The Bills haven’t been able to get the ball to 2010 No. 9 overall pick C.J. Spiller much this season. That hasn’t exactly been a problem, with Fred Jackson leading the league in yards from scrimmage.
With Buffalo’s wideout group thin after injuries, head coach Chan Gailey found another way to get Spiller the ball. He started Spiller at wide receiver.
Spiller stayed on the field quite a bit in Buffalo’s spread offense, catching five passes for 39 yards. He didn’t have a carry.
“He did a good job,” Gailey said via the team’s website. “He did a very good job. I can see that being his role here for a short term.”
While Spiller didn’t break any big plays, we were impressed by how natural he looked. He only started practicing at wide receiver last week. Perhaps he can be the the next Bobby Moore Ahmad Rashad.
Gailey relies on overwhelming defenses with receiving options, and Spiller adds another quality pair of hands to the mix.
The post-game drama featuring Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh will have a happy ending. At least for the two coaches.
The NFL will not fine either coach for their postgame activity in Detroit on Sunday. The reason: there was no fighting involved.
It’s a surprising move by a league that likes to fine for all sorts of things, from uniform violations to celebrations not wearing microphones to flipping the bird.
The coaches will continue to pay in other ways: They’ll have to keep answering questions about the already tired issue.
Packers cornerback Charles Woodson has been a teammate of Hawk’s for Hawk’s entire NFL career, and Woodson says that’s the first he’s ever heard of any such joke.
“No, I had not heard about it,” Woodson told Jim Rome today. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen that. From what I heard it was some kind of inside joke but I have no clue. I don’t know who else knew about it either. I guess there were a couple people who knew about it but it caught everybody else off guard. So the joke’s on us I guess.”
Hawk said he couldn’t say exactly what the joke was, nor could he identify who the teammates were who are in on it. So it’s apparently hard to identify anyone who finds the “joke” funny. It’s safe to assume the league office will inform Hawk this week that they don’t get the joke either.
It’d be interesting to know whether the injury traces to the back injury that Garrard suffered during training camp. If so, he possibly could file an injury grievance against the Jaguars for all or part of his $8 million salary.
As Ross Tucker of College Football Talk on VERSUS (5:00 p.m. ET) pointed out in the green room at the studio, it’d also be interesting to know whether Garrard signed the document standard verifying that he was healthy when released. “My guess would be that he did,” Tucker said, “because if he didn’t we would have heard about that.”
The San Francisco 49ers organization has been the talk of the NFL so far this year…not. If anything, the only thing that got ESPN and the NFL Network excited was the fact that Jim Harbaugh may or may not have “dissed” Jim Schwartz after the 49ers upset the Lions. No one talked about how the 49ers weren’t supposed to win the game, or that they have been on an absolute tear, winning big on the road and blowing out teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
I was so compelled by the lack of respect the 49ers’ 5-1 record that I posted a status update on Facebook that read “Forget the respect, we’ll take the wins. Go 49ers!”
There is no reason that the team should not garner the respect of the league, analysts and other fans, especially after some huge wins this season – winning on the road in Philly, routing the Buccaneers at home, and beating the undefeated Lions in Detroit.
To be perfectly honest, I don’t think the 49ers want the respect. If it came down to it, I would be happy and content with winning as opposed to gaining notoriety. Without the notoriety you can focus on your team goals and continue to progress without any of the usual pressures.
Remember back to the 2010 MLB season when the San Francisco Giants “weren’t supposed to beat the Braves, Phillies, or the Rangers”, but they anyway on their way to a World Series title. They were a group of misfits who couldn’t buy respect if it was on sale for $0.99 at the local grocer.
That being said, I think the 49ers would be content in the underdog role so long as the wins keep coming their way. As for their upcoming schedule, how can you be upset? They have a bye week on October 23, and then the following week, NFL Week 8, they host the Browns at home. Then in Week 9 they head to Washington to face the Redskins. Those are both games the 49ers should be able to win easily.
Oh, and did I mention we haven’t even played the lowly Rams or Cardinals yet and have only played the Seahawks once? That means of their 10 remaining games, 5 of them are against the below .500 teams in their own division. This probably has the 49ers licking their chops as they head into the rest of their season after their bye week.
David Mehrweinis a sports sport loving freelance writer. The NFL is one of his favorite sports with the UFC coming in at a close second. One of his favorite activities is analyzing UFC results. He has also been contributing since the beginning of the year to an NFL blog on Yahoo!
It does appear that Garrard is interested in joining the Silver and Black. His agent told Terry McCormick that it is “highly possible” Garrard will go to Oakland to work out for the Raiders.
That obviously indicates a willingness to sign there. Garrard’s desire to play has rightfully been questioned as he’s waited for the right opportunity and contract offer to come along.
The Garrard news comes on the same day Jason Campbell underwent surgery on his broken collarbone.
“I’m going to stay positive,” Campbell told Paul Gutierrez of CSNBayArea.com. “If everything goes right, I could be back in six weeks.”
There have been a lot of varying timelines on when Campbell could return, if he returns at all. Six weeks wouldn’t be bad; Oakland should still be in the middle of a playoff race then if they can just beat some bad teams at home.
John Madden spent just 10 years on the sidelines as an NFL head coach—including winning a Super Bowl with the Oakland Raiders—before launching into a successful 30-year career as a television's most well-known football analyst. Now it looks like another former Raiders coach, Jon Gruden, is working to follow that primrose path.
Gruden, who has had fewer than three full seasons on the job as a co-color commentator on MondayNightFootball, has agreed to a exclusive five-year agreement that will keep him with ESPN through the 2016. According to the network press release, Gruden's extension, which goes into effect in September 2012, includes a provision that he will stay out of coaching through the new contract.
With a new TV deal in hand, it's not likely Jon Gruden will return to coaching any time soon. (AP Photo)
"Our Monday Night Football crew is special, and to have the opportunity to continue to be a part of this team, working these big-time NFL prime time games every week on ESPN, I’m fired up," Gruden said via the release.
Gruden, 48, was one of the hard-working head coaches in the NFL during his 11 years with Oakland and the TampaBayBuccaneers, whom he coached to a Super Bowl XXXVII victory over the Raiders after the 2002 season. The Bucs fired Gruden after the 2008 season, however, when he was just 45. Similarly, Madden retired from coaching at age 42.
Gruden signed on with ESPN in May of 2009 to join fellow analyst Ron Jaworski and play-by-play commentator Mike Tirico in its MNF booth. For his work, Gruden has earned two Sports Emmy nominations
If all continues to go well with Gruden's promising second career as a broadcaster, he'll end up where Madden is: the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
With ESPN's move, it potentially keeps Gruden from being tempted back into coaching at a marquee organization or, perhaps more important, college program. Consider that two Big Ten university powers will likely need new head coaches soon—Penn State and Ohio State. The Buckeyes should have been the bigger concern, given the fact Gruden is an Ohio native. In that same state, Jon's brother Jay, is currently having success as the first-year offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Few details are available on the circumstances that led to his arrest. McBean posted a $50,000 bond and is due in court on October 28.
Lindsay Jones of the Denver Postreports that McBean is at practice today, and Broncos coach John Fox will address the arrest after practice.
McBean was a fourth-round draft pick of the Steelers in 2007 but played in just one game his rookie year before being cut prior to the 2008 season. The Broncos put him on their practice squad in 2008, and in 2009 he became a starter.
This season McBean has played in all five games but hasn’t started any. He has one sack.
After Brandon Pettigrew scored the game’s first touchdown, Harbaugh decided to challenge the play. He was given a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for an illegal challenge. (All scoring plays are automatically reviewed.)
Chris Chase at Yahoo! Sports unearthed the television broadcast of the aftermath, which shows Lions coach Jim Schwartz enjoying the penalty to no end. He strutted up and down the sideline yelling towards the 49ers sideline.
It’s unclear what Schwartz yelled, but it seemed to be about knowing the rules. (Check around the 2 minute mark of the video.) Perhaps that moment caused Harbaugh to be a little more exuberant in his back-slapping at the game’s end.
Florio may disagree, but I enjoy seeing the emotion out of the coaches. It’s an emotional game and great theatre. Harbaugh and Schwartz have a lot in common, which is why their confrontation almost makes sense.
We said earlier Sunday that St. Louis’ acquisition ofBrandon Lloydwould only make sense if they did it for very little cost and/or they signed Lloyd to a long-term deal.
The Rams satisfied the first part of that equation.
Chris Mortensen of ESPN confirms the trade is a done deal, and the Rams will only send a sixth-round pick to Denver in 2012. It could upgrade to a fifth-round pick if Lloyd catches 30 passes over the next 11 games.
A pick that low in the draft just isn’t worth that much. Teams trade them around like crazy during the draft, and players drafted that low often don’t make the team.
We know Lloyd fits Josh McDaniels’ offense. He will upgrade the Rams wideout group significantly the rest of the season, so it’s worth the move even if St. Louis doesn’t sign Lloyd long-term.
We’re still waiting to hear on possible compensation. It doesn’t make a lot of sense from the Rams perspective at 0-5 unless they got Lloyd for practically nothing and/or they work out a contract extension for the receiver. Don’t be surprised if the Rams work something out long term.
Of course, G.M. Billy Devaney and coach Steve Spagnuolo may just be worried about winning some games to save their job.
We’ll be curious to see what the Broncos got for Lloyd. It may only be a conditional late-round pick.
Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels coached Lloyd in Denver, and surely pushed for the move. It’s a fine bargain for St. Louis if they are able to get Lloyd locked up. And if McDaniels is actually around to coach Lloyd.
UPDATE: ESPN and the Denver Post both say a deal is not completed just yet.
UPDATE II: Adam Schefter quotes a source claiming there are a “lot of hurdles” left. A contract extension, perhaps?
The post-game kerfuffle between Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz distracted everyone from the implications of Detroit’s first loss of the year.
The Lions now trail in the NFC North by a game and have a conference loss in the standings. More importantly, their dormant running game suffered another blow.
The team confirmed after the game that Jahvid Bestsuffered a concussion in the loss. Best also suffered a concussion in the preseason, and had a nasty one in college that forced him to miss a number of games.
The repeated nature of Best’s concussions should have the Lions proceeding cautiously. It would surprise us if Best played this week against the Falcons.
The trading deadline is Tuesday, but the Broncos would ideally like to trade wide receiver Brandon Lloyd before Monday is over.
Mike Klis of the Denver Post reports that the 49ers were showing the “strongest interest” in Lloyd, but the Rams and Patriots were also involved in discussions.
Of course, a report from the same paper said on Sunday that the Broncos had not received anything higher than a seventh-round pick for the 2010 Pro Bowler. So the “strongest interest” may not be particularly strong.
The Broncos would like to move Lloyd soon because they return to practice Monday and Lloyd will be at the facility. They want a mid-round pick.
With Josh Morgan out for the year and Braylon Edwards hurt, the 49ers’ interest makes some sense. The Rams are somewhat logical despite their 0-5 record because of Josh McDaniels’ history with Lloyd.
The Patriots making a move for Lloyd would be a surprise. If that happened, it’s hard to see Chad Ochocinco having a role on the team. He barely has a role now.
Broncos receiver Eddie Royal has also reportedly requested a trade, but Denver doesn’t sound interested in moving him.
ESPN is reporting that David Garrard has received interest from the Oakland Raiders in the aftermath of Jason Campbell's injury. As Campbell is said to be out for the rest of the season after breaking his collarbone yesterday, the Raiders are clearly looking for someone that can help continue their success. Kyle Boller is the current No. 2 in Oakland, but he has never been effective as a starter.
Oakland is 4-2 in 2011, just a half game back from San Diego in the AFC West. They have a very good chance of making the playoffs if they can figure out a viable replacement for Campbell.
The Raiders take on Kansas City this weekend, and then have a bye in Week 8. If Garrard does decide to sign, now would be the time. The bye week would really give him the opportunity to get more comfortable in the offense.
Darren McFadden will be relied on even more in Week 7 now, which shouldn't be a problem for the NFL's leading rusher. Kansas City is allowing nearly 120 rushing yards per game, and McFadden has been outstanding so far.
Garrard wants to win. He played in Jacksonville for nine seasons and only went to the playoffs twice, although he wasn't the starter during his entire tenure. He has a respectable quarterback rating for his career at 85.8. The Raiders won't need him to put up ridiculous numbers every game. As long as McFadden continues to dominate, Garrard's job would be much easier.
The Lions red hot 5-0 start was exhilarating but more than a tad bit precocious. The Lions have played well and they are on their way to being a legitimate contender for sure. However they are still a team that has not arrived yet. Fortunately for them and their coaching staff, they are aware of it. Even if they weren’t, Jim “Handshake” Harbaugh certainly gave them an unfriendly reminder Sunday.
The Lions are a team that is doing a lot of things the right way, and it starts upstairs, figuratively and literally. You see, the Lions made a bold and controversial decision after they got rid of Matt Millen and Rod Marinelli. Getting rid of them wasn’t bold, but who they brought in to replace them was. Promoting from within a failing regime made the fans cry out for blood when the Ford family gave the reigns to Martin Mayhew. He was not the Bill Parcels or Scott Pioli that the fans clamored for. He had no General Manager track record, outside of being a part of the failed Millen regime. To top it off, they decided to go after a completely inexperienced and unproven head coach in Jim Schwartz. No one trusted this bright young defensive coach with their team of misfits. Almost believing he could run this franchise further into the ground.
The Lions played their worst game of the year and it showed as the Niners knocked them from the ranks of the unbeaten. San Francisco deserves credit, they won. This loss is a shot of reality for the Lions and their fans. That shot carries good news and bad news. The Lions are not a bad team, but they have do have some foundational problems.
The Lions need to change the way they play offense. I am not a big fan of Scott Linehan’s play calling. He becomes too predictable and conservative during close games. His play calling takes Megatron out of more games than opposing defenses do. They need to use more, and get away from this spread offense.
The Lions can’t run the ball consistently. During the game, Darryl Jonston talked about how difficult running the ball from the shotgun is. This impacts their vision and they can’t see the play developing as well. The Lions run at least 70% of their plays from this formation. With Jahvid Best and the drafting of Mikel LeShoure I think the Lions showed they want to get to a more balanced offense, but I don’t think they feel they can right now. The offensive line is just not very good. They do not generate much push in the running game. But how good is your running game going to be when 75% of your run plays are delay draws? Come on, I know they need more talent on the offensive line, but the coaches need to put the players in a position to succeed.
The good news is that the Lions have not played one complete game yet, and are still 5-1. Even when they destroyed an injured riddled Chiefs Team, they left a lot of points on the field. The Lions have the potential to blow out the other teams, but have not seized it yet. When the finally do, watch out.
The Lions will recover from this loss and they will continue to have an excellent season. They will reach the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, but they still have cracks in the foundation. It may take another solid off season by Martin Mayhew and Schwartz to fix those cracks, but at least they have a foundation worth fixing.
