Posted by Michael David Smith on October 19, 2011, 7:56 PM EDT
AP
Norv Turner is one of the most mild-mannered coaches in the NFL, and Rex Ryan is one of the most boastful. So who would have thought that when the two of them had an exchange, Ryan would end up backtracking, and Turner would end up roasting Rex?
It all started with Ryan saying that if the Chargers had hired him instead of Turner in 2007, he would have a couple Super Bowl rings by now. That sure sounded like a dig at Turner for failing to get the Chargers to the Super Bowl.
But Ryan insisted that he meant no offense, and he called Turner today to say so. Turner confirmed with reporters that he had spoken to Ryan, wasn’t angry and wouldn’t be reprising the Jim Harbaugh-Jim Schwartz confrontation when the Jets play the Chargers on Sunday.
And then Turner took a shot at Ryan’s propensity for saying his Jets will win the Super Bowl.
“I hadn’t seen his quote and I was a little bit surprised by the call,” Turner said. “And then after I saw the quote, I didn’t have a chance to ask him this, but I was wondering if he had those rings with the ones he’s guaranteed the last couple of years.”
Those rings are on the fingers of Sean Payton and Mike McCarthy.
Posted by Mike Florio on October 19, 2011, 7:22 PM EDT
AP
On Tuesday, the Eagles announced that running back Ronnie Brown had been traded to the Lions for running back Jerome Harrison and a seventh-round draft pick. Like every trade, the deal was subject to both players passing a physical.
Harrison apparently didn’t.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the deal has been voided, due to Harrison’s “health issues.”
Curiously, Harrison didn’t appear anywhere on the Week Six injury report, and he wasn’t generally known to be injured.
Maybe the Eagles doctors decided during the physical that Harrison had dirt on his face.
Regardless, Brown will now revert to the Eagles — and Harrison will return to the Lions.
According to NFL Network Carson is expected to start this weekend's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Palmer has familiarity with the system that Hue Jackson has in place in Oakland. Keep in mind Hue Jackson was with Palmer at both USC and in Cincinnati, so the two know each other very well.
Greg Gabriel of National Football Post In this first of two editions of the rookie report card, I will look at the performances of Christian Ponder of Minnesota, J.J. Watt and Brooks Reed of Houston, and Torrey Smith of Baltimore.
Christian Ponder – Minnesota
In the Vikings loss Sunday to the Bears, Ponder got his first taste of regular season NFL action playing the entire 4th quarter. Granted, it was not the most ideal situation to make a debut, but he made the most of it and I thought played well. He faced a lot of pressure from the Bears front 7 and handled the pressure well. He finished the game completing 9 of 17 passes for 99 yards. He showed arm strength that was better than I thought he had while at Florida St. He made quick reads, got the ball out of his hand quickly and for the most part was accurate. What I liked the most about his game was his poise under pressure and his ability to keep plays alive with his feet. There were more than a few times when he was able to step up in the pocket while under pressure, find the open man and deliver the ball with accuracy. With his speed and athleticism he was able to escape pressure and either keep a play alive or make positive yards with his run skills. He has excellent speed and athleticism for a quarterback.
Overall, it was an impressive debut for Ponder. In fact, he played so well that he may get an opportunity to play in future games earlier than expected. It will be interesting to see if in the coming weeks he gets more reps in practice, a sure sign that they are willing to play him. He gets an A- for his play versus the Bears.
Torrey Smith – Baltimore
ICONTorrey Smith caught 3 passes for 84 yards in the team's 29-14 win this past weekend.
Smith, the Ravens 2nd round pick, had a productive game Sunday against Houston. He caught 3 passes for 84 yards in the team's 29-14 win. He had another catch for an apparent touchdown but it was ruled that both feet did not hit inbounds. Smith has outstanding size for a receiver at 6-0 and 205 pounds. He timed 4.42 at the combine and many thought he would run even a little faster. He has a good frame and plays with strength. The one concern that some scouts had was he had small hands and was a body catcher at times. That was not evident in Sunday’s game. Each of his 3 receptions was cleanly caught in his hands and two of the catches were made after an outstanding adjustment to the ball. Smith showed the ability to get separation on all his routes, showing good body control and a quick burst out of his break. I was unable to grade his run after catch skills. As a blocker he showed a good willingness.
Overall, with veteran receiver Lee Evans injured, Smith is proving to be a good complement to Anquan Boldin, as he has 9 catches for 237 yards in the last 3 games. While I doubt he will ever be a number 1 receiver, he surely has the tools to be an excellent number 2 and a consistent deep threat. He gets an A- for his play Sunday.
J.J. Watt – Houston
Watt is a starter and plays both defensive end positions in the Texans 3-4 defensive scheme. He has excellent size for a 5-technique player at 6-5 and 290 pounds with long arms, strength, power and a frame to easily get to 300–305. He plays in a rotation but still gets more than half the defensive snaps. The one trait I loved about Watt when he was in college was how he played the game. He showed a non-stop motor on every play. He has carried that over to the NFL and there is never a play when Watt isn’t hustling. He has good instincts to find the ball and the strength and power to hold the point. He gets off the ball quickly and usually gets some penetration but will get tall at times. He has strong 2 gap skills with quick hands and can control a blocker. As a pass rusher he shows a good edge rush and has the body control to come back with a counter move. When he stays low he gets an excellent bull rush with his push. Overall, Watt is a perfect fit for Houston’s defensive scheme. He is still a young player and is only beginning to scratch the surface of how good he can be. I look for him to be a dominant defensive lineman in the league for years to come. He earns a B+ for his play Sunday,
Brooks Reed – Houston
Reed lines up at outside linebacker in Houston’s 3-4 defense. Like Watt, he plays both sides. He also will put his hand on the ground and be used as a defensive end in some pass rush situations. He has good size for a 3-4 OLB at 6-2 and 264 pounds and excellent straight line speed. He timed under 4.7 at the Combine.
Like Watt, Reed plays hard every down. He is instinctive and quick to find the ball. He has an aggressive style of play and makes plays. He finished Sunday’s game with 6 tackles (3 solo), 2 QB pressures, a hit on the QB and a broken up pass. He is not the most fluid athlete, he has some tightness in his hips and looks to be a bit mechanical but he overcomes that with his aggressive style of play. He is not used in coverage that much but shows he can get depth in his drops and has awareness. He is best playing along the line of scrimmage and attacking. When rushing the passer he shows quick hands and can dip his shoulder to get under his opponent and turn the corner. He can be relentless when used as a pass rusher. Overall, Reed is an ideal rush outside linebacker in a 3-4. Pass coverage will never be his forte, but used the right way he should become a feared edge pass rusher. He earns a B+.
Coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday that the Seahawks will be in "wait and see" mode about Tarvaris Jackson's (pectoral) availability this week.
Jackson will do "some stuff" in Wednesday's practice, with Charlie Whitehurst handling all of the first-team reps. The Seahawks are adamant that T-Jack remains their starter when healthy, and Jackson was playing well enough before the Week 6 bye to keep the position when he returns. For this week, however, the expectation in Seattle is that Whitehurst will start at Cleveland.
Posted by Michael David Smith on October 19, 2011, 12:51 PM EDT
AP
As the 22nd overall pick in last year’s NFL draft, Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas was a major disappointment, catching just 22 passes for 283 yards in his rookie year.
And so far this year Thomas has done even less.
Thomas has had injuries to his foot, ankle, Achilles tendon, hand and head, and he hasn’t even been able to get into a game yet this season. Thomas knows people are already calling him the B-word, and he says he’s been concerned that the Broncos might release him.
“I’ve been stressing, really, feeling that frustration, that I could have been cut,” Thomas told the Denver Post. “I was worried about that, actually. I don’t want to be that guy they say that’s injury prone. I’ve already had three injuries since I’ve been in the league that set me back. I don’t want to get here and be that bust. I told my mother this and I told my family this. I told them I was going to be the guy who had success. I just want to stick to what I say.”
The Broncos hope Thomas can finally produce, which is one of the reasons they traded starting receiver Brandon Lloyd. Thomas thinks he can repay that confidence by becoming the team’s No. 1 receiver.
“I still want to be that guy,” Thomas said. “I think I’m ready to be that guy. I’ve been saying this, but this is the healthiest I’ve been, right now, since I’ve been in the league.”
Broncos coach John Fox says he sees Thomas’s potential. But Fox also pointed out that he’s not the one who drafted Thomas.
“He has size, speed, strength, a lot of the things you look for,” Fox said. “That’s probably why he was selected as high as he was, and we’re looking forward to getting him back.”
Fox’s phrasing — “that’s probably why he was selected as high as he was” — is interesting. It suggests that Fox isn’t sure that Thomas was really worth a first-round draft pick, but now that Fox has Thomas on his team, he feels like he has little choice but to give Thomas a shot.
The same could be said for the Broncos’ other first-round draft pick last year, Tim Tebow. Maybe Tebow-to-Thomas will become the Broncos’ pass-catch combination for years to come, and the Josh McDaniels era won’t look so bad in hindsight.
Or maybe Fox will end up cursing the day he inherited a couple of first-round busts.
Posted by Michael David Smith on October 19, 2011, 12:02 PM EDT
AP
The NFL has acknowledged that the 49ers’ game-winning drive in the fourth quarter in Detroit on Sunday was aided by the officials spotting the ball at the Lions’ 35-yard line to start the drive, when it should have been spotted at the 40.
The drive began when San Francisco’s Ted Ginn returned a punt to the Lions’ 40. When the 49ers’ offense took the field after a commercial break, the ball was inexplicably at the 35.
“The officiating crew incorrectly spotted the ball at the Detroit 35 instead of the 40 where Ted Ginn went out of bounds,” the league office acknowledged in a statement, via Mike Sando of ESPN.com.
Obviously, the mistake is inexcusable. And the officiating throughout this game was a mess.
The Lions had several complaints about the officiating in the game, which they ultimately lost 25-19. Others included wrongly ruling that Matthew Stafford’s forward progress had been stopped in the end zone on a safety, a bad call on a horse-collar tackle and a questionable chop block flag on Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew.
The chop block was particularly costly to the Lions, as it wiped out a 15-yard pass down to the 49ers’ 8-yard line. Instead of having first-and-goal at the 8, the Lions had second-and-25 at the 38, and they ended up settling for a 52-yard field goal attempt, which they missed. That miss gave the 49ers great field position for their own 55-yard field goal on the last play of the first half. In a game that would be decided by six points, that exchange was critical.
But questionable calls on penalties happen all the time. What doesn’t happen all the time is the officials getting a spot wrong by five yards.
At least, we hope it doesn’t happen all the time. Considering that none of the officials noticed, the Lions didn’t notice, the TV announcers didn’t notice and no members of the media noticed until after the fact, maybe bad calls like this happen more often than we realize.
Carson Palmer appears set to start for the Raiders just five days after arriving in Oakland.
Offensive coordinator Al Saunders strongly suggested that Palmer will be the man for the Raiders on Sunday against the Chiefs when he was asked today on Fescoe in the Morning on 610 Sports Radio what Palmer needs to do to be the Raiders’ starter.
Saunders answered, “As long as he’s breathing.”
Saying that Palmer will start “as long as he’s breathing” doesn’t speak well for Kyle Boller, who came in to replace Jason Campbell after Campbell was hurt on Sunday. But Saunders said he was extremely impressed by what Palmer was able to do on Tuesday, just after the trade became official.
“He walked out on the field yesterday and everybody kind of looked at everybody and said, ‘You know what? This is a real quarterback,’” Saunders said. “That was the comment made by a couple people as they watched him throw. It just depends on how quickly he feels comfortable in what we’re doing and that shouldn’t take too long.”
For the Raiders, the question isn’t whether Palmer knows the whole offense. It’s whether he knows enough of the offense that he can be better than Boller. And it sounds like a few days’ work is all Palmer will need to be better than Boller.
LeSean McCoy has played more snaps than any running back in the league this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
McCoy has been on the field for 86 percent of the Eagles' offensive snaps and with good reason. He has turned into one of the best all-around backs in the league, ripping off 5.4 yards per carry despite being used as the primary clock-killer and short-yardage back. In just his second year as a full-time player, there's no risk of McCoy wearing down. He's fantasy's No. 2 back right now, behind only Fred Jackson.
From 104.5 FM in Nashville, via John Glennon at The Tennessean:
"A lot is going to depend for us on how we are producing at that (wide receiver) position three weeks or two weeks from now, and how we're doing (overall)," Munchak said. "All those things will factor into it. But I'm sure whenever you've got a player that has his capabilities, everyone's going to know exactly where he's at. If he has a way of helping our team win, then for sure you're going to take a look at him."
About two weeks ago, Owens said he would be ready in "a month or less." By that timetable, you'd think it was about time for teams to start arranging workouts for the mercurial star. In the meantime, though, there was a TMZ report about Owens being rushed to a Los Angeles hospital, but as the letters 'TMZ' imply, no one knows how true that is. Owens hasn't commented.
Assuming he's ready to go, though, it's a bit of a surprise to hear that anyone's that interested. But the Titans do have a need at the position. Matt Hasselbeck(notes) has come in and given the Titans a more-than-respectable passing attack, but it's fallen off a bit since star wide receiver Kenny Britt(notes) blew out his knee. With Britt shelved for the year, Damian Williams(notes) and Nate Washington(notes) now start at receiver for the Titans.
Love him or hate him, it's a more interesting NFL when Terrell Owens is around. It looks like the Titans will be contending for a playoff spot, too, which would put Owens front and center in the NFL universe. Popcorn.
The third-year veteran Tweeted about the harrowing experience:
Wait, they let Raiders fans be cops? The whole system's breaking down! Next thing you'll be telling me is that the Raiders will make the most Raiders trade ever and otherwise-sane analysts will be praising it because -- I don't know -- Hue Jackson and the entire Raiders organization has shown some sort of general managing prowess in the past?
Crabtree didn't mention why he was pulled over or whether he told the cop he had a flight to catch. I feel for the missed flight thing; the 49ers are making so many long trips this year that the last thing Crabtree probably wants to do is spend more time at an airport. Don't place sole blame on the one, rogue, time-wasting police officer though. He's not the one who left only a 30-minute window to make a flight, nor is he the one who sent two Tweets about it in the immediate aftermath, thus wasting valuable time that could have been better wasted waiting in a TSA line.
Major props though to Crabtree's Twitter handle that doubles as both a nickname and an homage to the most delicious menu item at Red Lobster.
As the “Suck for Luck” campaign moves from simmer toward full boil, there’s a caveat. If sucking for Luck creates the impression that the franchise sucks too badly, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck could make an Eli Manning-style power play.
Albert Breer of NFL.com reports that some in league circles are concerned that Luck and his father, WVU athletics director Oliver Luck (who once was the 44th overall pick in the draft), could make it known that Andrew doesn’t want to play, or simply won’t play, for the team that holds the top pick in the draft, in the hopes of forcing a trade.
“Absolutely. I’ve heard that for the last two years,” an unnamed scout told Breer. “There’s no question that it could be a Manning thing all over again.”
The “Manning thing” refers to the 2004 draft. Archie Manning, former NFL quarterback, made it clear that Eli didn’t want to play for the Chargers, who held the first pick in the draft. So the Chargers took Eli and then traded him to the Giants, who had taken Philip Rivers with the fourth overall pick. (As legend has it, Archie took the heat for the move, even though it was Eli who desperately didn’t want to play for the Chargers.)
Forcing a trade represents the far more realistic alternative to Andrew Luck simply choosing to stay in school another year in order to avoid playing for an organization that he and his father deem to be dysfunctional. Indeed, there’s no guarantee that, if Andrew Luck spends one more season at Stanford, the franchise with the first pick in 2013 will be as bad or worse than the franchise that emerges with the first pick in 2012.
This means that, once a team secures the first overall pick, communications will commence with the Lucks to find out whether Andrew is lukewarm about playing for that franchise — and whether anything can be done to make the team more attractive, such as hiring a certain coach. As Breer points out, the situation gives Luck plenty of power as his pro career commences.
Of course, the ultimate irony would arise if the Broncos lose to the Dolphins on Sunday, if the Broncos ultimately “earn” the top pick, and if the best Stanford quarterback since John Elway does to the team Elway currently runs that which Elway did 28 years ago, forcing a trade just like Elway did.
Well, receiver Santana Moss apparently has little pull with his coaching staff.
Moss thinks quarterback Rex Grossmanshould continue to be the starter. Coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan disagree. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Shanahan has informed the Redskins that the team is going with John Beck.
Schefter says that a player texted the information after the meeting with Shanahan.
So much for the allegation that Schefter protects sources. If the Shanahans didn’t want the information to be disclosed publicly, the Shanahans won’t be happy that someone on the team has loose lips. Or thumbs.
Grossman was benched Sunday after throwing four interceptions. Beck, who wore a mechanic-style shirt with his name on it after the game, won’t need a name tag if he can get it done for the 3-2 Redskins.
Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said he hopes to decrease Jason Pierre-Paul's snaps to 40-45 per game once Justin Tuck (neck) returns.
Pierre-Paul is currently playing 50-55 snaps per game and tearing the cover off the league. "If we could reduce that to 40, 45 plays a game, he could produce even better numbers because sometimes he plays slow at times," Fewell said. "We think that's because he's winded." JPP currently ranked second in the NFL with 7 1/2 sacks and will remain an IDP monster even if Tuck does play after the bye.
Continuing the recent trend of embracing 
