson (97 total yards, 1 TD); but if that was the case, Percy would've touched the ball more than five times ... BEFORE exiting the game in the fourth quarter (injury? illness?).
15. Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown are the Steelers' best receivers. I have a two-tiered assignment for fantasy owners this week: Step 1 -- Move heaven and earth to trade for Wallace (5 catches, 144 yards, 1 TD) in standard-scoring and PPR leagues. Step 2 -- Stealthily pluck Brown (4 catches, 75 yards) from the waiver wire ... just days before Ben Roethlisberger (364 passing yards, 1 TD) and the Steelers hit serious paydirt with the often-targeted and supremely athletic Brown.
Look for Gabbert to lean heavily on the workhorse that is MJD.
16. Maurice Jones-Drew will be a saving grace for Blaine Gabbert ... and vice versa. Before we break down MJD's excellent effort in Carolina, did you see Gabbert's first career touchdown pass -- acrop-duster-esque 'Hail Mary' to WR Mike Thomas right before the first half ended? It was a bizarre coming-out moment for the rookie, but one that'll hopefully lead the Jaguars players, coaches and fans to believe they'll have a blue-chip franchise quarterback sooner than later -- and one that won't be unceremoniously dumped before Week 1 in 2015. On Sunday, Gabbert threw for a pedestrian 139 yards and one TD; but his cannon-armed presence alone helped Jones-Drew amass 167 total yards ... with a good chunk coming during the near-biblical rainstorm that engulfed Charlotte sometime in the second quarter. I guess the statue of limitations for worrying about Jones-Drew's balky knee have expired, huh?
17. Reggie Bush is no longer roster-worthy in standard-scoring leagues. Wow! It took the Dolphins coaches only three games (and three head-scratching defeats) to realize that Bush (36 total yards) is a flare-pass receiver dressed in a running back's clothing; and after Sunday's one-target outing against the Browns, it's fair to wonder if Tony Sparano and Co. have lost confidence in Bush's capacity to augment a middling passing offense, as well. Whatever the case, there's no point in exhausting a roster spot for Bush in 12-team standard leagues; and his short-term standing as a flex-starter consideration in PPR leagues has vanquished too, especially if rookie Daniel Thomas (122 total yards, 1 TD) can triple Bush's targets on a semi-regular basis. My empathy for Bush owners runs deep ... but it cannot compare to my shared sorrow for the good people of Pizza Hut, who built an entire marketing campaign around Bush -- thinking the Heisman-turned-Bayou-hero-turned-reality-star-turned-feature back would sell a ton of pizzas this fall. Ouch!
Look for Gabbert to lean heavily on the workhorse that is MJD.