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A gamble on Antonio Brown would be difficult for the Saints to pull off. But should they attempt at all?"Moss however Tre'Quan Smith Jersey Stitched , wasn’t the only Hall of Famer wideout traded for draft compensation in his era as Terrell Owens was moved for a second round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in 2004. Owens would ultimately end up in Philadelphia due to a free agency mixup, but the deal Baltimore had originally put together for T.O was genuine. Could Brown be in for a similar fate?Since the days of Moss and Owens however, the trade market for wide receivers has shifted. With the Saints being limited in draft resources and without a first-round pick, would they pull the trigger on their second?What’s the worst that can happen?Well, what does the world think? Let’s compare the good and the bad.No matter what side you stand on, the truth is the more talented you are, the more baggage a person or team will put up with on your behalf. AB finished last season with 104 receptions for 1 Youth Rick Leonard Jersey ,297 yards and 15 touchdowns, keeping himself in the conversation for best wide receiver in football once again. Teams will gamble on production like that in any case. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY SportsWith a locker room led by Drew Brees and head coach Sean Payton the Saints may believe that they’re capable of accepting almost any type of personality if it means another shot at the Lombardi trophy. If Brown’s negative antics and various attention gathering stunts were more about accountability throughout the Steelers franchise than a petulant act —NOLA may be more inclined than ever for his services. But only time will tell if Brown’s personal issues were simply a coach, quarterback, and organizational problem, or Brown being immature and simply too focused on himself. With all of that said, should the Saints roll the dice and make a run at Brown? Fight it out in the comments below. Saints News:NFL concerned 4 Rams-Saints refs are from California in jaw-dropper | Fox NewsThere are some around the NFL wondering if the NFC Championship problem was not the officials’ eyes, brain or judgment Rick Leonard Jersey Stitched , but their past or present addresses.Cameron Jordan made a statement with his Pro Bowl t-shirtLooks like Cameron Jordan hasn't gotten over the missed call that helped keep the Saints from making it to the Super Bowl.NFL commissioner Roger Goodell cannot call for Saints-Rams replay, court filing claims | nola.comHearing scheduled for noon Monday at federal court in New Orleans.Tyeler Davison would love to be back with the Saints next season | nola.comDefensive tackle set to become a free agent this offseasonNFL says replaying Rams-Saints NFC title game would lead to costly Super Bowl delay - CBSSports.comIt doesn't sound like it would be cheap to replay the NFC ChampionshipSaints DE Cameron Jordan wore a 'Blow Whistles Not Games' shirt to the Pro Bowl - AOL NewsCameron Jordan is still not thrilled with the missed call in the New Orleans Saints-Los Angeles Rams NFC Championship game last week.NFL News:NFL might consider moving Pro Bowl from Orlando, report says | NFL | Sporting NewsGeorgia football has 10 on NFL Draft boards, Deandre Baker leads mocksGeorgia football could have two NFL first-round picks if WR Riley Ridley has a strong enough performance at NFL Combine in IndianapolisNFL rumors: Redskins could be a trade partner with Bengals for Andy Dalton due to Alex Smith injury - Cincy JungleThe desperation of NFL teams can never be underestimated.Predicting 2019 Vegas win totals, over/unders for all 32 NFL teamsLet's project over/under win totals for next season, from worst to best. The Vikings and Colts could be tricky.The NFL should pay for Super Bowl security. Not the federal government. - The Washington PostFederal guidelines require federal involvement — with good reason — but why should taxpayers foot the bill?NFL Pro Bowl: Barkley on defense, lateral fun Youth Marshon Lattimore Jersey , Ramsey TD catchSaquon Barkley on defense? Three laterals after an interception? Jalen Ramsey catching a TD? Inside a wacky day at a very wet Pro Bowl in Orlando.NFL keeps going younger, cheaperBy the time NFL players reach their third and fourth years in the league, the vast majority are struggling just to hang on because of injuries or younger, faster and often cheaper rookies out for their jobs.Redskins believe Alex Smith (leg) will miss all of 2019 - NFL.comAlex Smith's gruesome leg injury already robbed him of a full 2018 season. It could cost him another one. Ian Rapoport reported the Redskins are planning as if they won't have Smith in 2019.Smith-Schuster suffers knee contusion in Pro Bowl - NFL.comEvery all-star showcase comes with the nervous hope that everyone escapes without injury. JuJu Smith-Schuster was not as fortunate Sunday.NFL's greatest tackles: Remembering key hits throughout historyFrom Lawrence Taylor breaking Joe Theismann's leg to the hit on Drew Bledsoe that gave Tom Brady the starting job, these tackles stand out in history.GM Les Snead took Rams from cellar to Super Bowl - NFL.comAfter five losing seasons, the Rams gave GM Les Snead more time. In return, he gave them a juggernaut. Steve Wyche chronicles the many decisions Snead made to turn the franchise's fortunes around.Post-injury Tom Brady alone might be the NFL's best ever | Boston.comThe Patriots quarterback's status as the GOAT isn't really open for debate. What might be is whether his past 10 years stand alone. Read more on boston.com.2019 NFL Mock Draft: Nick Bosa drops from No. 1; Senior Bowl sends Dillard Marshon Lattimore Jersey Stitched , Samuel, Omenihu into first round - CBSSports.comDaniel Jones falls out of the first round after an uneven Senior Bowl weekSocial Media:

It is only a matter of time. At some point in the not-too-distant future Jabaal Sheard Jersey Stitched , the Patriots reign of NFL supremacy will draw to a close. The careers of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick may both be on..."It is only a matter of time. At some point in the not-too-distant future, the Patriots reign of NFL supremacy will draw to a close. The careers of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick may both be on borrowed time and a growing group of key Patriots players are starting to move into the latter stages of their careers, some due to age and others to the physical toll their careers have taken.In many respects, the Rams are on the other end of that spectrum. Young players who are just entering their prime, playing for a young coach who has taken the NFL by storm, are meeting the most experienced playoff team in the league for a chance to win the Super Bowl. In terms of dominant pieces Andrew Luck Jersey White , the Rams have the advantage at numerous positions. Will that be enough to overcome a severe experience disadvantage? Let’s hope so. The Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans were all set for their rubber match in the Wild Card round of the playoffs after alternating 3-point wins in each other’s house during the regular season.This matchup was widely considered to be a bout between two very evenly matched teams, and it made sense that being an AFC South matchup for these two to put an interesting game together. The Colts came in winning 9 of their last 10 games, but the Texans were at home, and that typically matters in the playoffs. In the end the Colts were able to stymie the Texans’ running backs, limit DeAndre Hopkins’ impact on the game, and continued to protect Andrew Luck as well.The Colts will move on to the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Cheifs next weekend.Here are a few takeaways from the Colts 21-7 Wild Card victory over the Texans.Colts shut down Texans’ running backs Youth Margus Hunt Jersey , but couldn’t stop Watson from chewing up yardage with his legsThe Colts have been one of the better run defenses in the league throughout the season. This wasn’t anything that anyone expected from the Colts, especially considering the Colts’ past troubles in this area.The Colts did not allow a 100-yard rusher this season, and tonight was no different. The Colts held the Texans’ running backs to 29 yards on the ground on just 8 carries (3.6 yards per carry), but quarterback Deshaun Watson was able to do his damage while escaping pressure from the Colts pass rush. Watson ate up 76 rushing yards on his 8 carries, and while he was a real challenge for the Colts to get on the ground, it was also the best bet in terms of not allowing the other playmakers to take control of the game. The Colts’ pass coverage was really good throughout the night Andrew Luck Jersey , Watson struggled with his accuracy, the Colts’ defense dominated the Texans on third downs, and the Colts were able to do their part on the ground offensively as well.Colts run game impresses against NFL’s top run defenseIn their first two meetings the Colts had only amassed 91 total yards on the ground. The Texans have been the league’s best run defense in terms of yards per carry (3.4) during the regular season, so the Colts had their work cut out for them to establish the ground game.Tonight, getting the running game going was not an issue. Marlon Mack broke out some really nice runs on the Colts second possession showing off his vision and speed. Mack also added a few more towards the end of the game, and Andrew Luck added some yardage by escaping pressure throughout the night as well. Mack ripped off runs of 25 Margus Hunt Jersey Stitched , 26 and 29 yards tonight and pushed through the grind largely getting minimal, but tough, yardage (3.2 yards per carry) throughout the remainder of his carries. His ability to carry that with him throughout the remainder of the postseason will be key to the Colts viability as a threat. Dontrelle Inman continues to impressThe Colts have had some major contributions from multiple players this season, but given his limited amount of games this season, I don’t know that you can underestimate how important Dontrelle Inman has been to the Colts offense.This year with the Colts, Inman has earned his career-best catch percentage (71.8%) and his second-most touchdowns of his career in only 9 games with the Colts this season. Inman has become a late-down favorite for Luck and has earned every bit of the confidence he and Frank Reich have in him. Inman came up big again tonight with his 4 catches Youth Al Woods Jersey , 53 receiving yards and wonderful route that produced a touchdown. With Ryan Grant producing nearly nothing, the lack of experience with some of the Colts younger receivers, Inman has become a real jewel for the Colts. Additional takeaways:The Colts hold Texans under 350 total yardsColts convert 3 of 4 opportunities in the red zoneColts hold Texans to 5-of-18 on third, and fourth down chances

The black stool rested upside-down in A.J. Green's locker — not a site the Bengals wanted to see coming out of their bye week .Green was getting his injured right foot examined on Monday while his teammates returned from a week off that helped some of them heal New Orleans Saints Kaden Elliss Jersey , but not one of their most valuable players. Green hurt his right foot during a 37-34 win over Tampa Bay heading into the bye.Green wore a protective boot last week and was sent for an exam by a specialist. Coach Marvin Lewis said Monday afternoon that the receiver won't need surgery, but he gave no indication of when he might be able to play again.The Bengals (5-3) will likely be missing their most indispensable receiver heading into a game Sunday against the Saints (7-1) at Paul Brown Stadium."Obviously it puts a lot of pressure on us as individuals because we know what he brings to the table," tight end C.J. Uzomah said. "I mean, he's A.J. Green. A.J. Dream is what we call him — it's a dream to have him on the team."For now, the dream is gone.Green leads the Bengals with 687 yards receiving and six touchdown catches. When the Bengals need the big catch at the end of a close game, Green is Andy Dalton's top choice. His touchdown catch with 7 seconds left gave the Bengals a 37-36 win over the Falcons on Sept. 30. During the win over the Buccaneers, Green had catches of 23 and 11 yards that moved the Bengals in range for Randy Bullock's 44-yard field goal on the final play. Green hurt his foot on the final catch.Cincinnati's offense has been depleted by injuries to its tight ends — Tyler Eifert is out for the season with a broken ankle — and injuries to both running backs. Joe Mixon missed two games after knee surgery, and Giovani Bernard has missed the past four games with a knee injury.Now, they have to get by without Green."Hopefully through that time, whether it's this week or next week or whenever, we've got an opportunity to grow and get better with other people," Lewis said.Green is always the focus of opposing defenses. Tyler Boyd has benefited from a lot of single coverage this season and leads the team with 49 catches, four more than Green. Now the Saints and other teams can focus more on him and the running backs."From a perspective of looking at their defense, it'll change some of the ways they roll," Uzomah said. "A lot of teams account for A.J. New Orleans Saints Kaden Elliss Jersey , obviously, so we'll expect that they'll have something different lined up for us."The Bengals trail the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2-1) for the AFC North lead. They're in the most favorable stretch of their schedule, playing the second of four home games during a five-game span. They play at Baltimore (4-5) the following week.The Steelers beat the Ravens 23-16 on Sunday and host Carolina on Thursday night. The Saints knocked off the previously unbeaten Rams 45-35 for their seventh straight victory .GIO, ROSS BACKBernard returned to practice on Monday, a sign he's getting close to returning. Receiver John Ross also practiced. He missed three of the past four games with a groin injury.STILL SIDELINEDLinebacker Vontaze Burfict (hip), guard Clint Boling (back), Uzomah (shoulder) and cornerback Darqueze Dennard (shoulder) didn't participate in practice.ADDING A RECEIVERThe Bengals put defensive end Carl Lawson on injured reserve with a torn ACL suffered against Tampa Bay. Receiver Auden Tate was promoted from the practice squad. The Bengals also signed long snapper Clark Harris to a two-year extension through 2020. Even though it was a painful loss, the third-year defensive tackle gave it his all and more than doubled his career sacks."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections InterviewsNew Orleans Saints SatireWho Dat HistoryCanal Street Chronicles TutorialSaints film room: David Onyemata’s career nightNew,1commentEven though it was a painful loss, the third-year defensive tackle gave it his all and more than doubled his career sacks.ByDon KellumDec5, 2018,4:00pm CST@DonKellumShareTweetShareShareSaints film room: David Onyemata’s career nightMatthew Emmons-USA TODAY SportsThroughout the 2018 season, most talk about the defensive line has centered around the all-pro Cameron Jordan, Sheldon Rankins, or rookie Marcus Davenport. But a third-year player rose to the occasion and had a career night against a normally stout offensive line.David Onyemata had a bit of a coming out party against the Dallas Cowboys Cheap Kaden Elliss Youth Jersey , and he chose to do it in prime-time for the whole country to see. It was unfortunate that the Saints were not able to get the win behind the three-sack performance of the defensive tackle, but his play along with the rest of the defense showed the they can win in the trenches against stout teams. Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY SportsOnyemata won his match ups in multiple ways. Rather it was him stringing together pass-rush moves or just out-powering his man, he was a force to be reckoned with.On his first sack of the day, Onyemata showed off his strength and flexibility by manhandling guard Xavier Su’a-Filo.Here, Onyemata lines up in a 2i technique, meaning he lines up with his head on the inside shoulder of the left guard. At the snap, Onyemata will stutter step inside, before using a swipe move in an attempt to clear Su’a-Filo’s hands. The guard does a good job at countering the swipe and is able to get his hands back on Onyemata’s chest. At this point, the guard is in good position but Onyemata will keep fighting and is able to gain leverage and work the guard back into the pocket. Using his own momentum against him, Onyemata gets skinny and bends around the guard to bring down Prescott as the quarterback is stepping up. Rankins should also get some credit for this sack, as he was the one who forced Prescott to step up into the waiting arms of Onyemata. The second sack for the third-year defensive tackle came on a 3rd down that saw the Cowboys line up with a running back in the backfield, who will stay in to help with pass protection. The Saints meanwhile will call a blitz, and have linebackers Alex Anzalone and Demario Davis “sugar” the A-gap. This is when one or two linebackers will line up on the line of scrimmage, between the center and two guards, to make it appear as if they will both blitz. This is a good way to confuse offensive lineman as they are not sure if one New Orleans Saints Kaden Elliss Jersey , both, or neither linebackers are going to blitz. Anzalone and Cameron Jordan will both drop back in coverage, while Davis and safety Vonn Bell (off-screen) will both blitz. Defensive end Alex Okafor will loop around Onyemata (white circle) and rush through the A-gap that was vacated by Anzalone. This allows Onyemata an 1-on-1 with the guard. Unlike the last play where Su’a-Filo is able to counter Onyemata’s pass rush, the guard has no answer for the “cross-chop” that Onyemata uses to clear his hands. The cross-chop is when a defender will use his inside arm to chop down on an offensive lineman’s outside forearm, and will be followed up by another move. In this case, he follows it up with a club move and has an open lane to bring down Prescott. It wasn’t only in the passing game that Onyemata made his presence felt. He was able to penetrate on run plays and maintain gap integrity to prevent any running lanes for Elliott and Rod Smith to run through. Lined up as a 3-tech here (outside shoulder of left guard #76), he does a good job at getting his hands on the inside of the guard’s chest plate to gain control. He will then “lock-out” his arms, or in other words, fully extend his arms in order to gain separation from the blocker. This separation makes it easier for Onyemata to read which direction the running back is going in.Once he keys in on Elliott, he will use a “pull” move to use the guard’s momentum against him and pull him downward. You can see the effect of this as the guard is nearly at a 90 degree angle, when Onyemata uses an “arm-over” to get around him. With A.J. Klein filling the front-side gap where the play was supposed to go, Elliott tries to bend the run back inside, where he is met by the defensive tackle and taken down for no gain. While Onyemata may have stolen the show, the entire front seven did a stellar job at on containing the rushing offense. Tyler Davidson saw his most snaps since week 1 and did a solid job at countering double teams. The linebackers continued to prove that they are a strength of this team and can lock down the second level. The offense should rebound from this and look to seek revenge on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday.

The NFL Draft is just a week away Youth Ryan Kelly Jersey , and the Indianapolis Colts are armed with both the 26th and 34th overall picks among their impressive arsenal. With this year’s draft class being considered deep..."The NFL Draft is just a week away, and the Indianapolis Colts are armed with both the 26th and 34th overall picks among their impressive arsenal. With this year’s draft class being considered deep along the defensive line, the Colts could potentially capitalize along the interior with a number of intriguing high end prospects. Colts general manager Chris Ballard has preached consistently winning in the trenches, and hitting another home run in the first or second round would go a long way toward achieving that goal defensively. So without further ado, here are the Top 5 defensive tackles for the Colts to consider: Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images5. Dre’Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State At 6’3”, 281 pounds, Jones had 43 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, an interception (for a touchdown), and a forced fumble in 14 games. Because of his play, the Buckeyes junior standout was named 1st-Team All-Big Ten in 2018. Jones is the type of athletic, penetrating three-technique defensive tackle that could excel in Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ swarming scheme. Jones has exceptional quickness and is fluid with his pass rushing moves, but at times, can get pushed around with too high of a pad level and a lack of overall strength. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Colts already have a great familiarity with Jones’ film though, having drafted his former Ohio State teammate Tyquan Lewis last year. As far as fit, Jones is like a glove to the Colts, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ballard overdraft him a bit based on this skill-set which could be a match made in heaven—only we’re still in Indianapolis. Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports4. Dexter Lawrence Ryan Kelly Jersey Stitched , DT, ClemsonThe 6’4”, 342 pound defensive tackle had 36 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks in 13 games for the Tigers defense, as he was awarded First-Team All-ACC honors as a junior. However, there might be some ‘buyer beware’ here, as he missed Clemson’s two playoff games because of a positive performance-enhancing drug test. Lawrence is simply humongous, but he’s also blessed with surprising quickness and light feet for such a big man of his stature. He has the sheer strength and ability to consistently command a double team and simply absorbs blocks at times—which would bode well for the Colts playmakers at linebacker such as Darius Leonard to be freed up. That being said, some question whether he’s regressed since he was ACC Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2016, and his average pass rush ability could limit him to more of a two-down run stuffer—which hurts his overall usefulness. Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports3. Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi StateThe 6’4”, 301 pound junior defensive tackle recorded 63 tackles, 18.0 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks in 13 games, as he was named a 2nd-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC member for Mississippi State.Perhaps the most polarizing prospect on this list with potential character concerns, Simmons has elite level Top 15 level draft talent, but carries some red flag risk with his past.He was arrested in March of 2016 for punching a woman, and while he never had any further incidents with the Bulldogs Youth T.J. Green Jersey , any general manager will have to perform his due diligence to ensure he’s in fact matured from it. The other issue with Simmons is that he tore his ACL during a February workout, so a team may have to wait on him until he’s fully recovered—whether it’s even 2020. Still, the combination of speed, power, and explosiveness is quite tantalizing, and Simmons makes for one of the best athletes in this group. That being said, his instincts and awareness could use some improvement at the next level—which aren’t always easy fixes. Is Chris Ballard feeling lucky and ready to roll the dice? Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images2. Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre DameAt 6’6”, 295 pounds, Tillery had 30 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles, and 2 blocked kicks in 13 games for the Fighting Irish in 2018. As a result of his strong play, the senior defensive tackle earned AP 2nd-Team All-American honors. Tillery is well built and has exceptional power for his longer frame, as he has the strength to simply bull rush or overpower opposing offensive lineman. He also has ‘sweet feet’ and impressive lateral quickness, but he could withstand to refine some of his technique—which limits him a bit in the running game. It could mark a consecutive draft where the Colts selected a former Notre Dame star in the first round, but I’m guessing most fans of the Horseshoe wouldn’t complain. Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images1. Christian Wilkins, DT T.J. Green Jersey Stitched , ClemsonThe 6’3”, 315 pound senior defensive tackle recorded 51 tackles, 14.0 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in 15 games—earning unanimous 1st Team All-American and ACC honors respectively. Highly regarded for his character and work ethic, Wilkins is also the type of low pad level, strong, and disruptive defensive tackle that could simply thrive in the Colts defensive scheme. He’s a very good, maybe not great athlete, but he’s the type of player that could be a solid Pro Bowler for the next decade along the Colts defensive line. In that regard, he’s really the type of prospect that a team drafts and doesn’t have to think twice about being a highly productive pro for a long, long time. While his ceiling may not be as high as some of his defensive tackle counterparts here, his floor isn’t very far from the attic either. Careful, you might hit your head! He’s at least an easy triple if this were a baseball at-bat and looks like one of the safer picks in this year’s draft. Every week, I will present a summary of some basic and advanced stats for the Colts performance relative to the league. Thanks to Pro Football Reference, NFL.com and the nflSCrapR project for being awesome sources of weekly data.While the outcome was not good, I saw a lot that I Iiked in Sunday’s offensive performance.The Colts put up 34 points and a 73% DSR, both of which are respectable numbers. There were three, 3 & outs which is about normal for most teams but another 4 drives were killed by turnovers.When the offense managed to hold on to the ball,they were easily moving down the field.TEAM TOTALSOther than turnovers Youth Le'Raven Clark Jersey , there really aren’t any bad numbers here. The 2.6 points per drive ranks 13th this week while the 6.5 yards per play is similar to what the Patriots put up last week against the Colts defense. One of every three plays resulted in a first down.And on third downs, an average of 6 yards to go was the 8th best mark of any team this week.Given such short yardage on third down, I would like to see the conversion rate a bit higher but 42% is still good. PASSINGOther than interceptions, 2 of which are on the receivers, there isn’t any bad news here. Yards after catch was good and I like the average depth of target of 8.7 yards, which in my opinion is right about the sweet spot for this offense (given our receiving group).The completion rate was low, but the blame for that falls squarely on dropped passes.In an alternate reality, where those drops don’t occur, there are 6 more completions for 78 yards,2 fewer interceptions and 1 more TD.That is the difference between a passer rating of 77.8 or 124.1. It is the difference between an excellent ANY/A of 10.1 or a poor 5.7.It is the difference between a win and a loss. RUSHINGHoly crap, the run game was actually good. 30% of all carries resulted in a first down, although the Colts went 0 for 2 on third downs.Over half of all rushes were “successful” (first down, TD or chunk yardage) with 3 explosive runs greater than 10 yards.A weighted success rate of 45% is 4th best this week and by far the best mark the Colts have put up all season. CONCLUSIONSOutside of the turnovers, the offense was actually very good this week, but other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play? While the last 3 weeks has seen 3 losses, I am far more encouraged by the Colts efforts than I was the first 3 weeks.The numbers are trending in the right direction and it is really just mental errors from keeping this offense from being good. SEASON TOTALS (per game)

Colts linebacker Anthony Walker returns to practice Tarell Basham Jersey Stitched , set to be ready for Bengals The Indianapolis Colts are about to have much-needed depth for the Week 1 opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. Colts linebacker Anthony Walker made his way back onto the practice field on Monday. The second-year veteran missed most of training camp with an injury to his groin muscle. Walker has dealt with injuries before. During his rookie campaign, he suffered a hamstring injury in the 2017 season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, missing six games. “I wouldn’t have taken the field if I wasn’t 100 percent ready to go,” Walker told Colts.com after Monday’s practice, asked if he had any restrictions heading into Week 1. “So at this point I’m on the field, so I’m ready to go. No matter what the percentage is, if I step on the field, I’ve gotta be ready. The other team isn’t going to be (like), ‘Oh, what percentage are you?’ They’re going to play, so we have to be ready to play as well. And that’s what it’s about right now, so I’m full-go right now.”Fast forward to now, after missing action for more than a month, Walker is 100 percent ready to go Youth Marlon Mack Jersey , which will help the defensive unit that is expected to start Najee Goode, Skai Moore and Darius Leonard at the three linebacker spots. “It was exciting, man, just to be back out there with my teammates,” Walker said about returning to practice on Monday. “I’ve just taken it one day at a time to get better, and when it comes to Week 1, we’ve gotta come out and just gotta build each day to get ready for the game on Sunday.” For 15 years, the Indianapolis Colts were coached by men who had a conservative approach to offensive decision-making. Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Chuck Pagano all preferred to “play it safe” in difficult offensive situations almost as a rule. For Colts fans, it was infuriating. With one of the more dominant offenses in the league, led by two of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL for most of those years, the coaches would often take the game out of the offense’s hands and ask an outmatched and often bad defense to step up and give the offense another chance. By the way, this happened in nearly every game Marlon Mack Jersey Stitched , against nearly every opponent, in almost every circumstance fans could dream up.In fact, conservative play-calling by Jim Caldwell at the end of the first half against the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV turned the momentum of the game. This conservative play-calling not only came in the Super Bowl, before half time, with the one of the league’s best quarterbacks in the two minute offense at his disposal, it came at a time where the Saints had just run their own 7 minute offensive drive that stalled on a 4th-and-1 run call. An offensive score to close out the first half would pushed the Colts to a 10 or 14 point lead. It would have punished New Orleans for failing to convert on fourth down. It would be devastating to the Saints heading into the locker room down 10 or 14 points, only to kick the ball off to Indianapolis in the second half.It didn’t happen. Three straight runs, two by backup running back Mike Hart, forced the Colts to punt the ball away after using only 1:03 of the game clock. Drew Brees and the Saints offense had good field position, remained aggressive and closed out the first half with a field goal, cutting the lead to 4. This momentum emboldened the Saints to start the second half with an onside kick that will be burned into the memories of Colts forever.It didn’t take hindsight to know that three straight run calls in the Super Bowl, against the Saints and its high powered offense, with Peyton Manning and the Colts high powered offense in a two minute situation was a catastrophic coaching failure. It was a conservative decision. Run the ball, force the Saints to use timeouts Youth Ryan Kelly Jersey , try to pickup the first down on the ground, and end halftime with a 7 point lead. It was deferring the option to go for the jugular or otherwise try to cripple the Saints heading into the half. The rest is history.Colts fans have witnessed bad aggressive decisions as well. The 4th-and-2 decision by the New England Patriots in Indianapolis, in their own territory in the fourth quarter, with the lead, was stupid. He allowed his fear of Peyton Manning to cloud an otherwise brilliant coaching mind. He should have punted the ball away and forced Manning to march the distance of the field for a late-game score. He had a 6 point lead, only a touchdown would beat him and he gave the Colts phenomenal field position. It doesn’t take hindsight to know that it was an epic failure as a coaching decision. In real-time watching the game I felt like it was a gift the moment the Patriots snapped that ball. I was stunned Belichick would do something like that. It was like living in an alternate universe. It was awesome.This season, Frank Reich has made a series of bad aggressive calls. It was an absolutely wrong decision to go for it on 4th-and-4 in Colts territory in overtime. The chances to convert were against him and the likelihood for the Texans to win the game sky-rocketed if he failed — which he was considerably more likely to do. Unsurprisingly, the attempt failed and Houston exploited the Colts’ zone defense to use one play to get into field goal range to win the game.To this day, the Texans point to the Colts victory in Week 4 as the turning point of the season. They earned their first win of the season on the road, against a divisional opponent, and it took a comeback to get it done. It emboldened them as a team and helped to kick start a winning streak that has them one game away from clinching the division.Good coaches don’t make that decision. The consequences of wins and losses, particularly in the division, are drastic every season. Haphazardly throwing away that game wasn’t inspirational to a young team, it was a loss that inspired a divisional opponent. It very well could have been a loss that cost them a chance to make the playoffs or win the division.It has been discussed at length that in another divisional game Ryan Kelly Jersey Stitched , Reich had a profoundly negative impact on the outcome. On the road, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, in a must-win game the Colts were shut out. Not because they were actually never in a position to score, they were in position to score at least three times during the game but aggressive play calls early in the game forced them into a go-for-broke late that failed.Without any hindsight, when the Colts had the ball at the one yard line early in the second quarter I felt like the right decision, clearly, was to kick the field goal. One offensive drive resulted in an interception, the second was a punt, the third stalled at the 11-yard line and forced a field goal. Adam Vinatieri hit that field goal to take a three point lead but a penalty on the Jaguars gave Indianapolis a new set of downs.In three straight plays the Colts managed to get only four yards. They could take the 3 points they just earned by kicking an easy field goal or gamble on the goal line to score a touchdown. The smart decision, the right decision, against this opponent and in this situation was to take the points. The Jaguars offense had a backup starting quarterback, was without its biggest backfield weapon, and even at full strength is not very good. Points would be devastating to Jacksonville.The decision to go for it failed. For those who think it was clearly the right decision statistically or because of analytics, Troy Russell completed a bit of research for me leading up to this story. Jacksonville’s red zone defense is one of the best in the NFL Youth T.J. Green Jersey , 9th overall. Their defense with 1 yard to gain on third and fourth downs is the best in the NFL.This was not a no-brainer call. I don’t know what sheet Reich had as a reference but if it had the details it should have told him that it was a very risky call against this defense. Knowing everything else he knew about the game, the team he was facing, the environment, and the importance of the outcome — he needs to make the right decision. He should have taken the early lead, put pressure on the Jaguars to respond, taken early momentum, and could have easily been in a position to tie or win with another field goal later in the game.Either way, Colts fans are learning something that is rather interesting. After years of loathing horribly conservative play-calling a fan base has been desperate for an aggressive leader. Now that they have one, the fan base has found itself wishing less for aggressive or conservative and more for intelligent decision-making.Frank Reich is a first year head coach. He is a former backup quarterback who led the biggest comeback in NFL history. Reich is built to be aggressive. As a coach, he’ll need to be something else. He will need to be smart if the Colts are going to be put in the best position to win football games and make it to the playoffs.

The Dallas Cowboys 2018 season came to an end Saturday night after losing to the Los Angeles Rams 30-22 in the divisional round of the playoffs. This is the fourth straight division playoff game the team has lost dating back to the 2007 season. It was a good run for Dallas Dak Prescott Jersey , who finished the regular season strong to take down the NFC East, but they were no match for the Sean McVay’s Rams. Here are 10 thoughts on this tough loss.1. Run overIn a game that many expected to be a battle of the running game, nobody expected the Rams to just run wild over the Cowboys defense. Dallas finished the season as a top five run defense, only allowing an average of 94.6 yards per game. The Rams finished with 273 rushing yards which is a new playoff record, eclipsing the 269 yards the Rams gained against the Cowboys the last time these teams faced on in the playoffs during the 1985 season.While most of the damage was done by Eric Dickerson’s 248 yards last time, the Rams used a two-headed monster of Todd Gurley (115 yards) and late-season signing C.J. Anderson (123 yards) this time around. Cowboys fans might remember Anderson from last year when he churned out 118 yards with Denver in that 42-17 blowout against the Broncos.2. Defense couldn’t get a stopLast week the Cowboys defense only allowed one Seattle drive over six plays and half of all their possessions ended in a three-and-out. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t come close to doing that against one of the league’s top offenses. The Rams had a total of nine drives in the game and only one of them was less than six plays. Three of them were 11 plays or more. Only once did the Rams punt and they held the ball for over 36 minutes in the game. The Rams compiled 459 yards of total offense, which is the second-worst defensive outing of the year for the Cowboys, trailing the Week 5 Houston game by only three yards.The Cowboys defense just couldn’t get off the field. They looked worn down and it was made worse when the Cowboys offense couldn’t move the ball and allow them a chance to catch their breath. In a game where the Cowboys didn’t commit many penalties (four for 26 yards) and never turned the ball over, it was frustrating to watch the Rams offense grind the game away.3. The great wall of Los AngelesWe’ll just go ahead and assume all the Rams offensive linemen are Pro Bowlers because they were flat-out incredible on Saturday night. The Cowboys defensive line had been creating so much disruption down the stretch that many of us expected them to cause problems in the trenches against the Rams. They didn’t.The offensive line for the Rams played phenomenal both in the running game and in pass protection. The parted open running lanes like the red sea, allowing two different running backs to have over 100 yards rushing. Not only that, but Goff wasn’t ever in any type of trouble. He wasn’t sacked only once.4. Air it out, would ya?In a game where the Cowboys offense knew it had to play well to stay with a high scoring Rams team, they just didn’t have it in them to move the ball. While the Cowboys bread and butter is a stout rushing attack, it just wasn’t working in this game. Ezekiel Elliott only had 47 yards on 20 carries (2.3 ypc).While the running game wasn’t there, the Rams defense didn’t show much ability to stop the Cowboys passing attack. Dak Prescott was 20 for 32 with 266 yards for an 8.3 yards per attempt. The Rams secondary looked soft and it was baffling as to why the Cowboys offense didn’t try to attack them more. All three of their scoring drives were aided by big plays in the passing game, but for some reason the offense didn’t start attacking until it was too little, too late.The Rams are a good team and losing to them is nothing to hold your head down about, but you want to at least feel like they left it all out there. It just feels like they could’ve done more in the passing game and Scott Linehan will have some explaining to do. 5. Should’ve been a touchdown for GallupPrescott had a great play scrambling to his left to hit Michael Gallup for a big 44-yard passing play late in the third quarter. Gallup was called down at the two-yard line and for some reason the Rams decided to challenge the call. Gallup clearly caught the ball. In fact, if anything, the ball came loose as he was sliding on the ground and he didn’t regain control until he had crossed into the end zone. It should have been a touchdown. Making it even worse was that the referees spotted the ball at the two-yard line. At the very least it should’ve been placed inside the one.It’s moot as the Cowboys scored anyway, but it cost them extra time of the clock. Gallup had his best game of his young career. He finished with six catches for 119 yards and one robbed touchdown. The young receiver continued to make strides as the season progressed and you have to be excited about a future consisting of him and Amari Cooper.6. Costly penalty by ByronThe Cowboys defense had all kinds of trouble getting off the field on third down. That’s why it was especially frustrating when the Rams got a fresh set of downs thanks to an illegal hands to the face by Byron Jones. The defense appeared to make their first third-down stop of the night when Jared Goff missed Gerald Everett on a 3rd-and-14 play late in the second quarter. The Cowboys were down 13-7 and the stop would’ve given them a shot to retake the lead. But thanks to the penalty, the Rams had new life and two plays later they found the end zone when Todd Gurley took off for a 35-yard touchdown. That was unfortunate as the Cowboys could’ve really used that stop.7. First career sack for La’elIt’s odd that the only sack of the game wasn’t even a sack at all. The Cowboys were at the Rams 36-yard line facing a 3rd-and-7 when Prescott was ruled in the grasp after getting tangled up with Cowboys right tackle La’el Collins. Dak was dancing around and got turned around and wondered right into Collins, but the whistle-happy referees mistakenly thought Prescott was in the grasp. There’s no official word yet whether Collins will get credit for his first ever career sack.Dak had escaped and would’ve been able to keep the play alive if the refs didn’t blow it dead. Maybe it wouldn’t have amounted to anything, but even if Dak throws the ball away, the Cowboys could’ve had a shot to attempt a long field goal.8. Aggressive GarrettWhile the offense spun it’s wheels in the muddy soil of the L.A. Coliseum, at least their head coach had his foot on the gas. On the team’s first offensive possession, they faced a 4th-and-1 at midfield. The Cowboys head coach understood what he was up against and intended to fight fire with fire as he sent an early message that he was going to be aggressive. The Cowboys were able to convert the fourth-down play on a Zeke run and got bonus yards when Rams corner Marcus Peters was flagged for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty. On the very next play, Prescott hit Cooper for a 29-yard touchdown pass to give the Cowboys the early lead.Garrett also opted to go for two after the Cowboys scored their second touchdown of the and the score was at 23-13. Rather than taking the extra point, Garrett wanted to try to make it a one score game right then and there. It was a good decision that worked out.9. Coming up short on fourth-downAfter the Rams went up 23-7, it was looking rather bleak, but the Cowboys put together a nice nine-play, 75-yards touchdown drive, capped off with a two-point conversion from Amari Cooper. And when the defense held the Rams offense to just 23 yards on five plays on their ensuing drive, suddenly hope was starting to creep in again.The Cowboys offense started off moving the ball well. Prescott hit Gallup for 15 yards and then Beasley for another 15 yards a couple plays later. Dak even had a nice completion to Noah Brown for 13 yards on a big 3rd-and-14 play as the third quarter came to an end.The Cowboys needed to convert on 4th-and-1 to keep the momentum, but that was stymied when the Rams defense stuffed Elliott short of the first-down marker. It was a back-breaking play for Dallas that was compounded when the Rams chewed up half the fourth quarter with a 12-play, 65-yard touchdown drive.10. Time to pull for the SaintsThe Cowboys are out of the playoffs so the idea of hosting the NFC Championship at AT&T stadium is over. Had the Cowboys won, it would’ve raised the question of whether or not we wanted the Philadelphia Eagles to upset the New Orleans Saints so the Cowboys could host the game next week. That’s no longer an issue.Being bounced from the playoffs is disappointing, but it would add insult to injury if the Eagles somehow advanced. It’s time to root for Saints and hope for a shootout between New Orleans and LA the following week. Reports have been all over the place regarding Jason Garrett’s long-term future with the Cowboys. At one point, it was all but certain he would be extended during the season. After the Cowboys struggled to a 3-5 start, ownership may have had second thoughts. Jason Garrett certainly responded well to that adversity and got his team to play much better going 7-1 down the stretch. Some may think that such a remarkable turnaround Taco Charlton Jersey Stitched , coupled with a 10-6 finish, NFC East title, and playoff win would be enough to justify an extension for Garrett. Those people would be sadly mistaken because it doesn’t look like that extension is coming just yet:This may be the smartest move the Cowboys will make all offseason as Jason Garrett will enter the 2019 season on the final year of his contract. Through eight full seasons as the Cowboys head coach, the team experienced three mediocre 8-8 finishes, went 12-4 in 2014,fell to 4-12 in an injury-riddled 2015. Since the Dak Prescott-Ezekiel Elliott era began, Jason Garrett has added three-consecutive winning seasons and two division titles. Still, the Cowboys haven’t made it past the divisional round of the playoffs. That’s precisely why ownership is not comfortable dishing out that extension.What kind of coach is Jason Garrett? We know that he’s passionate, that his players respond well to him, and that they never give up on his message. Those are three great qualities to have as a coach. This season’s comeback story was mostly credited to the Amari Cooper trade, Dak Prescott’s resurgence, and a young ferocious defense. What’s often overlooked is how hard the players played for this coach, they really do like Jason Garrett. You can probably say that they love their coach but players loved Wade Phillips, too. At some point, you are faced with the question of “is this the guy for this team going forward?”Think about all the justifications made over his almost decade-long tenure as the head coach. The 8-8 seasons were pinned on a defense in transition and an organization in rebuild mode. For the next two years, it was about the health of Tony Romo and not having a solution behind him. In 2016, it was a young team who just got outsmarted by a legendary quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. In 2017, the 9-7 no playoff Cowboys were a product of Ezekiel Elliott’s fight with the league and insurmountable injuries to star players. That led to an offseason theme of making this team “Dak-friendly” with a reset at receiver and turning over the majority of the coaching staff while giving the scepter to Scott Linehan.We all know where we go from there, halfway through the Cowboys said “this isn’t working, Scott.” Jason Garrett started to warm up to Kellen Moore and Doug Nussmeier towards the end of the year as the Cowboys got themselves to the postseason. After a divisional loss where the Rams just shut this team down, Scott Linehan got the boot. What we have to all realize is that Scott Linehan was ‘a’ problem but Garrett and the others all played their part as well. As previously mentioned, there are a lot of good qualities to having Jason Garrett as your head coach. He certainly has an eye for talent evaluation but he’s not perfect, nobody is, except for maybe Bill Belichick. The biggest area for Garrett and company to work on is that air of arrogance we often see. It’s one thing to be confident in your gameplan but the Cowboys went into this season without Travis Frederick, they also had a rookie at left guard, and a banged up Zack Martin. Instead of countering with a few adjustments, these coaches lined up and tried to execute 2016’s success without the horses to do so. Now, it did work, at times, you don’t win 10 games without making it work but their problems never went away. They still struggled to move defenses off the ball in the red-zone, were one of the worst in goal-to-go, had all sorts of fits with premier defensive tackles, and were the second-worst in terms of sacks allowed. When they faced off against a great team like the Rams, it exposed every problem they have on both sides of the ball. These are things the Cowboys coaches will attempt to correct in the offseason but it’s going to take different voices sharing different opinions. Garrett has put the onus on himself and will have a heavy hand in every aspect of the team as a head coach should. With Kitna, Moore, and Nussmeier on offense, Garrett wants to freshen his scheme with creativity. Kris Richard and Rod Marinelli will continue to develop the defense that is already on a path to success.So for now, we sit with Jason Garrett taking back the scepter and surrounding himself with younger voices and hopefully an open mind. Maybe that will be the difference and this collective approach brings lots of future success. If it does, we can talk about an extension next offseason but the Jones’ family has every right to wait and see if Jason Garrett is the right man for this job.

DETROIT (AP) — Free agent Josh Harrison has agreed to a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers http://www.marinersfanproshop.com/authe … ruz-jersey , according to a person familiar with the negotiations.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the deal was still subject to a successful physical.The 31-year-old Harrison spent his first eight major league seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He’s played second base, third base, shortstop and in the outfield.Harrison did not have a great 2018 at the plate, hitting .250 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs. He missed time early in the season with a hand injury and ended up playing just 97 games.The Tigers could end up replicating Pittsburgh’s up-the-middle-combination of Harrison and shortstop Jordy Mercer, who signed with Detroit earlier in the offseason .Harrison hit a career-high 16 home runs in 2017, and he batted .315 in 2014 Carlos Ruiz Jersey , but he’s never played more than 143 games in a season. If he plays well for Detroit, the rebuilding Tigers may be able to trade him for a prospect or two. Justin Edmonds/Getty ImagesOn Tuesday, MLB announced the schedule for first two games of the American and National League Championship Series in the 2018 playoffs.The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers will get the LCS round underway Friday at 8:09 p.m. ET, with television coverage on FS1.Here's the full schedule for the ALCS and NLCS:American League Championship Series ScheduleGame 1: Astros at Red Sox, Oct. 13 at 8:09 p.m. ET (TBS)Game 2:Astros at Red Sox, Oct. 14 at 7:09 p.m. ET (TBS)Game 3:Red Sox atAstros http://www.marinersfanproshop.com/authe … son-jersey , Oct. 16 at TBD (TBS)Game 4:Red Sox atAstros, Oct. 17 at TBD (TBS)Game 5: Red Sox at Astros, Oct. 18 at TBD (TBS)Game 6:Astros at Red Sox, Oct. 20 at TBD (TBS)Game 7:Astros at Red Sox, Oct. 21 at TBD (TBS)National League Championship Series ScheduleGame 1: Dodgers at Brewers, Oct. 12 at 8:09 p.m. ET (FS1)Game 2:Dodgers at Brewers Jean Segura Jersey , Oct. 13 at 4:09 p.m. ET (Fox)Game 3: Brewers at Dodgers, Oct. 15 at TBD (FS1 or Fox)Game 4:Brewers at Dodgers, Oct. 16 at TBD (FS1 or Fox)Game 5:Brewers at Dodgers, Oct. 17 at TBD (FS1 or Fox)Game 6:Dodgers at Brewers, Oct. 19 at TBD (FS1 or Fox)Game 7:Dodgers at Brewers, Oct. 20 at TBD (FS1 or Fox)The Brewers were the first team to punch their ticket to the next round when they swept the Colorado Rockies in the National League Division Series http://www.marinersfanproshop.com/authe … ner-jersey , winning Game 3 on Sunday.The Dodgers and Houston Astros followed suit Monday. Los Angeles defeated the Atlanta Braves in four games, while the Astros swept the Cleveland Indians.The Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees 4-3 in Game 4 on Tuesday to win the series and advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2013, when they went on to win the World Series.Boston will have home-field advantage in the ALCS after finishing five games better than the Astros.According to OddsShark, the Astros are the betting favorites (+210, bet $100 to win $210) to win the World Series, with the Dodgers and Red Sox both at +300.

DETROIT (AP) — Jeimer Candelario left the St. Louis Cardinals with a sinking feeling.Candelario connected on a 102 mph sinker from Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks Ervin Santana Jersey , hitting a two-run homer in the ninth inning Friday night that gave the Detroit Tigers a 5-3 victory.“There are guys who throw a soft 100 mph fastball — you can see it coming and you can time it,” Tigers catcher James McCann said. “Hicks is throwing a hard 103. It is right on top of you, and it moves. It’s tough to make contact, and he barreled it up.”Hicks, who was facing his sixth batter, gave Candelario most of the credit.“I was sharp and I was trying to pound the strike zone,” he said. “He just got good wood on it and the ball left the yard. I can’t mourn a mistake. I just have to get better.”Candelario’s second career game-ending homer was made more special by the presence of his family.“This is a blast,” he said in a postgame television interview. “To do this, not just in front of the fans, but in front of my family.”Marcell Ozuna homered twice for St. Louis http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authenti … ano-jersey , which has lost four of six. The Cardinals hold a slim lead for the second NL wild-card spot.“I’m trying to be more aggressive,” Ozuna said. “When my shoulder was hurting, I couldn’t stay inside, but now I feel better and I can hit that pitch.”The Tigers won their third in a row.“That’s a lot of fun,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Those guys are in a pennant race and we’re not, but we stepped up and got a victory. Those are the moments you enjoy.”Hicks (3-4) retired the first five batters he faced, but rookie Victor Reyes slapped a 102 mph fastball to left with one out in the ninth, and Candelario hit his 18th homer on the next pitch.“Candy is still learning at this level, but he’s a strong young man,” Gardenhire said. “He has some tough at-bats Jason Castro Jersey , but he can also do that.”Detroit closer Shane Greene (3-6) worked a scoreless ninth.Tigers starter Daniel Norris allowed three runs on four hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out seven and gave up both of Ozuna’s homers.“I learned not to throw him a fastball over the plate,” he said.Norris was making his second start after missing four months with groin surgery and was starting at home for the first time since April 20.“It was great to be out there in front of our fans, wearing our white jerseys and feeling healthy,” he said. “It’s been a long road back.”Cardinals starter Austin Gomber gave up three runs on six hits and three walks in six-plus innings, striking out six.Ozuna led off the second with a home run, much to the delight of the large contingent of Cardinals fans. The Tigers made it 1-all in the bottom of the inning on Dawel Lugo’s RBI groundout.Ozuna connected for his 20th homer to begin the fourth. He also hit two home runs against Washington on Tuesday.The Cardinals took a 3-1 lead in the fifth when Kolten Wong doubled, took third when Norris balked and scored on Francisco Pena’s sacrifice fly.Gomber retired the first two batters in the bottom half, but Reyes beat out a bunt single and the Tigers loaded the bases on Candelario’s base hit and Goodrum’s walk. Nicholas Castellanos lined a tying, two-run single.TRAINER’S ROOMCardinals: C Yadier Molina is expected to miss the three-game series in Detroit with a hamstring injury.REYES KEEPS IMPROVINGReyes, a Rule 5 pick who had never played above Double-A ball before this season http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authenti … hes-jersey , was hitting .118 with no walks or extra-base hits after the first 25 games of his career. Since then, playing more regularly, he is batting .261 in 60 games and hit his first career homer last week in New York.“Once I gave him a chance, he’s worked hard to become a major league player, and we expect him to stay here next year,” Gardenhire said.THROWBACK WEEKENDThe Tigers are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their 1968 World Series win over the Cardinals during the weekend series. Five players from the 1968 team threw out first pitches on Friday, and a ceremony will be held before Saturday’s game.UP NEXTThe teams continue the series Saturday night. Matthew Boyd (9-12, 4.24) will start for the Tigers against Jack Flaherty (8-6, 2.83). HOUSTON (AP) — The Seattle Mariners are feeling pretty good after beating Houston All-Stars Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole on consecutive nights.Still, they know they have a lot more work to do as they chase their first playoff berth since 2001.“We came here and wanted to start playing some better games and that’s what we’ve done Jose Berrios Jersey ,” manager Scott Servais said. “We’re just playing better baseball right now and the top of the lineup has been really swinging the bat well.”Nelson Cruz hit a tiebreaking two-run double in a three-run eighth inning to lift the Mariners a 5-2 victory over the Astros on Friday night.Houston leads the AL West and Seattle is 2 1/2 games behind Oakland for the second wild-card spot.Mitch Haniger doubled with one out in the eighth, and Denard Span singled to chase Cole (10-5). The double by Haniger was his fifth extra-base hit in the last two games after he doubled in the sixth Friday and had two doubles and a homer Thursday.Cole was replaced by Ryan Pressly, whose first pitch plunked Jean Segura on the top of his left hand. Cruz then smashed a ball off the wall in left-center to score Haniger and Span and make it 4-2. The Mariners tacked on a run when Segura scored on a groundout by Kyle Seager.“They’ve got a really good club,” Servais said. “You’ve got to pitch them really well, you’ve got to keep them down because you know it’s going to be tight ball games here and we got some big hits late.”Seattle starter Mike Leake allowed eight hits and two runs in six innings. Adam Warren (1-1) allowed one hit in a scoreless seventh for the win and Edwin Diaz struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 44th save.Cole yielded six hits and four runs in 7 1/3 innings for his season-high third straight loss.The Astros had trouble stringing hits together until Marwin Gonzalez and Tyler White hit consecutive singles with no outs in the fifth inning. Martin Maldonado then reached on a fielder’s choice that left Gonzalez out at home.Tony Kemp’s single to center field with two outs scored White to make it 1-0. Alex Bregman followed with an RBI double to push the lead to 2-0 before Carlos Correa grounded out to end the inning and leave Kemp stranded at third. Correa was 0 for 3 in his return after missing more than a month with a sore lower back.Cole sailed through the first five innings, retiring 15 of the first 16 batters he faced with the only baserunner coming on a double by Cruz to start the second inning. He’d sat down 12 straight when Cameron Maybin singled to start the sixth inning. Cole then walked Dee Gordon on four pitches before a double by Haniger scored Maybin to cut the lead to 2-1.Span’s single sent Gordon home to tie it up. There were two outs in the inning when center fielder Jake Marisnick made a spectacular diving catch to rob Seager of a hit and keep the game tied. Marisnick sailed through the air and snagged the ball just inches from the grass to end the inning. Cole extended both hands into the air and cheered after seeing the catch before putting his glove on his head and shaking it in relief.“Off the bat I didn’t see it great, and then I was able to get there and stretch out and save a couple of runs there for Gerrit,” Marisnick said.Marisnick was injured running the bases on a double in the seventh inning. The team said Marisnick, who is filling in at center field for an injured George Springer, left the game with discomfort in his left groin.“I don’t know how he’s doing http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authenti … bar-jersey , but I’ve been on the field for too many injuries lately, so I am not very optimistic,” manager A.J. Hinch said.TRAINER’S ROOMMariners: Segura said his hand was sore from being hit by the pitch on Friday night but that X-rays were negative. He said he hoped to play on Saturday but would know more after he takes batting practice.Astros: Hinch said 2B Jose Altuve (sore right knee) is making progress, but won’t return during this homestand, which runs through Wednesday. Altuve, the reigning AL MVP, hasn’t played since July 25.OFFENSE HEATING UPThe Mariners have scored five or more runs in three straight games for the first time since June 5-7. Before the start of this streak Seattle had eclipsed four runs just once in nine games.UP NEXTHouston’s Charlie Morton (12-2, 2.81 ERA) opposes Seattle left-hander Wade LeBlanc (6-2, 3.81) when the series continues on Saturday night. Morton struck out eight in seven innings in his last start to give him a career-high 167 strikeouts this season.

In the past two weeks Youth Randall Cobb Jersey , Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has recorded two of his three highest single-game passing yardage totals in his NFL career. Monday night’s 425-yard performance came eight days after he threw for 442 yards in a loss to the Detroit Lions; meanwhile, both of those games come in behind a 480-yard day he put up against Washington in 2013.Unlike the game in Detroit, however, Monday’s game came with a notch in the win column, as Rodgers’ efforts helped the Packers come back in the fourth quarter for a 33-30 victory. On Thursday, the NFL named Rodgers the FedEx Air Player of the Week for week six, joining Ground Player of the Week Todd Gurley. In total, Rodgers completed 25 of 46 passes for those 425 yards, throwing a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions.(Note that another ball thrown by Rodgers ended in a touchdown, but because his pass to Ty Montgomery was ruled to be a lateral, it went in the stat sheet as a rushing attempt instead of a pass.)Gurley also won the NFC’s award for Offensive Player of the week, edging out Rodgers thanks to 208 yards and two touchdowns on the ground plus a pair of receptions for 17 yards.This was Rodgers’ second nomination for this award this year, as he was also up for the honor after the Packers’ comeback on Sunday Night Football in week one. However, he came up short in the voting for that game, as the Buccaneers’ Ryan Fitzpatrick won out with over 400 yards and four touchdown passes. According to our research, the last time Rodgers won this award was in week 16 of the 2016 season, when he threw for 347 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-25 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Eve. In honor of Halloween, and a certain soon-to-be-released movie, we have a holiday special this week.The Packers once had a strong run of tight ends, featuring Mark Chmura, Keith Jackson, Jackie Harris, and even the slow but reliable Bubba Franks, but recently the position has been one of the least consistent on the team, seemingly turning over every single year with a new cast of big names Youth Clay Matthews Jersey , troubled souls, and the occasional underrated, low key acquisition. You might think we’re going to compare the position to Spinal Tap’s drummers. Good guess, but not today.In the Harry Potter novels, the position of “Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor” is reportedly cursed, and no professor is able to stay in the role for more than one school year. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is often critical to the plot of the book, just as the rotating cast of tight ends has often been crucial to any given Packer season, for good or ill. The comparison goes even further if you dig deep, and so we bring you,The Packers’ Tight End Position is like the Defense Against the Dark Arts job at HogwartsQuirinus Quirrell — Brandon Bostick(Paul Noonan)Professor Quirrell is, for most of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, a minor player, shown as a cowardly and likely incompetent professor who is unable to stop trolls or hold a student’s attention. However, when Ron, Harry, and Hermione eventually discover that the security on the Sorcerer’s Stone has been breached, it’s Quirrell who they find in the catacombs, about to seize the secret to eternal life. They also find that Voldemort has inhabited Quirrell and is using his body in an attempt to achieve proper resurrection. Like Quirrell, Bostick was a bit player for an entire season, but with the season on the line, in the most important game of the year, and with victory in hand, he went against his coach’s orders and dropped an onside kick, giving new life to Dark Lord Pete Carroll and crew. Bostick was an unlikely character to severely impact a football season, just as Quirrell was http://www.authenticsgreenbaypackers.co … rry-jersey , but that didn’t stop him from undermining an entire season.Gilderoy Lockhart — Jermichael Finley(Jon Meerdink)The real measure of one’s quality as a professor and as a tight end is less about how great you actually are and more about how great you tell people you are. And both Gilderoy Lockhart (“Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five times winner of Witch Weekly’s Most Charming Smile Award. But I don’t talk about that.”) and Jermichael Finley were more than happy to tell you all about it.Both Lockhart and Finley arrived at their posts with great fanfare, promising to revolutionize their respective jobs. And to an extent, both succeeded, albeit as much by circumstance as by their own merits. Lockhart’s misguided lessons gave Harry Potter and his fellow young wizards their first dueling opportunities as much in spite of their teacher as because of him. Finley, meanwhile, blew up in 2011 as a part of an already loaded receiving group, but the Packers managed just fine without him in 2010 after a knee injury derailed his season.Alas, it was injuries that ultimately did both of them in, sending both to the sidelines and leaving the wizarding world wondering what went wrong.Remus Lupin — Jared Cook(Jordan Smith)Remus Lupin, aka Moony, is the perfect proxy for former Packer tight end Jared Cook. Like Cook, Lupin was always super talented, but it seemed like he never found the perfect scenario in which to showcase his talents until he got to Hogwarts. In this case, yes, I’m calling Green Bay Hogwarts. Cook toiled away for years on bad Titans and Rams teams, living in anonymity and not being accepted by his contemporaries. His time in Green Bay was very much like the former Marauder’s time as Harry Potter’s third Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in as many years. We didn’t get as much of him as we would have liked, and at random times he would disappear (“Turn to page 394”). Lupin, as we remember, had his best moment when he was able to teach a 13-year old a very advanced piece of magic, the Patronus Charm. If the hero in this story is Aaron Rodgers, then Cook’s best moment was catching Rodgers’ fireball-shaped Patronus 35-yards down the field while tapping his toes ever so slightly in bounds in the 2017 NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Cowboys. Without Lupin, Harry would have struggled mightily against the Dementors in books 3 Youth JK Scott Jersey , 5, and 7. And without Cook, Rodgers wouldn’t have been able to complete a little magic of his own. As with Lupin, we wish we had gotten more time with Cook (especially as he’s on a career-year pace in Oakland). I hope Gruden is your Tonks, Jared!Bartemius Crouch Jr./Mad Eye Moody - Lance Kendricks/Jimmy Graham(Evan “Tex” Western)Graham was signed by the Packers to be the great tight end he was in New Orleans. A lot of people thought he would become that player again. Likewise, Alastor Moody’s career as a wizard was distinguished, and he was a critical member of the Order of the Phoenix. Bringing him aboard seemed like a great get for the leadership at Hogwarts.However, due to some circumstances outside of his control (injuries limiting him, the Bears taking him out of the game plan, or just odd playcalling), Graham at times seems to be banished into a hole in the Packers’ offense while Lance Kendricks takes over targets. Sound familiar? That’s just like how Mad Eye Moody was secretly replaced by Bartemius Crouch in Goblet of Fire.Still, Graham remains a dangerous weapon in his advancing age, much as Moody did once freed from Crouch’s shackles. Hopefully he can be a critical weapon for the Packers’ offense and bounce back to help lead the team to crucial victories down the stretch and not succumb to an untimely injury on a trick play.Amycus Carrow — Colt Lyerla(Paul Noonan)You may not remember much of Carrow, the Professor during the Deathly Hallows when Death Eaters owned the school, which is fine because you also may not remember the brief kerfuffle over the signing troubled Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla, a Sandy Hook truther with severe drug issues who would eventually be convicted of forgery and go on the run from the law.Lyerla wasn’t on the team long, but he did make quite the impression on a certain beat writer. What price glory, indeed.Dolores Umbridge — Martellus Bennett (Shawn Wagner)When Umbridge was first introduced at Hogwarts during the year’s opening dinner, it was apparent that she was going to be a boisterous, ultra-confident addition to the staff when she rather abruptly asserted herself while Professor Dumbledore was speaking. Like Umbridge, Bennett was a loud addition from the start, actively engaging on social media and being recognized by teammates in interviews as a very vocal individual.However, Bennett quickly lost favor from the fan base with dropped passes while never quite fitting into the Packers’ offense and Aaron Rodgers’ circle of trust. Delores Umbridge could relate, realizing quickly that her style of teaching as dictated by the Ministry of Magic was not a fit for how Dumbledore’s Hogwarts was being run and that it was vehemently opposed by the students.But the real tipping point came when Umbridge made a false accusation against Harry Potter that he “must not tell lies” when referring to the return of Lord Voldemort in class and sentenced him to detention. In a similar way, Martellus Bennett made what was heavily regarded as a false accusation against the Packers. When he was released by Green Bay for failure to disclose a pre-existing medical condition Color Rush Kenny Clark Jersey , Bennett immediately accused the Packers and team physician Dr. Pat McKenzie for pushing him to play through injury despite outside opinions. When Bennett’s remarks were not backed up by the likes of Rodgers and Jordy Nelson, he quickly became a despised figure by fans and the media.In the end, big things were expected of both Umbridge and Bennett when they were hired into their new roles. However, neither made it through their first year and were ultimately frustrating disappointments.Severus Snape — Jimmy Graham(Wendi Hansen)Ahhhh Severus Snape, the professor you loved to hate to love. Like most Harry Potter fans, I never knew what to make of Snape. He always had this this mysterious complex to him, a fierceness that stemmed from a difficult past, overcoming obstacles no one should ever have to face but doing so with wit, wisdom and tremendous skill. He was the master of the dark arts for a reason - he was damn good at what he did and he owned it. Jimmy Graham, much like Snape, is damn good at what he does. On the field, he’s fearless, taking command of each play and driving the ball down yard by yard. He’s the Snape to Aaron Rodger’s Dumbledore, a follower who I think, secretly wants to be calling the shots. An outsider who joined an already strong Packers squad, he had to find his place on the team and earn his place on the roster. You won’t hear much from Graham, as he is known to shy away from the media, a Snape-like loner vibe to him. But when push comes to shove, Graham has proven his strength, his prowess, his dedication to the team and the ultimate goal of helping the Packers succeed, the protagonist we all knew he was. There’s magic in those hands, and I can only hope he can accio more of that as the season goes on.

It’s our Monday column Cheap Tyreek Hill Jersey , The Re-Up. In this column, I’ll write about some deeper thought I had about the last game and finish with some fun stuff to ponder at the article’s end. Check out last week’s column here.Photo by David Eulitt/Getty ImagesOver the past two decades or so, there have been those teams. You know the teams I’m talking about—Tom Brady’s Patriots, Peyton Manning’s Colts, Drew Brees’ Saints, Aaron Rodgers’ Packers, Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers and Manning’s Broncos.The teams that came up on the Chiefs’ schedule who struck fear into your heart as a fan. You knew that the only way the Chiefs were winning on Sunday is if they played an absolute perfect game. Well, midway through the NFL season, I’m happy to report with confidence that the tables have turned.Usually, in this column, I stay in the Chiefs locker room and provide their thoughts. I’ll get to some of those in the lower sections. This week, follow me as we venture into what you might call “enemy territory.”In their 30-23 loss to the Chiefs, the Denver Broncos took 10 penalties for 83 yards, a stat that would become their post-game theme. Because if you’re going to beat the Chiefs, you cannot take penalties.“It killed us,” Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said. “We had three penalties that took away 20-plus-yard plays offensively. When you are playing a good football team like this that can score points in bunches and you can’t at least have a chance to match the points because of penalties, it is almost impossible to beat this team.”Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty ImagesJoseph said he stressed the point inside the Denver locker room after the game.“I told our guys Allen Bailey Jersey , whether they are good or bad, we can’t do it. When you are playing a good football team, it is tough to beat them without having those penalties. With the penalties, it is almost impossible, so we will go back and see the penalties and see how it shakes.”At halftime, the Broncos only trailed the Chiefs, 16-14, in what you felt like might turn into a classic divisional trap game for the home team. The Chiefs started with the ball in the third quarter and the Broncos were in desperate need of a stop. What they got instead was a nine-play, five-minute drive, which resulted in Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense waltzing down the field and putting the ball in the end zone.Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images“We had opportunities to do it on that drive and we just didn’t capitalize on it,” Broncos linebacker Von Millers said. “That’s the frustrating part about it. Kansas City has a great team, a great team. But I feel like we have a great team, too. Whenever we don’t play up to our potential, it’s frustrating, especially in moments like this.”Miller continued, touching upon the offensive creativity Andy Reid shows on a week-by-week basis.“I don’t know how many plays they got, they got counters as well Ron Parker Jersey ,” he explained. “They can show you the same play 10 times, run it 10 times and then on the eleventh time run something else. They are extremely well-coached and have extremely talented players.”One of those, of course, being the MVP favorite in Patrick Mahomes, who gashed the Broncos for 303 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images“We went into the [game earlier in the season] and said, ‘Man, we missed this guy. We missed this guy six times,’” linebacker Shane Ray, who couldn’t play this time against the Chiefs, said. “Those were big plays that could have changed the game. The mindset for rushing was containing him, pushing the pocket and not letting him out. The guys did an excellent job [Sunday]. They kept him contained. Most of the time he wasn’t able to get outside of the pocket and make passes like he did the last game. Once again, just beating ourselves with penalties and allowing big plays down the field. We can’t win like that.”No matter what Denver did, there was a feeling on its sideline that the Chiefs were just too much to handle.“This was one of the hardest losses that I have ever had in the regular season,” cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. “You fight so hard and do whatever you can to win and it’s really upsetting...I’m tired of it. I’m getting fed up with it, really. We’re beating ourselves every week. I can’t count how many penalties we had on ourselves. You can’t do that if you’re going to come in here and beat the Chiefs.”Heading into Chiefs week, the Broncos were coming off a win over the lowly 2-6 Arizona Cardinals. Denver took five penalties for 50 yards in that game but still won 45-10.Not to be on Sunday Cheap Justin Houston Jersey , when they doubled that.“We can get by with those mistakes and beat an Arizona team, but we can’t beat a Kansas City team like that,” inside linebacker Brandon Marshall said.Chiefs fans, welcome to the other side.RAPID REACTIONThis week’s Rapid Reaction was taken from my opening thoughts on the Arrowhead Pride post-game show, as first heard live on 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City.STAT OF THE GAMEGIF OF THE GAMETWEET(s) OF THE GAMEFIVE QUOTES1. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the defense stepping up in the fourth quarter: “It’s huge. When you’re in this league, you have to win with every aspect of the game. You can’t rely on the offense scoring 40 points. You can’t rely on the defense giving up zero points. Everybody has to be on the same page and I feel like in this game, it kind of showed that the defense was getting some stops early. Then the offense scored some points and then the defense held strong at the end. I mean, that’s what the good teams do. They win games with every aspect of the game. Special teams flipped the field it felt like every single time they had the opportunity. It speaks volumes of how this team is and how we pick each other up. I threw an interception and the defense got a turnover the next drive. I mean, that just speaks to the team that we have.”2. Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones on the outstanding play of outside linebacker Dee Ford: “You know, all the attention is on Dee. He is a great pass rusher, I’ll give that to him. Just keep it up, consistency lightens it up for the inside guys.”3. Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins on whether the skillfulness of the Chiefs offense has taken the pressure off of him: “Honestly, yes. It’s not all about me or any guy on this team. If I’m not open I know (Travis Kelce) is going to be open. I can literally run my route but watch him catch the ball and it feels great to see everybody out there making plays.”4. Chiefs outside linebacker Breeland Speaks on the first full sack of his career: “Oh bro, it felt great. I was like, ‘Yeah, fat people can rush too.’ Here we go, we’re finally getting somewhere.”5. Chiefs outside linebacker Tanoh Kpassagnon on the Chiefs’ defensive effort against the Broncos: “This is something we knew was going to come; just keep working and be patient and keep working on it. We studied that team hard. We already played them so we kind of knew what they were hitting us with. We knew when a pass was coming. Once we saw those formations http://www.chiefscheapshoponline.com/ch … ens-jersey , we just went.”THE BIG THOUGHTJay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY SportsFollowing a game in which Kareem Hunt displayed his second human hurdle in as many weeks, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was asked about his running back.“He is playing really good football,” Reid said. “I’m having a hard time believing anyone at that position is playing better. His numbers aren’t huge, but he is catching the ball, he’s running the ball, he’s hurdling people.”Of course, the quick response here is, “but Todd Gurley,” and while that is correct, let’s give the conversation a bit of perspective. Stats through eight games (2018)Through eight games, Gurley has 1,151 yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns. That is remarkable, even compared to Hunt’s 854 yards from scrimmage and 10 total touchdowns. But I’d like to point your attention to the yards per attempt. With the ball in his hands on a rush, Gurley is averaging only three-tenths of a yard more than Hunt. On catches, Hunt is edging Gurley by 1.8 yards per reception.I’m not here to argue Hunt is the best running back in the league right now because he certainly is not. But Reid’s right. Given his game film lately and total production despite a slow start, Hunt deserves to be in the conversation.POLL OF THE WEEK Each practice day, the Kansas City Chiefs will release an official injury report leading up to the next game. The Chiefs host the Arizona Cardinals at Arrowhead Stadium this Sunday.Here is the Chiefs’ second official injury report of the week:CardinalsSome notesThe Chiefs had five players—Chiefs S Eric Berry Eric Fisher Jersey , LG Cam Erving, LB Anthony Hitchens, C Mitch Morse and WR Sammy Watkins—out of practice to start the week.I’m starting to get concerned about Erving, who has now missed his second practice in a row this week. The Chiefs could end up having Jeff Allen start at left guard on Sunday if Erving cannot go.Based upon Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s comments on Thursday, I expect Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston plays against the Cardinals on Sunday. Sutton:“Hopefully he’ll pick up right where he left off. Of all the guys coming, Dan (Sorensen)’s coming back from a little longer thing, we haven’t got (Eric Berry) back, but Justin was our most recent guy that’s out. Justin’s played not too long ago so I think we have a better feeling that he’s going to be close to where he was. We won’t know until we see him out there and see how he does all the things when it’s totally full speed. You go hard in practice, but you probably still don’t have quite those little bursts and reactions that you have in a ball game, but I think he’s going to be fine. He says he feels really good and hopefully we’ll get him back because he was playing really good football. That would be a great addition for us here.”Cardinals wide receiver Chad Williams missed his second practice in a row, and defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche missed his first.Cardinals safety Budda Baker’s listing of did not practice leads me to believe his status for Sunday could be in jeopardy. Baker wasn’t listed on the injury report to begin the week.Per reports, Baker and Williams worked out on the side, but Nkemdiche wasn’t present at practice.

Last week we brought you guys the HUGE news that we were launching the Windy City Gridiron podcast channel http://www.bearsauthorizedshops.com/aut … ong-jersey , which will incorporate all our shows into one place. We want to make sure you guys have one go-to spot to get all our great audio Chicago Bears content. We launched with Andrew Link’s brand new show, Monster on the Mic, and here’s my latest T Formation Conversation.In this episode I take a general look at each position group and run over how I think the team is doing so far, but also talk about where I see this team heading. One of the cool things about our re-branding is that my show is now available in more places than just iTunes. so subscribe right now below at your platform of choice by clicking on the link provided!Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | ART19John Gennaro, our EP of SB Nation Team Brands Podcasts, is looking for other great Bears audio shows to add to the Windy City Gridiron podcast: If you’re interested in joining, please reach out to him Danny Trevathan Jersey , and include a link to your audio work.10 Thoughts on the NFL 1) Way back on Thursday, the Cleveland Browns picked up a win over the New York Jets behind rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield. He entered the game after starter Tyrod Taylor went down with an injury, and he completed 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards. More important than the numbers was the way in which Mayfield played. He looked like a young quarterback ready to take over a franchise, and that’s exactly what the Browns will do as they’ve named him their week 4 starter. 2) Another rookie QB getting his first start this weekend is the Arizona Cardinals’ Josh Rosen, but Rosen’s debut wasn’t as sparkly as Mayfield’s. On Sunday against the Chicago Bears, Rosen relieved Sam Bradford and went 4 of 7 for 36 yards and an interception. The Bears blitzed him on the final play of the game and got home for the game sealing sack. 3) Staying with the rookie QB theme, the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen helped orchestrate the biggest upset of the last 23 years when they knocked off the Minnesota Vikings (who were favored by 17) by a score of 27-6. Josh Allen also did this...4) I guess I’ll circle back to that Browns vs. Jets game and talk about the other rookie QB that’s been playing. Things sure are different for New York’s Sam Darnold Authentic Cody Whitehair Jersey , who was universally praised after his week one performance in Detroit where his passer rating was 116.8. It dropped to 74.6 in a week 2 loss, and down again on Sunday to a 38.2. 5) Did anyone have Adam Gase and the Miami Dolphins at 3-0 and atop the AFC East?6) This has been such a week to week season so far. Did anyone expect a 9 to 6 Tennessee Titans win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, who the week prior smacked around the New England Patriots?7) Did anyone expect the Detroit Lions to take it to the Patriots on Sunday Night Football?News came out over the weekend that the Pats tried to trade Rob Gronkowski to the Lions this offseason, but Gronk wasn’t going to cooperate. “Yeah, it happened,’’ Gronkowski said after their 26-10 loss in Detroit. “Brady’s my quarterback, that’s all. I wasn’t going anywhere without Brady.’’The Patriots are 1-2 and some cracks are starting to show Youth Eric Kush Jersey , but with the way this season is going I wouldn’t be surprised if New England dropped 50 on the Dolphins on Sunday.8) The one constant, and the one thing that isn’t surprising to me is the dominance of the Los Angeles Rams. That is a complete football team. 9) Packers linebacker Clay Matthews was flagged again for a roughing the passer penalty, and for a second week in a row I feel dirty for agreeing with him. Here’s Matthews from SI:Matthews did land on Alex Smith, but how else is he supposed to tackle him? He immediately rolled off of Smith, but with his momentum going into the QB there’s no physical way he could have stopped his body from making a “tackle.”10) Fitz magic is real.Ryan Fitzpatrick was on fire through two games this year, then three first half interceptions against the Steelers made it seem like the magic was fizzling out, but uh-uh! Even though the Buccaneers came up short http://www.bearsauthorizedshops.com/aut … sie-jersey , Fitzpatrick still went over 400 passing yards while almost leading his team back from a 30-10 halftime deficit. He’s the first player in NFL history to throw for 400 yards in three consecutive games. His offensive line has been solid, his pocket presence has been outstanding, and his group of receivers has been good all year long. This will be a tough match-up for Khalil Mack and the Bears’ defense next week, but if they get to him he’ll chuck it up for grabs. Chicago’s secondary could be in for a big game.

Chris Ballard appears to have struck gold with his 2018 draft class. First rounder Quenton Nelson has improved every game and is a big part of why Andrew Luck has had the best protection of his career this season. Speaking of that protection Al Woods Jersey , second rounder Braden Smith has been more than solid at RT. Kemoko Turay playing at defensive end has also stood out rushing the passer on defense. Rookie running backs Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins have played big roles in the offense this season. Among the stars that Ballard has seemingly landed, none of them have had the impact of second round pick Darius Leonard.Considered by many as one of the biggest reaches in the entire draft, Leonard has proved since Day 1 that he was the right selection for the Colts in the second round. On the season, Leonard leads the entire NFL in tackles— 79 tackles— despite missing a game due to an injury. Against the Bills, Leonard lit up the scoreboard with 17 tackles— 12 solo— and a fumble recovery.Now, I typically style these film rooms with positives and negatives from the player’s past performance. There was so little negative to write about, though, that I decided to make it a film room on Leonard’s positives and where I’ve seen the most improvement from him this season. So let’s jump into this weeks film room and see why Leonard is playing like one of the best young linebackers in football this year.PositivesTacklingLeonard has been a tackling machine this year. The Tampa 2 scheme has definitely played a role in his high tackle numbers but ultimately, Leonard is making the plays. He is a sure tackler and is excellent at coming downhill and wrapping up ball carriers, against the run and the pass. He has a natural feel for defending the run which allows for him to be in the right position most of the time. Our first clip shows exactly what we’ve seen from Leonard all season. The Colts’ cover 2 scheme is designed to drop the linebackers in zone coverage over the middle to prevent intermediate, middle of the field throws. In theory Cheap J'Marcus Webb Jersey , this is optimal as it keeps all underneath throws right in front of the linebackers. Leonard makes this scheme look ingenious as he routinely comes downhill to make tackles. He limits so many potential big plays to small gains due to his speed and tackling ability. Here, Leonard bursts out of his zone to make a tackle on an underneath throw. Most importantly, this is an open field tackle. It is so important for linebackers to make these one-on-one tackles in space, as a missed tackle can result in a big play. Leonard rarely makes those mistakes. Once he gets a player in his sights, he typically makes the tackle. Most rookies fail to break down properly or aim their bodies at the ball carrier incorrectly. Darius Leonard does not have that problem.Run DefenseLeonard has excelled as a run defender. The Colts have a top 5 rush defense in all of football in regards of yards per rush. Leonard is aggressive and shoots gaps well. When he is able to get a hand on the ball carrier, he consistently has enough strength to drag the runner down. His tackling ability shows out in this area as well. In this first clip, Leonard shoots the gap to the left side of the screen. The run is to the right so Leonard is forced to fight off his block and work back to the other side of the formation. Leonard spins off of his blocker then quickly gets back up field and makes the tackle. The ability to work off of his block and locate the ball carrier is what makes Leonard so good in run defense. He always has his head on a swivel and is constantly locating and pursuing the ball carrier. Great play to work back to the ball after initially being out of the play. This next clip starts with the Bills running an inside trap play where the tight end is tasked with blocking Leonard. Leonard diagnoses the play and shoots the A gap. He blows up the lead block from the tight end and is able to get a hand on the runner and bring him down. This play is just great because it is designed to take Leonard out of the play. Where he wins is how he diagnoses it quickly and realizes he needs to initiate the contact on the lead blocker. Great play to blow up the block and still bring down the runner.EffortOne major part of Leonard’s game that has been severely overlooked this season is his pure effort on every single play. You don’t lead the NFL in tackles by being the most skilled or being in the best scheme. Those factors obviously play a large role but having the ability to make tackles all over the field takes pure effort. Leonard showcases his excellent effort and pure heart on every single play.Look at how much ground Leonard covers here on his fumble recovery. He could have easily given up chase once he saw Mike Mitchell make the tackle, but he continues the pursuit and is able to be in prime position to recover the fumble. Sure there is athleticism involved with covering this much ground, but the effort to continually pursue the play is commendable.Again look at the effort here by Leonard to make a play almost thirty yards down the field. He is well out of the play once this ball is thrown down the field. Yet, he never breaks sprint and is able to get all the way down the field for the tackle. Plays like this just contribute to why he leads the NFL in tackles at this point. Where he has improvedPass defenseLeonard struggled early in the season in pass coverage. By struggled, I mean struggled compared to how he is playing most of the time. The main issue I had early in the year was that he wasn’t feeling out plays or really anticipating much in pass defense. A lot of what he was doing was just sitting back in his zone and making tackles rather than anticipating what the quarterback was doing and breaking up passes. Although I still see struggles here Adam Vinatieri Jersey , I think he has improved greatly. He is disrupting pass routes more regularly now and anticipating much better. He is trusting his instincts and film study much more as the season progresses. This first clip showcases the Colts in a rare coverage; man defense. Leonard is matched up with the running back. Even before the ball is snapped, Leonard is able to diagnose what his match up is going to do. Rather than just running to the running back to cover him, Leonard runs to a spot that he believes the running back’s route will take him to. Even though the quarterback never looks Leonard’s way here, he is in perfect position from trusting his instincts in coverage.This next rep shows Leonard disrupting a play from zone coverage. The Bills have a double slant concept called and Leonard notices it right away.Rather than just sitting in his zone and waiting for the ball though, Leonard jams the inside slant. This disruption of the route contributes to the quarterback holding the ball a second longer and allows for the pressure to make a play. Also, if the ball would not have been batted at the line, Kenny Moore could have been able to peel off the inside guy and make a play on the outside due to Leonard’s heads up play. Patience in run defenseOne major improvement that Leonard has made from the preseason to now is his patience in run defense. Rather than over-committing on plays, Leonard is now sifting through traffic and keeping his head up. He is doing much more reading of plays rather than just shooting gaps and hoping he is running into the ball carrier. This has resulted in even more tackles than when he started the season. Here is the best example I was able to find from the last game. Leonard reads the play and strafes down the line. Rather than ducking under the block or shooting up field to force the play inside, Leonard calmly resets then stacks and sheds the lineman to make the tackle. He always keeps his eyes on the ball carrier while he is shedding the blocker. This maturity shows development in this area. Great sign of improvement. AnalysisSo, what did we learn about Darius Leonard? Kind of what we already knew, that he is playing really well. He is excelling in a scheme tailored to his strengths and is taking full advantage of the early playing time he is getting.He excels as a tackler in open space and is great at plugging up holes in run defense. His natural athleticism combined with great effort only add to his historic tackle totals this far into the season. He is continually improving in pass defense as he is learning to trust his instincts more each and every game. Overall Leonard is perhaps the brightest part about a 2-5 football team. He has all the ability in the world to be a top linebacker in this league and at the moment he certainly is playing like it. It has gotten to the point where we are shocked if he doesn’t get 15 tackles a game. Leonard will continue to improve and looks to be a staple of the Colts’ defense for many many years. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck extended his streak of games with at least three touchdown passes to eight on Sunday and he extended another streak to two games as well.The Colts used Luck as a receiver for someone else’s pass for the second week in a row. Luck couldn’t reel in a pass from tight end Eric Ebron in Week 11 http://www.coltscheapshop.com/cheap-aut … ron-jersey , but he did come up with a catch in Sunday’s win over the Dolphins. Luck split out wide with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett taking the snap on a fourth down and Brissett quickly looked Luck’s way with a pass.Luck jumped to catch the pass and took an immediate hit from safety Reshad Jones that slammed Luck’s right shoulder into the turf. Luck said his shoulder felt fine and the play resulted in four yards the Colts needed to convert, but he still feels like he’s ready to hang up his receiving gloves.“I thought I was [retired], now I am,” Luck said, via the Indianapolis Star. “I think I am.”Brissett was expected to run, but head coach Frank Reich said the Dolphins “played it differently than I thought they were going to play it” by blitzing and Brissett went to the next option.聽Given Reich’s penchant for working outside the box, Luck may come out of retirement in the future.