The Jacksonville Jaguars are just two losses away from assuring themselves an opportunity to draft Trevor Lawrence, and their fans want to make sure the team doesn’t blow it.
Jacksonville jumped out to an early 3-0 lead over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and the fans at TIAA Bank Field did not seem too thrilled. That wasn’t the case a few minutes later when Mitchell Trubisky threw a touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham.
The Jaguars and New York Jets were the only teams in the NFL with one win entering Sunday. Jacksonville owns the tiebreaker based on strength of schedule and would earn the top overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft if both teams finish with the same record. Fans in both Jacksonville and New York are both thinking about Lawrence and really don’t want their teams winning meaningless games.
We saw a more extreme example of fans wanting their team to lose when the Jets’ punter received some angry comments recently. Playing when your own fans are rooting against you can’t be easy.
Major League Baseball lost a legend over the weekend, as Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro has died.
The Atlanta Braves announced on Sunday that Niekro died the night before following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 81.
Niekro is widely considered to be the best knuckleball pitcher of all time. He pitched for 24 seasons, 20 of which were spent with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves. Niekro won 318 games, which places him 16th all time. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.
Niekro was appropriately nicknamed “Knucksie.”
“We are heartbroken on the passing of our treasured friend, Phil Niekro,” the Braves said in a statement. “Knucksie was woven into the Braves fabric, first in Milwaukee and then in Atlanta. Phil baffled batters on the field and later was always the first to join in our community activities. It was during those community and fan activities where he would communicate with fans as if they were long lost friends.”
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his career was that Niekro won 121 games after he turned 40. That is an MLB record. He pitched until he was 48.
The Cleveland Browns will be without several key players for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets due to COVID-19 protocols. Starting linebacker BJ Goodson was the only Browns player to test positive, but several others are not eligible for the game after they picked the wrong time to have a soak in the hot tub.
Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported on Sunday that Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge were all deemed close contacts to Goodson because of their use of the hot tub at the Browns’ facility.
“If you’re thinking how are the wide receivers with a linebacker — ready for this? From the hot tub,” Glazer said. “There was close contact in the hot tub, and as a result those guys are out of this game.”
That meshes with what Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported late Saturday night, which is that the players were in the recovery pool area of Cleveland’s facility. That area includes the hot tub and the cold tub, and sharing it is not in itself a COVID-19 violation.
The NFL’s medical experts look at the amount of time spent in the area, distance between people, mask use and ventilation. If the threshold is exceeded in two or more of those categories after a player tests positive, those who exceeded the threshold are labeled high-risk close contacts.
Landry tweeted a very blunt reaction to the COVID news, and you can understand why he and his teammates are frustrated. The Browns can potentially clinch a playoff spot on Sunday if they win and have some other things go their way.
It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Mitchell Trubisky was on borrowed time with the Chicago Bears when they acquired Nick Foles in a trade last offseason, but Trubisky has elevated his game at the perfect time. Now, there is a legitimate chance the Bears could re-sign him.
Multiple NFL executives believe Trubisky is playing the best football of his career and making a strong case for the Bears to re-sign him, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Bears are 3-7 under head coach Matt Nagy in games Trubisky has not started, and that record has reportedly left some within the organization wondering what might have happened if Nagy didn’t bench Trubisky after the team started 3-0 this season.
The Bears are averaging 31 points per game over their last four games. Trubisky’s improved play is one of the main reasons they are 7-7 and in the playoff hunt.
Trubisky’s overall numbers this season are still nothing spectacular. He has 1,528 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. Starting running back David Montgomery’s outstanding play has opened up more play-action possibilities for Trubisky and the Bears, so the former No. 2 overall pick is certainly benefiting from that.
If the Bears make the playoffs, Trubisky’s stats don’t really matter. He actually has a 66.7 winning percentage as a starter since he came into the NFL, which many would find surprising.
The Bears declined Trubisky’s fifth-year option, which is the only reason he is scheduled to hit free agency after the season. We’d be surprised if he commanded top dollar, so Chicago may be a nice fit for him. It’s possible Foles’ first season with the Bears will be his only.
Alex Smith is battling a calf injury that may sound minor, but any issue the Washington quarterback has with his surgically repaired right leg is anything but. That is why he missed last week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks and may not be able to face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Smith’s injury has been described as a calf strain, but the problem is he doesn’t have as much calf muscle in his right leg as the average person. As Chris Mortensen notes, a portion of Smith’s right calf was relocated as part of the numerous surgeries he had following his devastating leg injury in 2018.
That is yet another reminder of everything Smith went through to somehow get back on the field. Every injury he sustains is naturally more concerning, which is why there was such a big reaction when his leg was all bloodied earlier this month.
Any questions about Smith’s toughness have been answered with his multiple surgeries and long road back to playing. He simply has to deal with some things that other players don’t, and his lingering calf issue falls under that umbrella.
Photo: All-Pro Reels/Flickr via CC BY-SA 2.0
Stephon Gilmore has been named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl, but some feel he was not even the best cornerback on the New England Patriots this season. Gilmore’s wife finds that idea laughable.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweeted on Sunday that he believes Patriots cornerback JC Jackson should have made the Pro Bowl over Gilmore. Volin meant it more as a compliment to Jackson than an insult to Gilmore, and he even noted that Gilmore’s 2020 season has been better than the stats indicate. That didn’t matter to Gilmore’s wife Gabrielle.
Gilmore and Jackson both had Pro Bowl-caliber seasons. Gilmore is the reigning defensive player of the year and is one of those shutdown corners that quarterbacks avoid. That leads to his stats not looking as impressive, but he’s still easily one of the best players in the NFL at his position.
Jackson’s case for a Pro Bowl appearance seemed a bit more obvious. His eight interceptions are second in the NFL behind only Miami Dolphins star Xavien Howard, who has nine but has played in one more game. There’s a reason people were stunned when Jackson was left off the Pro Bowl voting list earlier this year, though that turned out to be a mixup.
Of course, Gabrielle Gilmore has never been afraid to speak her mind. We saw that when she unloaded on officials for a controversial call against her husband. We’re not surprised she’s ready for a debate with Volin.
Kellen Moore has naturally been linked to the Boise State head coaching job after Bryan Harsin left for Auburn, and it sounds like the Broncos have legitimate interest in their former quarterback.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Moore is one of the “top targets” for Boise State. He has not yet interviewed for the job, but it’s possible that could happen following this weekend’s NFL games.
Moore has been the offensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys for the past two seasons. He served as the team’s quarterback coach for a year prior to that. Moore has been praised for his role in helping to develop Dak Prescott into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Moore was Boise State’s starting quarterback for four seasons from 2008-2011. He threw for 14,667 yards, 142 touchdowns and just 28 interceptions during his collegiate career.
While he has been criticized a bit during the Cowboys’ rough season, it makes sense that Moore would draw interest from Boise State. The 32-year-old already has a lot of experience and is one of the most exciting young names in coaching.
Urban Meyer could have his pick of several high-profile college head coaching jobs if he wanted to return in 2021, but he is also drawing interest at the NFL level. While that is not a surprise, it is noteworthy that Meyer is reportedly giving consideration to those inquiries.
At least two NFL teams have reached out to Meyer to gauge his interest in coaching in the league next season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Meyer did not dismiss the idea and has informed teams he will ponder the overtures over the next week.
Meyer is one of the most accomplished head coaches in college football history, but he has never coached at the NFL level. Schefter speculates that Meyer might be a logical fit for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are in search of a new general manager and could move on from head coach Doug Marrone. Meyer, of course, has ties to Florida from the time he spent as the head coach at the University of Florida from 2005-2010.
Meyer, who has won three national championships, last coached at Ohio State in 2018. This is not the first time we have heard that NFL teams have interest in him, as he was previously linked to the Cleveland Browns due to his deep roots in Ohio.
We know of several top college programs that are eyeing Meyer, so he may have his choice of jobs at both levels. He could also choose to remain in broadcasting and take at least another year off, as he seems to be enjoying his work as an analyst for FOX Sports.
Patrick Mahomes had a great reaction to Ryan Fitzpatrick’s unreal game-winning pass on Saturday night.
Fitzpatrick completed a long pass with under 20 seconds left to put his Miami Dolphins in position to beat the Las Vegas Raiders. Fitzpatrick completed the pass despite having a Raiders defender ripping his face and helmet around (video here).
Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs star, declared Fitzpatrick’s throw the “best no look pass of all time.”
That’s some nice but hyperbolic praise from Mahomes. And what makes it relevant? Mahomes has become well known for his no-look passes in the NFL.
Miami is now 10-5 while the Raiders are 7-8.
Chiefs fans, you’ll love this Andy Reid cheeseburger shirt. Reid loves his cheeseburgers, and you can wear it. This makes a perfect gift for you or a friend. You can buy it here.
Liberty won the Cure Bowl 37-34 over Coastal Carolina in overtime on Saturday, but they nearly fumbled it away on a terrible play in the final minute of regulation.
The game was tied at 34 and Liberty had a 1st-and-goal from the Coastal Carolina 3-yard line with 1:35 left. They handed the ball off Joshua Mack, who hung out for a few seconds before going down. Liberty was intent on trying to run some clock to set up a winning field goal. But then they gave the ball to Mack on second-and-goal with 52 seconds left. That time, Mack sort of tried to go into the end zone for a touchdown, but he got stripped and lost a fumble.
Coastal Carolina got the ball back and ran out the clock in regulation to go to overtime. Liberty got the ball first and kicked a field goal to go up 37-34. Then Coastal Carolina got it and tried a tying field goal on fourth down but their kick was blocked.
Despite Liberty’s best efforts to screw things up, the Flames got the win.
