On a three-game winning streak Bennie Logan Jersey , the Tennessee Titans return home for their last two games needing some help to get back to the playoffs for a second year in a row. There, they’ll face the 7-7 Washington Redskins tomorrow, and they are also fighting for a playoff spot with the Wild Card and NFC East races slipping away from them.If you’ve followed me on Twitter, you’ve probably seen me do a lot of charting on quarterback hits. Quarterback hits include sacks and plays where the quarterback was hit after releasing the pass (hits on penalties do not count unless those penalties were declined). And as it turns out, The Titans defense and Redskins offense are polar opposites.This time for this week’s Titans Enemy Profile, there won’t be any film breakdowns. Instead, this will be statistical breakdown—to be more specific—quarterback hits.First, let’s talk about the Redskins. On defense, they’ve produced 83 QB hits through 15 weeks, the 16th most in the league. Since Week 9 (the second half of the season), they’re 13th in QB hits produced with 40. Decent numbers to say the least as guys like Ryan Kerrigan and Jonathan Allen have cranked up the pressures this season, highlighting a talented defensive line.But here’s where it gets interesting: The Washington offense has allowed the 14th most QB hits on the season (87) and are tied with the Dolphins for second most allowed since Week 9 (51). Yikes. It doesn’t help that the team has lost their two starting quarterbacks for the season and have been decimated with injuries on the offensive line. That puts the Titans defense at a great advantage, as they have produced the fourth most quarterback hits since Week 9 (47) and are tied with the Vikings for 13th most on the season (85). On offense, Tennessee has allowed the ninth fewest QB hits all season (66), are tied with the Broncos for the 12th fewest allowed since Week 9 (35) and the second fewest allowed since Week 13 (10, behind the Browns’ 5).The Titans defense isn’t perfect Womens Adam Humphries Jersey , but with guys up front like Harold Landry, Jurrell Casey, Rashaan Evans and Jayon Brown gelling together, it’s made for some excellent games of defense in recent weeks. The offense clearly hasn’t been close to consistent, but Marcus Mariota has been able to side step pressure, and the offensive line has limited the hits to an extent.With both sides of the line playing well, that’ll need to continue tomorrow with the season on the line.Keeping Up With Marcus Mariota: Week 5, 2018 I for sure need to stop picking the Titans to win games now. I’m ruining what could have been a 5-0 start to the year.With that out of the way, welcome to another edition of Keeping Up With Marcus Mariota. Last week, Mariota completed 14 of 26 passes at Buffalo for 129 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception for a 51.6 passer rating. Obviously, the expectation is Mariota played a bad game after playing at a high level the previous week against the Eagles. But by looking at the incompletions he tossed, something doesn’t look right. So here’s what happened on all 12 of Mariota’s incompletions:1. Thrown in the area of Jonnu Smith who was tightly covered.2. Late, behind Derrick Henry.3. Corey Davis stopped running, was contacted.4. Was trying to throw the ball away under intense pressure, but the arc of his passmeant the ball was nearly intercepted.5. His actual interception. Nick Williams completely let the defensive back come through his window and pick the pass off.6. Wide of Luke Stocker7. Through Taywan Taylor’s hands on a catch he should’ve made.8. Pressure disrupts his pass to Dion Lewis.9. Batted at the line of scrimmage looking for Corey Davis.10. Thrown away under pressure from Tremaine Edmunds.11. Jump ball to Sharpe Jeffery Simmons Tennessee Titans Jersey , not a smart decision, fortunate to get away with an incompletion.12. Accurate pass to Nick Williams that should’ve been caught for a touchdown but was instead dropped.So looking at Mariota’s incompletions, 9 of his 12 came from pass disruptions, a lack of separation, bad receiver play, drops, miscommunications, and throwing the ball away. If Williams catches the touchdown pass, we might not be talking about how “bad” Mariota played on Sunday. Another concern is how conservative Matt LaFleur’s play calling was. Sure, Buffalo’s defense has some quality players, but Tennessee only attempted four passes of at least 16 air yards. Perhaps LaFleur doesn’t trust the limited receiving corps, but With Corey Davis lighting it up downfield the previous week, it’s baffling.With that said, let’s highlight some notable passes Mariota threw on Sunday and briefly analyze them.gamepass.nfl.comHere, Nick Williams is running a simple go route against zone coverage, yet he couldn’t even do that correctly. Mariota gets clean protection—though really it’s hard not to when you’re releasing the ball that quickly—and it should be a pass that Williams can catch. But Williams has no spatial awareness on this play Youth Jeffery Simmons Jersey , so he has no idea the defensive back is coming into his window. Williams gets overwhelmed, screwing his quarterback over as the pass is picked off.gamepass.nfl.comThe Bills’ play-by-play listed this as an overthrown ball, but to me, this is one Taywan Taylor should’ve caught for a touchdown. Mariota is under heavy pressure this time and is able to get the ball off just before getting hit. I’ve mentioned in the past that Taylor’s catch radius is extremely limited. He’s extremely effective as a screen and underneath receiver, but when asked to expand his frame he’s been a major letdown. He’s asked to slightly contort his body to make this catch, but instead it goes through his hands and ends up as a dropped touchdown.gamepass.nfl.comAnd speaking of dropped touchdowns, Nick Williams ultimately sealed his fate in Tennessee with a massive drop that would’ve given the Titans a lead trailing 10-6. Mariota extends the play and Williams does a nice job of breaking open, but the ball inexplicably goes through his hands on the Titans’ second dropped touchdown of the game.Marcus Mariota wasn’t spectacular against the Bills, but the play calling was way too conservative, the receivers could barely separate, and when they did they either dropped the pass or were not on the same page as Mariota. I thought he played a solid game in spite of the situation around him, and it’s on LaFleur to correct his mistakes (from an otherwise solid season as offensive coordinator) and for the Titans to consider trading for a receiver.Still, at least we got to see Mariota leap over a defender.gamepass.nfl.comThat was awesome.

TAMPA Chandler Catanzaro Jersey , Fla. (AP) — Gerald McCoy is puzzled when he hears people question the ability of fellow NFL players, particularly backup quarterbacks such as Nick Foles and Ryan Fitzpatrick.“It’s the NFL,” Tampa Bay’s six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle said. “Everybody’s good.”Foles’ success filling in for the injured Carson Wentz is one of the biggest reasons why the Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) were able to win the Super Bowl after losing their starting quarterback late last season.Fitzpatrick has McCoy’s Buccaneers (1-0) off to a promising start without suspended starter Jameis Winston after playing arguably the best game of a 14-year career that includes stints with seven teams.“I don’t get when a person, an analyst or fan or anybody says: ‘Oh, he’s not good.’ … “That’s a horrible thing to say about an NFL player because there are people who would give anything to be in the NFL,” McCoy said. “They just didn’t have what it takes to be ‘not good.'”McCoy calls Foles “MVP” because the Eagles quarterback has been the most valuable player in a Pro Bowl, as well as last season’s Super Bowl.“He always laughs when I call him that,” the ninth-year pro said, looking ahead to facing the defending NFL champions Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.“He’s a great player. He doesn’t do more than he’s asked to do,” McCoy added. “He’s a great leader, and just a great guy overall.”Those are some of the same attributes McCoy sees in Fitzpatrick, who threw for a career-best 417 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions to help the Bucs surprise New Orleans 48-40 on the road last week.The 35-year-old Fitzpatrick, who has 120 career starts and is one of just four players in NFL history to toss TD passes for seven different franchises, also rushed for a TD.“Confidence is a huge thing, whether you’re out there or not,” Fitzpatrick said, addressing what it takes to be a successful backup.After going 2-1 filling in for an injured Winston last season, Fitzpatrick is slated for a minimum three starts this year while the No. 1 overall pick from the 2015 draft serves a suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.“But also, more so than my confidence in myself … is when you’re in the huddle, whether you’re the starter or you’re the backup, you can feel from the playcaller, you can feel by the guys looking at you whether they have confidence in you,” Fitzpatrick said.“I think with all the different experiences I’ve had Jason Pierre-Paul Jersey , I just continue to become a better player,” Fitzpatrick added. “Whether people think that or see that, I’m better right now than at any point in my career. A lot of that is mentally, and whatever else.”Foles, who threw for 117 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Philadelphia’s 18-12 season-opening victory over Atlanta, is 2-0 in career starts against the Bucs. He completed 66 percent of his passes for 677yards, five TDs and zero picks in leading the Eagles to road victories in 2012 and 2013.Eagles coach Doug Pederson started 17 games during a playing career that spanned 10 seasons with four teams.So, he has plenty of insight into what it takes to be an effective backup.“I think in the case of both Nick and Ryan, they’ve studied the game for so long, they’re veteran players, they’ve started and played in this league. … You can’t discount that,” Pederson said. “When we lost our starter for the season (last year) … the guys rallied around Nick, supported Nick and never once doubted what Nick was able to do. I think that’s the same thing in Tampa Bay (with Winston’s suspension).”Some things to know when the Eagles visit the Bucs:THE FIRST ONEFoles earned his first career win his rookie season at Tampa Bay on Dec. 9, 2012. He threw for 381 yards and two touchdowns, including the winning score to Jeremy Maclin from the 1 with no time left on the clock. Foles also had a 15-yard TD run in the game. The Eagles finished 4-12 that year, Andy Reid’s final one in Philadelphia. Foles was 1-6.“I just remember sitting at my locker after the game thinking that wasn’t easy to get that win. It was really special,” Foles said. “At that point, I didn’t know how it was going to be because I hadn’t won and it was a tough year for us.”ON THE MENDThe status of Bucs receiver DeSean Jackson (shoulder/concussion) for Sunday is uncertain after the speedy 11th-year pro had five receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s win over the Saints last week. It was the best game the former Eagles star has had since joining the Bucs in 2017. Jackson didn’t practice Wednesday, but participated on a limited basis Thursday.With Brent Grimes still not practicing because of a sore groin and Vernon Hargreaves III on injured reserve after hurting his shoulder in the opener, the Bucs could be without their top two cornerbacks against the Eagles. That figures to mean bigger roles for rookies Carlton Davis III and M.J. Stewart.BRADHAM’S BACKEagles linebacker Nigel Bradham returns to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension in Week 1. Bradham was the team’s leading tackler last year and took over playcalling in the huddle after Jordan Hicks was injured.“He’s an important part of our defense,” defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “We were able to cover up some things in his absence. We’ve had to do that for a lot of different situations with different players. It’ll be good to get him back for sure.”Hicks returned to the lineup last week after rupturing an Achilles tendon last October. He had 1 1/2 sacks. Mock draft season is upon us, and the NFL analysts of the world are speculating about what each of the 32 franchises might do three months from now.Names like Jonah Williams, Ed Oliver Jameis Winston Jersey White , Devin White, and Alabama running back Josh Jacobs have all been tied to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in recent versions.On Tuesday, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com published a new mock draft, and selected Alabama’s Quinnen Williams with pick five of the 2019 NFL Draft.Now, this likely isn’t the first time you’ve seen this Rolling Tide Williams mentioned with the Bucs. He’s a fairly popular name around these parts.Here’s what Zierlein wrote about the pick,Interesting insight, and if you ask me, drafting Williams means McCoy is likely playing elsewhere in 2019.However, my favorite part of this particular mock draft isn’t necessarily who the Bucs drafted, but who wasn’t taken at all in the first round.While Greedy Williams, Deandre Baker and Byron Murphy all came off the board in the first 32 picks there are several interesting names that didn’t.Specifically, Notre Dame cornerback Julian Love, Penn State corner Amani Oruwariye, and safeties Nasir Adderely (Delaware) and Deionte Thompson (Alabama).Now, it’s not likely all of these guys will be left sitting when day two of the actual draft comes around, but chances are there will be two or three of them available. If Quinnen Williams were to be there at number five for the Bucs to steal, combining him with a secondary defender listed here would be a very nice start to Jason Licht’s 2019 class.With avery deep offensive line class, a trade up back into the second round or a third round offensive lineman like Dennis Daley who could be groomed to eventually replace Demar Dotson at the right tackle spot.If the Bucs wanted to throw in a one-two punch of offense and defense in the first two rounds, Wisconsin’s David Edwards was left off Zierlein’s first round and could challenge for a starting role as early as training camp assuming his shoulder is 100%.Either way, as we look at these mock drafts and start to look at how the dominoes might fall following the first day, it’s easy to get excited about the potential talents who may call Tampa home for 2019 and beyond.Oh, and Kyler Murray went fourth-overall to the Oakland Raiders. Easily the highest I’ve seen him up to this point and the highest we will see him barring trades.

Your San Francisco 49ers links for Saturday Matt Breida Jersey , April 13th 2019"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 49ers Salary CapLevi’s Stadium Events49ers Transactions49ers Injury News49ers Press Conferences & Conference Calls49ers LinksGolden Nuggets: Draft is LESS than two weeks away. New,6commentsYour San Francisco 49ers links for Saturday, April 13th 2019PDTShareTweetShareShareGolden Nuggets: Draft is LESS than two weeks away. Good morning! In less than two weeks (less, not more) the NFL draft will be underway. In the meantime, I’m going to fight my allergies as spring is coming. I was in Palm Springs last week and in between my flights to Palm Springs I fought a nasty allergy outbreak, as is tradition for Seattle weather in April to May. The good news is, once the draft rolls around, I’m usually done sneezing. So like you are waiting for draft day so we can make picks and be done with mock drafts Trent Taylor Jersey , I’m waiting for it just so I’m not stuffy in Seattle. With that random Pat-fact, I’m going to give you some links and go back to binging Cobra Kai in anticipation of season 2. Jason Verrett chooses new, previously retired number with 49ers (Madson)NFL draft: San Jose State’s Josh Oliver likely to attend 49ers pro day (Maiocco)49ers sign former AAF, Falcons offensive tackle (Madson)How ready is Garoppolo for 49ers offseason program? (Inman)Niners targeting several WR prospects after missing on OBJ (ESPN)Report: Reuben Foster not expected to be suspended by NFL (Madson) Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon had the unenviable task of covering star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on some of Monday night’s game-defining plays in the San Francisco 49ers’ 27-23 loss to the New York Giants.Late In the third-quarter, the Giants down 20-10, quarterback Eli Manning targeted Beckham along the sideline with Witherspoon in tow. The ball was just slightly overthrown, bouncing off the tip of the receivers’ fingers as he fell out of the back on the end zone. Manning went right back at Witherspoon on the very next play, this time completing the 20-yard touchdown to Beckham over the top of the 49ers’ cornerback. The play sparked the Giants’ eventual comeback.Witherspoon threw up his arms in disgust in the direction of safety Antone Exum Jr. Aaron Burbridge Jersey , seemingly placing the blame on the 49ers’ backup safety starting in place of the injured Jaquiski Tartt. Coach Kyle Shanahan was asked after the game if he was accepting of Witherspoon’s gesture.“No I am not.” Shanahan said. “Man up. Don’t put that on tape. We’ll deal with it when we come in.”Veteran cornerback Richard Sherman had a similar reaction when asked about Witherspoon’s frustrations, but also placed some of the blame on the defense’s inability to get the correct personnel on the field prior to the play.“You should never do that. That’s like a cardinal rule of football,” Sherman said at the podium. “You’re expecting guys to be where they’re supposed to be and, unfortunately, we didn’t get the personnel that we needed to on the field.”The 49ers’ embattled second-year cornerback was asked about Shanahan’s reaction to his on-field frustrations after the game in the locker room.“I was just mad at myself for allowing a touchdown. Can’t do that,” Witherspoon said. “I know that, playing corner, I know I got to be better than that Jimmie Ward Jersey , and it’s something I got to improve on.”Witherspoon also drew a critical pass interference flag against Beckham during Giants’ game-winning drive. The 16-yard penalty turned a second-and-20 into an automatic first down. The Giants scored five plays later, taking the four-point lead with :53 seconds remaining.“I did.” Witherspoon said when asked if he disagreed with the call. “But I also disagree with me not turning my head because I could’ve had an opportunity for an interception on that play. Once again, just self-inflicted wounds.”Despite Witherspoon’s struggles in 2018, benched twice earlier in the season, the third-round pick in 2017 remains positive about his opportunity with the 49ers.“The season’s been a blessing,” Witherspoon said. “Every opportunity I have to play this game is an incredible opportunity for me. I’m appreciative of every single second of it. The season can’t go better than this because it’s all in God’s plan and I’m on His path and I’m doing it firmly and as a believer. So, I have no complaints.”

Chris Carson Alex McGough Jersey , Bradley McDougald of Seattle Seahawks looking good for ThursdayThe Seahawks seem likely to have running back Chris Carson, right guard D.J. Fluker and safety Bradley McDougald available for Thursday's matchup against the Packers.Five Things We Learned From Pete Carroll’s Week 11 Monday Press ConferenceKey takeaways from Pete Carroll press conference as the Seahawks kick off their week preparation for Thursday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers.Injury Updates From Pete Carroll Heading Into Week 11 vs PackersSeahawks coach Pete Carroll gave updates on his team's health coming out of Sunday's game in Los Angeles.Monday Round-Up: Media React To Seahawks' 36-31 Loss at RamsLocal and national media react to the Seattle Seahawks' Week 10 road game against the Los Angeles Rams.Seahawks Guard Jordan Simmons Makes Emotional First NFL Start In Return To Los AngelesIn the same stadium where he played in college, guard Jordan Simmons made his first NFL start and helped the Seahawks have a big day running the ball.Report: Seahawks sale to go to charity, Jody Allen more visible.Seahawks leaders love their sub-.500 team for its grit | The News TribuneThe Seahawks’ leaders were over-the-top positive after nearly pulling off a huge upset but losing 36-31 to the Rams. They are 4-5. So why do they still believe?Are the Seahawks a better team than their record shows? | NBC Sports NorthwestAaron Fentress and Dani Klupenger debate whether the Seattle Seahawks, at 4-5, are actually a better team than their record shows following a close loSeahawks, Military Members Place Decals On Helmets Ahead Of Thursday's Salute To Service GameService members representing each branch of the military visited Seahawks headquarters on Monday, joining Seahawks players and staff in placing decals on helmets ahead of Seattle's Salute to Service game against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night atReport: Proceeds of Seahawks' sale to go to Paul Allen's foundation | KOMOSEATTLE - Proceeds from an eventual sale of the Seattle Seahawks will go straight to the foundation of late owner Paul Allen, according to reports. The future of the Seattle Seahawks has been in flux since the passing of its owner, Paul Allen, in October. There's reportedly no doubt, however, where the money from the team's sale would go.Pete Carroll reflects on the mistakes - and highlights - of Seahawks' loss to RamsIn his more than 20 minute interview, Seattle's head coach talked about what he saw when he re-watched the Rams tape Sunday night, the breakout performance of rookie running back Rashaad Penny, and how the team is faring with injuries heading into a short week.What we learned from Giants' win over 49ers - NFL.comEli Manning mastered Nick Mullens on Monday night, as the New York Giants (2-7) came back from a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat the San Francisco 49ers (2-8), 27-23.Bills release interception-prone QB Nathan Peterman - NFL.comNathan Peterman's interception-filled tenure with the Buffalo Bills is over. A day after Matt Barkley made the best debut by a Bills signal-caller since Jim Kelly, Buffalo parted ways with Peterman.Ex-Browns coach Hue Jackson to join Bengals staff - NFL.comHue Jackson is back in Cincinnati. The former Cleveland Browns head coach is expected to join the Cincinnati Bengals' coaching staff imminently.Bucs replace Chandler Catanzaro with Cairo Santos - NFL.comThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived kicker Chandler Catanzaro on Monday. The move comes a day after the fifth-year pro missed two field goals in a woeful loss to the Redskins.Panthers waive little-used veteran C.J. Anderson - NFL.comThe Panthers waived veteran running back C.J. Anderson on Monday, clearing out a backfield all but dominated by the surging handiwork of second-year wonder Christian McCaffrey.Washington activates Joshua Holsey from non-football injury list, places Geron Christian on IR – ProFootballTalkAn accident prior to the start of training camp forced cornerback Joshua Holsey to begin the season on the non-football injury. Now after missing the first 10 weeks of the season, Holsey is back on the 53-man roster of the Washington Redskins.Falcons activate Deion Jones off injured reserve Delano Hill Jersey , waive Rees Odhiambo – ProFootballTalkThe Atlanta Falcons have had to play half the season without Deion Jones in the middle of their defense, but the 2017 Pro Bowl linebacker is set to make his return to the lineup soon. Read!"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections VideosCoffee and CigarettesGame AnalysisThe Numbers GameCigar ThoughtsCentury LinksCentury Links 2/19: How Good was Bobby Wagner in 2018?New,19commentsRead!PSTShareTweetShareShareCentury Links 2/19: How Good was Bobby Wagner in 2018?Shane Roper-USA TODAY SportsWATCH: Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner’s best plays of 2018Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner led the team in tackles in 2018 with 138 combined - here's a look at his best plays of the season.What Seattle Seahawks should do with restricted free agent Tre MaddenThe Seattle Seahawks have to decide what type of contract to offer fullback Tre Madden, who was an instrumental part of their special teams.Ex-Colorado, Seahawks player T.J. Cunningham fatally shot in disputeFormer Colorado and Seahawks player Anthony "T.J." Cunningham died Monday after he was fatally shot in a dispute over a parking space.Former Seahawks safety T.J. Cunningham shot and killed in parking dispute – ProFootballTalkT.J. Cunningham, a sixth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 1996 NFL Draft, was shot and killed in a dispute over a parking spot in Aurora, Colo.Seahawks five best prospects at offensive tackle in the 2019 draftThe Seahawks may already have the players they need to bolster their offensive line. If not, help could be on the way in the 2019 NFL draft.Seahawks may already have their best right tackle on the teamIt's no secret the Seahawks could improve their play on the offensive line. What might be a secret is that improvement could already be on the team.Should the Seahawks pursue AAF linebacker Trevor Reilly?The Seattle Seahawks are no doubt scouting the Alliance of American Football league for talent, and LB Trevor Reilly could be a target.Seattle Seahawks select edge defender in Mel Kiper’s latest mock draftESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper mocks Florida outside linebacker Jachai Polite to the Seattle Seahawks in his latest mock draft 2.0.Shaquem Griffin challenges Bobby Wagner to pickup basketball.Chiefs sign former CFL No. 1 prospect Justin SeniorThe Chiefs have a monopoly on Canadian offensive linemen in the NFL.Pass Rushers Will Be Popular Franchise Tag Targets This NFL OffseasonWhich pass rushers could find themselves franchise tagged this offseason?Jags exercise Campbell's option, decline tight end - NFL.comThe Jaguars exercised options on defensive end Calais Campbell, defensive end Lerentee McCray and safety Cody Davis, while declining the option on tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.Cowboys decline to pick up Terrance Williams' option - NFL.comThe Dallas Cowboys elected to not pick up an option on wide receiver Terrance Williams. He'll become an unrestricted free agent when the league's new calendar kicks on March 16.OU's Marquise Brown won't participate in combine - NFL.comWR Marquise "Hollywood" Brown won't participate in the combine or Oklahoma's pro day after undergoing foot surgery, Tom Pelissero reports. Brown is one of the 2019 draft's top-rated prospects.Riley likens Kyler Murray's ability to Barry Sanders - NFL.comOklahoma coach Lincoln Riley rebuffed the notion that Kyler Murray's size will be a problem for the quarterback in the NFL. Riley compared Murray's ability to avoid big hits to Barry Sanders.Bengals' Zac Taylor on DC: 'Just need the right person' - NFL.comWith the NFL Scouting Combine looming, the Bengals are still without a DC and a solidified scheme for their defense, but their new head coach Zac Taylor isn't fretting about the process.Cardinals QB Josh Rosen OK after car accident - NFL.comJosh Rosen is okay after getting in a car accident over the weekend, and the Arizona Cardinals QB put any worries to rest once having fun with the incident through social media.Nathaniel Hackett: New system won’t be a “start over” for Aaron Rodgers – ProFootballTalkAaron Rodgers may have a whole new coaching staff to work with next season with the Green Bay Packers, but don't expect the offense to change too much under the new regime. According to PackersNews.Kyler Murray sends mixed signals to scouts – ProFootballTalkWould-be quarterback Kyler Murray is sending the kind of mixed signals that will cause scouts to take nothing he says at face value. A week after declaring that "I eagerly await the opportunity to continue to prove to NFL decision makers that I am the franchise QB in this draft," Murray said he'...Kyler Murray: No expectations but going to Arizona would be nice – ProFootballTalkThe Cardinals have done their best to squash the "Kyler Murray-to-Arizona" talk, but people still are discussing the possibility of seeing the Heisman Trophy winner play in Kliff Kingsbury's offense.Will Steelers discipline Antonio Brown for conduct detrimental to the team? – ProFootballTalkSteelers receiver Antonio Brown seems to be using social media to get what he wants: A one-way ticket out of town. And so the question becomes whether the Steelers will tolerate his strategy quietly, or whether they will push back.

Darcy Kuemper and the Arizona Coyotes bounced back nicely after an ugly loss in Chicago.Kuemper made 39 saves Joel Eriksson Ek Jersey , Richard Panik and Vinnie Hinostroza scored, and the Coyotes beat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Tuesday.Kuemper was back on his game one night after he allowed four goals on 16 shots before he was pulled during the second period of the Coyotes’ 7-1 loss to the Blackhawks. He has won 10 of his last 12 starts to improve to 23-16-5 this season.“Kuemps was great,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “Even when I pulled him and I went and talked to him after the game you could just tell, he was focused. There was no way I couldn’t put him back in the net.There was not much room tonight.He was big in the net tonight.”The Coyotes have won 12 of 16 to move one point ahead of Minnesota for the final Western Conference wild card.“Especially with the year we’ve had so far with a lot of injuries, we’ve battled really hard to get to where we are right now,” Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. “Hopefully we can keep going and stay in that wild-card spot.”Jaden Schwartz scored for St. Louis, and Jordan Binnington stopped 19 shots.“It’s embarrassing. … It’s a game we should have won,” Blues center Ryan O’Reilly said. “There’s no way those guys should have beat us.”Arizona scored its first goal 65 seconds into the second period. Panik intercepted Binnington’s clearing attempt from behind the net and knocked it in for his 13th goal of the season.“I’ve got to be better there Authentic Marcus Johansson Jersey ,” Binnington said.“I thought I had Schwartzy on the backside there. I just missed my pass there and unfortunately it ended up in the goal and gave them the lead.”Hinostroza made it 2-0 with his 12th goal 23 seconds into the third. Brad Richardson intercepted a pass from Oskar Sundqvist inside the St. Louis zone and fed it to Hinostroza, who wristed the puck over Binnington.“Our whole identity is working hard,” Hinostroza said. “We got the puck in deep there. … Richie tried to shoot it. The puck just laid there for me and I just shot it in.”Schwartz scored a power-play goal with 1:11 left to give St. Louis a chance. Schwartz’s seventh goal of the season snapped a streak of eight consecutive games without registering a point, and marked the 300th point of his career.Arizona put it away when Ekman-Larsson added an empty-net goal with 22 seconds remaining.NOTES: Blues D Joel Edmundson departed with a lower-body injury midway through the second period. … The Blues have scored two or fewer goals in eight of their last 10 games. … Arizona improved to 5-19-1 in its last 25 games versus St. Louis.UP NEXTCoyotes:Host Anaheim to open a two-game homestand Thursday.Blues:At Ottawa to start a three-game road trip Thursday. ST. LOUIS (AP) With five goals and two assists in his last four games, Mikkel Boedker is on quite a tear at an opportune time.Boedker and Logan Couture each had a goal and an assist, sending the San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 victory over the slumping St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night.”When you’re on a roll, the puck seems to find you a little bit,” Boedker said. ”It feels really good. Obviously Michael Hutchinson Jersey Womens , it’s a good time of the year to be productive.”Article continues below ...Joonas Donskoi also scored and Martin Jones made 30 saves for San Jose, which has won five of its last six games.”He was money tonight,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said about Jones. ”I think the story of the game was that Jonesey was big at the right times and we capitalized on some of the mistakes they made.”Ivan Barbashev and Vladimir Tarasenko had the goals for the Blues, who have lost a season-high four straight.St. Louis coach Mike Yeo was not happy with his team’s performance.”I didn’t think we played well,” Yeo said. ”Desperation time was a while ago. This is where pride has to come in. We have to make sure we stop the bleeding and we have to start building confidence in the game that we’re playing.”We can’t accept the fact that we’re playing good and not winning hockey games. We need points. We need wins and we need to start doing it now.”After a scoreless first period, the teams combined for five goals in the second.San Jose took a 1-0 lead when Couture knocked in a loose puck at 6:35. Boedker fired in a shot from the point that goalie Carter Hutton blocked but couldn’t corral. Couture was on the spot and scored his 24th of the season.”It’s been a good year so far offensively,” Couture said. ”I think I’ve capitalized on the chances I’ve had. Tonight was a nice one to get the puck on my stick and have a wide-open net. Hopefully I can continue it.”St. Louis answered at 8:23 when Barbashev scored on a wrist shot from the top of the right circle that sailed over Jones’ arm.Donskoi beat Hutton on a wrist shot from the left circle at 12:05. Couture assisted on Donskoi’s first goal in 17 games.Boedker gave San Jose a 3-1 lead at 15:54 when he scored from the left side of the net.”It was just a matter of putting it home,” he said.Tarasenko cut the margin to 3-2 on a power play when he fired in the rebound of a shot by Vince Dunn at 19:36 for his 24th of the season. Tarasenko has 10 points in his last nine games (four goals http://www.officialdevils.com/authentic-adidas-miles-wood-jersey , six assists) against the Sharks.Despite the late goal, it was not a good period for the Blues.”They were just better than us in the second period,” Yeo said. ”We were sloppy. I thought we were drifting all over the place.”San Jose’s Brent Burns prevented a goal with less than five minutes left. During a scramble in front of the net, the puck hit the post and was sliding along the goal line when Burns knocked it out.”You work for your own luck,” Yeo said. ”You earn your luck. We just dug ourselves too big a hole against a good defensive team.”This was the first meeting between St. Louis and San Jose this season. The Blues swept the three-game season series last year, outscoring the Sharks 11-3 overall, and had won four straight against the Sharks.Hutton made his second start in the last five games and stopped 20 shots. Previously against the Sharks, he was 4-0-1 with a 0.98 goals-against average Nico Hischier Jersey , a .968 save percentage and two shutouts in five career starts.”I think the time for moral victories has come and gone,” Hutton said. ”We’ve got to win hockey games and get points.”Blues defenseman Colton Parayko agreed.”We’ve got 21 games left and there’s a lot of points left out there on the board,” Parayko said. ”We have a group that can win and we’re looking forward to the stretch.”NOTES: The Sharks acquired C Eric Fehr from Toronto for a seventh-round pick in the 2020 draft. … Blues C Vladimir Sobotka was out of the lineup with an illness. It was the first game he has missed this season. … The Blues have recalled forward Sammy Blais from the AHL for the fourth time this season. Blais, who leads the San Antonio Rampage with 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists), last played for St. Louis on Dec. 16, when he got hurt against Winnipeg. … San Jose forward Tomas Hertl missed another game with an upper-body injury.UP NEXTSharks: At the Nashville Predators on Thursday.Blues: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.—

Philadelphia Flyers are just trying to reset following a tumultuous week in which the organization saw major changes in the front office.A road win against their biggest rival was a good start.Dale Weise scored in the first minute of the third period Detroit Red Wings T-Shirts Authentic , and the Flyers held on for a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.“This is a good stepping stone, as we know we haven’t had a lot of consistency,” Weise said. “This is a step in the right direction. I thought we had good contributions from everybody.”The Flyers, who started the day last in the Eastern Conference, fired general manager Ron Hextall earlier this week in addition to their assistant general manager and an assistant coach.The players responded on Saturday.Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny and Jakub Voracek also scored for the Flyers, who won for the second time in eight games. Anthony Stolarz stopped 30 shots for his first win since Dec. 11, 2016, at Detroit.“Changes at the rink, it’s never easy Detroit Red Wings Hoodies Authentic , but for us, it’s our job to prepare ourselves and move forward,” Stolarz said. “Hopefully this is the start of a nice little run.”Sidney Crosby scored his 14th for Pittsburgh, while Riley Sheahan also scored for the Penguins, who lost their second straight and seventh of 10. Casey DeSmith made 22 saves.“I think we beat ourselves and that’s unfortunate,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “It’s discouraging because I felt like we made great strides. We have high expectations from our group. We’re all responsible, so we have to make sure we do the necessary things to improve.”Weise gave Philadelphia a 3-2 lead 51 seconds into the third period with a short-handed goal. He beat DeSmith between the pads on the breakaway for his second goal this season.“I didn’t want to deke,” Weise said. “I missed one a couple weeks ago, so I had to shoot. It worked out well on fresh ice.”The Penguins have allowed a league-worst six short-handed goals. Along with the short-handed winner, Pittsburgh gave up three breakaways on Saturday.“We don’t have a conscience defensively when we’re on the ice on the power play Detroit Red Wings Hats Authentic ,” Sullivan said. “It’s simply inexcusable, and we talked about it. And it can’t happen. It’s hard to win when your power play gives up a goal like that in a game like this.”Stolarz kept the Flyers in front when he stopped Derek Grant on a short-handed breakaway later in the period. Voracek sealed it with an empty-netter.“(Grant) kind of covered the puck, so I kind of knew he was going to go low,” Stolarz said. “He kind of tried to chip it, I tried to take away the five-hole, and I was lucky to get enough on it.”It was the first meeting of the season between the cross-state rivals. It was also the first game since the Penguins swept the regular-season series and eliminated the Flyers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring.Crosby opened the scoring 39 seconds into the game. He finished a 2-on-1 with a one-timer on a pass from Jake Guentzel. Crosby, who recorded his 11th career hat trick Wednesday against Colorado, has 14 goals and 24 points in his last 16 games. Crosby and Guentzel are both riding a four-game point streak.Konecny evened the score when he beat DeSmith to the blocker side on a breakaway. Konecny has points in five of his last six games.The teams traded goals 1:03 apart in the second period. Sheahan gave Pittsburgh a brief lead and Giroux tied it on a one-timer from a sharp angle near the goal line.Weise came through for the Flyers in the third.“It’s huge to win in this building,” Weise said. “We have to start thinking about the next game. It’s about stringing some wins together now.”NOTES: Patric Hornqvist returned for Pittsburgh after missing three games with a concussion. … Flyers F Jori Lehtera played in his 300th NHL game. He was a healthy scratch the previous three games. … The Flyers recorded their first power play in eight periods on Saturday. Their most recent power play came two games ago Nov. 23 against the New York Rangers. … Pittsburgh has not allowed a power-play goal in eight games and 15 chances. … The Penguins and Flyers will play an outdoor game Feb. 23 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.UP NEXTFlyers: Meet Columbus at home on Thursday.Penguins: Continue a three-game homestand Tuesday against Colorado. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Calgary Flames goalie David Rittich was more than happy to share the credit after getting his first career shutout.It was a perfectly reasonable position from Rittich after seeing the hard work put in on both ends of the ice by defenseman Travis Hamonic and the Flames.Rittich stopped 21 shots and Hamonic scored to help the Flames to a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.“I get a shutout, but they didn’t have too much because our team played pretty good Custom Detroit Red Wings Jerseys ,” said Rittich, who has won three straight starts and five of his past six. “I have to say thank you to the locker room because they played really good.”The Flames have won five of their past six games.Jack Campbell made 35 saves for the Kings, who have been held to one goal or fewer in six of their first 16 games.The Flames went in front 2:26 into the first period. Hamonic got his second goal, with Garnet Hathaway setting a screen that kept Campbell from seeing the shot to the far post. Austin Czarnik and Noah Hanifin had assists, with Hanifin picking up his third in the past four games.“I mean, I don’t score much, so it was nice. A bonus,” Hamonic said. “Glad to help the team out that way, but I thought defensively our group collectively was really good.”Hamonic also played his part to help smother the Kings’ floundering offense. He used his body to break up a pass by Ilya Kovalchuk during an odd-man rush in the second period, when the Kings managed four shots on goal.Hamonic also disrupted a breakaway by Tanner Pearson on the power play in the third period www.officialoilers.com , coming up from behind to delay Pearson from shooting and allowing Rittich to make the save when Pearson did put the puck on goal.“I think he was the most noticeable guy either way on either team,” Flames coach Bill Peters said of Hamonic. “He just found a way to be involved in the game.”The Kings struggled to create chances on a consistent basis, continuing a recurring theme this season. Even when Jeff Carter won an offensive-zone face-off with 44 seconds remaining and Campbell pulled for an extra attacker, the Kings still could not beat Rittich.“We’re getting some shots, but not the shots we want,” Kings forward Alex Iafallo said. “We need to get that passion back, that hunger to get to the soft areas and keep making plays.”After beating the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Tuesday in coach Willie Desjardins’ debut with the team, the Kings have lost two straight and scored one goal each in defeats against the Minnesota Wild and Flames.Desjardins said the Kings would have to be more aggressive on offense, even if it meant getting away from the sound defensive structure that has been the team’s identity this decade.“I think that’s the way they have always won, so I think some of the top guys think a little bit more defensively Edmonton Oilers T-Shirts Authentic ,” Desjardins said. “The guys on the other side, (Flames forward Johnny) Gaudreau, (Sean) Monahan, they are always thinking offense. Saying that, I think we have to create some systems that are going to get guys more involved. We got to force ourselves to get up ice and play more aggressive and play more offensive.”NOTES: The Kings are 1-8-1 when allowing the first goal this season. … Kings C Michael Amadio returned to the lineup after not playing since Oct. 25. Amadio was a healthy scratch for the previous three games following a stint in the AHL. … Flames F Elias Lindholm had his point streak end after six games. He had three goals and six assists during that span.UP NEXTFlames: Wrap up their three-game California road trip at San Jose on Sunday.Kings: Conclude their seven-game homestand by hosting Toronto on Tuesday.

SUNRISE Adrian Kempe Jersey , Fla. (AP) —worked for the St. Louis Blues this season when trailing late in games: playing against the Florida Panthers.Vince Dunn scored with 3:53 left to cap a third-period rally from a two-goal deficit and lift the Blues over the Panthers 3-2 on Tuesday night. It was only St. Louis’ second win when trailing after two periods this season — both against Florida.The Blues are 2-18-3 with the other team ahead going into the third.“We need to definitely start off better,” Dunn said. “Fortunate enough to get the win and that’s really good for us. It’s a really good feeling in the room being able to come back into games.”Aleksander Barkov put Florida ahead 2-0 with a goal 30 seconds into the final period, but Colton Parayko, Ryan O’Reilly and Dunn brought St. Louis flying back for its third straight win. Dunn beat James Reimer with a shot from the slot.Jordan Binnington stopped 22 shots for St. Louis. Henrik Borgstrom also scored for Florida, and Reimer made 31 saves.“(Binnington) kept us in there,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “He made some big saves, and we battled back and got two points.”O’Reilly tied it with 8:51 left by finding the puck in the slot amid a net-front scrum and pushing it between Reimer’s pads.“We’re all just whacking at it trying to get a bounce and lucky for me I put it in,” O’Reilly said.The Panthers lost for the second time in three games.“We had the game in our hand 2-0, and you’ve got to find a way to shut them down and get the two points,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said.Barkov scored on a power play http://www.officialislanders.com/authentic-adidas-mathew-barzal-jersey , taking a pass from Mike Hoffman and poking it in from near the net. Parayko scored 3:05 into the period to make it 2-1.That goal seemed to be the spark that ignited the Blues.“You could just see how the momentum shifted and it put them back on their heels,” Dunn said.In the third period, the Panthers spent most of the time in their own zone, playing defense. It didn’t work.“In the third period they got their momentum and just rolled over us,” Barkov said.Borgstrom also scored on the power play. He corralled a loose puck off a deflected shot and swept the puck past Binnington with 1:05 left in the first.NOTES: Tuesday’s game was part of the Blues’ dads trip, and 20 fathers and grandfathers will also travel to Tampa Bay on Thursday.UP NEXTBlues: Play at Tampa Bay on Thursday night.Panthers: Host Pittsburgh on Thursday night. DETROIT (AP) — There was plenty of space for Erik Gustafsson to shoot the puck himself, but with Patrick Kane alone to the right of the net, his decision was obvious.“He’s a pretty good goal scorer, so I gave it to him,” Gustafsson said.Kane’s second goal of the game http://www.officialislanders.com/authentic-adidas-nick-leddy-jersey , with 2:18 left in overtime, gave the Chicago Blackhawks a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night. Kane extended his point streak to 19 games and helped the Blackhawks recover after blowing a 4-1 lead in the third period.Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou scored two goals each for the Red Wings, who tied it late in the third. But Kane fired home the pass from Gustafsson in overtime, beating goalie Jonathan Bernier for his 38th goal of the season.“It really didn’t feel good from 4-1 on, because we didn’t have a lot of possession and we weren’t creating chances,” Kane said.Artem Anisimov, Brandon Saad and Alex DeBrincat scored for Chicago in the first period. The Blackhawks have won 10 of their last 12 games, and this was the seventh time in that span that they scored at least five goals.Chicago is now tied with Colorado for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.“Well, I’d rather be in than out,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “We still need to work on our game. Our game isn’t where it needs to be for us to compete in the playoffs Nick Foligno Jersey , and we’re going to have to play better to get the points we need coming down the stretch.”Kane trails league leader Alex Ovechkin by just four goals now, although his goals Wednesday were his only points of the night. His assist streak ended at 17 games.Chicago beat Ottawa 8-7 on Monday, and the Blackhawks went through another high-scoring night against Detroit. Anisimov made it 1-0 after only 99 seconds, but Larkin answered for the Red Wings a few minutes later.Saad scored his 21st goal of the season, and DeBrincat’s 33rd made it 3-1 before the end of the period.In the second, Kane came down on a 2-on-1 break with Jonathan Toews. Kane took the shot himself, beating Jimmy Howard to make it 4-1. Howard was then replaced, having allowed four goals on eight shots.“Sometimes it’s just not your night. That doesn’t mean it’s on him,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “If Kane is going down on a 2-on-1, he’s scoring on lots of goalies. I thought DeBrincat’s shot was a great shot Authentic Oliver Bjorkstrand Jersey , I thought Saad’s shot was a great shot.”Larkin brought the Red Wings within two with his 26th of the season, and Athanasiou made it 4-3 when he scored on the power play with 14:37 left in regulation. Athanasiou lifted the puck from behind the goal line, next to the net, and it bounced off goalie Cam Ward and in.The Red Wings had their goalie pulled when they tied it with 1:26 left in the third. Mike Green appeared to mis-hit a shot from near the blue line, but Anthony Mantha corralled the puck to the left of the net and slid it across the goalmouth to Athanasiou, who had an easy shot from the other side.“We weren’t happy at all with how we played in the first two periods. We made it an easy night for them,” Larkin said. “I felt like we were waiting for things to happen. They were getting bounces and scoring easy. The way we played in the third, it was a great comeback.”NOTES: Kane has 16 goals in 26 assists during his point streak. … Detroit outshot Chicago 35-20. … Blackhawks F Drake Caggiula left the game with an eye injury.UP NEXTBlackhawks: Host Colorado on Friday night.Red Wings: Host Minnesota on Friday night.

[UPDATE]- Matthews confirmed to A to Z Sports that he quit on the team. You can see the text he sent them here.Rishard Matthews was absent from practice today. The reason given was personal. That’s weird Taywan Taylor Jersey , but it happens from time to time with a guy or two duringa season. Things took a weird turn tonight when Matthews posted this on his Instagram:The caption, in case it doesn’t show up for you, is “When Daddy’s home for good. That is unless someone Calls him to get off the couch.”Now we don’t know anything more than this at this point. Paul Kuharsky says this post is an accurate indicator that his time in Tennessee is over. My guess here is that Rishard hasn’t been happy with his usage through the first 3 weeks of the season and things came to a head in some fashion today. The wording of his Instagram post sounds like he will be released by the Titans because that is the only way a team could call him and get him off the couch. There is little doubt in my mind that teams will call because he has been productive the last couple of years. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Marcus Mariota has shown flashes of brilliance during his brief NFL career.He had a perfect passer rating in his NFL debut and led a 19-point comeback for his first playoff victory.Now Mariota heads into his fourth season with only his fifth-year option on his contract guaranteed.It’s time for Mariota to consistently show what he can do, especially after the Titans hired a new coach in January to put the quarterback into an offense that better fits both his arm and legs.“I don’t focus on trying to prove anything,” Mariota said Wednesday. “I’ve just got to go out there and do my job.”Before the Titans make a long-term commitment with a much larger contract, Mariota starts a window Sunday in the season opener in Miami to show if he really is their franchise quarterback. Even though he has had to learn his third offense in four years, that hurdle may not help get him beyond the $20.9 million he is due in 2019.Mariota already has won 20 games, most by any quarterback in his first three years with the franchise since George Blanda won 28 in this team’s first three seasons. He also has a chance to become the franchise’s first quarterback to lead the team to the playoffs in back-to-back years since Steve McNair in 2002 and 2003.But Mariota is coming off a season where he had more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (13) for the first time in his career. He also has yet to play in all 16 games in a regular season.The Titans hired Mike Vrabel to replace Mike Mularkey in January , and Vrabel hired Matt LaFleur as his offensive coordinator and Pat O’Hara as quarterbacks coach. They worked with Mariota on widening his stance and tweaking his passing mechanics during the offseason to give him more balance when throwing, hoping that leads to improved accuracy.“He’s done a good job Jonnu Smith Jersey ,” O’Hara said. “He’s picked up a lot of good traits, and he feels good about it and he believes in it. We’re ready to go.”Mariota is ready to go. He missed last year’s trip to Miami, a 16-10 loss, with an injury.“This is what you work hard for,” Mariota said. “Everything that you’ve done this offseason, you have an opportunity to go out there and kind of show what you’ve done. I’m excited. I’m excited for this team and I look forward to the challenge.”Dolphins coach Adam Gase has the challenge of preparing for Mariota in a new offense with the Titans tipping nothing in the preseason.“It is difficult because there are a lot of options that can take place to where it could be just normal drop-back pass., it could be zone read, it could be play-action where if we’re not really doing a good job with our rush lanes and something opens up, he takes off,” Mariota said.Teammates insist Mariota has nothing to prove to them. This is the quarterback who threw a block for Derrick Henry in their comeback victory in Kansas City, a game where he also scored after catching his own pass.“I think Marcus is always cool and collected Jack Conklin Jersey ,” three-time Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker said. “He’s going to go out there and play his game. Again, we’re paid to make our quarterback look good. He’s going to need our help for that. We just need everybody to make plays, and Marcus will be all right.”Two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan said Mariota already has shown plenty.“I think the confidence as never swayed anywhere other than we have full confidence in Marcus,” Lewan said. “He’s our quarterback. We’re very lucky to have him.”Vrabel takes a slightly different approach. The coach said every player and coach should be trying to prove his value every day.“That’s just the approach we have to take,” Vrabel said. “Every day we’re trying to prove our value to the team. If Marcus didn’t come to work tomorrow, everybody would notice. You never want to be a guy that when you didn’t show up for work or you were late, nobody really noticed.”NOTES: S Kendrick Lewis (foot) was the only player not to practice Wednesday. Even RT Jack Conklin (left knee) was among four Titans limited at practice, including LB Derrick Morgan (knee), LB Rashaan Evans (hamstring) and LB Harold Landry (ankle).

Sorry ladies and gents Ronald Jones Jersey , I was on vacation last week. Let’s get to it. After the Giants created an explosive play with Odell Beckham, Jr. for 41 yards, they found themselves down at the goal line. The 41-yard play wasn’t a coverage bust, it was just Beckham being more athletic than rookie Carlton Davis, and the safety Isaiah Johnson also not having the range/athleticism to do anything to affect the play. Two plays later, the Giants would score, this time on an obvious coverage bust:At the top of the screen right as the play starts you can see the Giants have three receivers and Bucs three defenders. Normally teams will do what is often referred to as a ‘banjo’ call, because trips bunch formations like this one often have rub routes. One defender takes the inside guy, one takes the middle, and the other takes whichever receiver goes outside. That is one way to cancel rub routes. Here, the play-action holds the linebackers while the corners each take their man who go inside (one tight end goes to sell the run fake), but no one takes Saquon Barkley who just sprints to the pylon. All around horrible defense. Blowing coverage would be the theme of the day. On the Bucs’ ensuing possession Ryan Fitzpatrick drove them into the Giants’ redzone, but the drive stalled at the five-yard line. On 4th and one, not only did the Bucs go for it, but they called a sneak. I think both were the right call. Unfortunately, the line didn’t get any push, and the Bucs turned it over on downs. On the Giants’ next possession, they again marched right down the field in chunksHow does no one cover the running back (Wayne Gallman)? You can see the Giants in a split-back formation, and the receivers cross after the snap, with the one aligned to Eli Manning’s right going underneath left and Gallman go right as the screen receiver. The safety comes down to play a robber role, but it just ends up being two defenders on the underneath receiver. To the top of the screen, both receivers run clear-out routes. The Bucs’ deep safety is put in no-man’s land. This is perhaps one of those instances where, in an effort to simplify the defense to help avoid busts, they eliminated a coverage check that might have helped here. But we are seeing this defense get out-schemed every week. Four plays later Barkley scored again, this time on a run play, and they did it beating Gerald McCoy and Jason Pierre-Paul.Getting out-scored 14-0 in the first quarter is losing football. The Bucs’ defense is so bad it ruins everything. This Giants offense is average at best.On the Bucs’ next possession, we see the other thing holding this team back: their offensive line. This play was on 2nd-and-2.Donovan Smith has been better this season than last season. At times he’s even played at a high level; easily his best football. But as the season has worn on, Smith’s play has regressed. Is that due to injury? It’s hard to say. But here, as he often has in past seasons, Smith fails to block the backside defender, who blows this up. The play would have likely failed anyway because tight end Antony Auclair also failed to make his block on the playside. On zone runs the whole offensive line must play as one cohesive unit, and if one guy doesn’t execute his assignment, the whole play is usually busted. With busts both backside and playside, the play had no chance. It happens. What I don’t understand is why the Bucs continue to call zone runs when virtually every time someone can’t execute their block. It’s frustrating, because it feels like throwing plays away. It’s great to be multiple, but you shouldn’t be multiple just for its own sake. If you can’t run it, stop calling it.That means the very next play, 3rd-and-8, was an obvious passing situation. Here’s the other coin to the offensive line’s issues - pass protection. Fitzpatrick gets sacked and the Bucs are forced to punt.The first two weeks, the offensive line was perfect (along with Peyton Barber’s pass blocking). That’s one of the main reasons Fitzpatrick was able to have historically good performances. But teams figured out the Bucs’ offensive line can’t handle stunts. Specifically right guard Caleb Benenoch. Since then defenses are constantly running end/tackle stunts or tackle/tackle stunts, as the Giants do on this play. Right tackle Demar Dotson has been one of the best right tackles in the league for years, but in recent years we have seen his play slowly regress as age and injuries catch up to him. Here, he stops his feet and is beat to the edge from a wide-9 alignment by the defender. Benenoch again blows the stunt, and Fitzpatrick goes down as both defenders meet at the quarterback.On the Bucs’ next possession they did get good pass protection and Fitzpatrick eventually ran it in for a touchdown on a broken play. Later, right before halftime, Fitzpatrick threw an interception while in field goal range, and the Bucs went to the half down 14-7. The third quarter was a house of horrors for the Bucs. The Bucs received the ball, and on their second play, Fitzpatrick throws another interception. I think this might be another one of those fake RPOs. Fitzpatrick pulls the ball M.J. Stewart Jersey , but because of the unblocked defender he has to change his arm angle to get the ball around, and consequently the ball is too far out in front. The defender beats DeSean Jackson to the spot on the slant because Jackson was jogging on his route. He either took the play off, or perhaps didn’t expect the ball, especially as quickly as it came. And then there’s some bad luck (also great effort by the second arriving defender) that the ball didn’t hit the ground. Too many pick-sixes this year. If I remember correctly, that’s at least two for Fitzpatrick and one for Winston this season. On the Bucs’ next possession, Fitzpatrick again drives them down into field goal range, and just like before the half, throws another interception, making three-in-a-row. In my opinion this is both a poor decision and a bad throw by Fitzpatrick. Should have placed it outside in the corner, but he just launches a jump ball that Jackson loses. Also, it’s worth noting Benenoch gets put on skates and Fitzpatrick can’t properly step into the throw, but I don’t think it really matters. The Bucs arguably should have been leading at this point, but by the time they get the ball back they were down 24-7. Turnovers and poor defense. Fitzpatrick got yanked for Jameis Winston. Winston played well the rest of the way, throwing for 200 yards, two touchdowns, one interception with just 20 seconds left, and over 12 yards per attempt. Winston got the Bucs to within 3 points at 31-28 with five minutes remaining, and again with 3 with 2:20 remaining. But the defense couldn’t stop the Giants, giving up 24 points in the second half and 14 in the 4th quarter. What is Las Vegas thinking about the Buccaneers and Eagles game this weekend? Last week, Vegas was thinking a Saints blowout, but was way off in that prediction. In no way am I a professional gambler, and in no way am I telling you to put your money with what I predict. This is really just for fun and something we here at Bucs Nation thought the readers would enjoy after sports gambling was legalized. For those that don’t know sports gambling, I will quickly go over the three main bets that are often placed. Also, the lines could always change and the website you use, could be different from another one. Betting with the spread: Currently, the Buccaneers are +3 陆 . This means that if you were to take the Buccaneers with the spread, they could lose by 3 points and you’d win. On the opposite side, if you took the Eagles at -3 陆 , they’d have to win by 4 for you to win the bet. Spread bets always have the same odds, which are -110. This means that you need to risk $110 to win $100. Money line bets: As of Friday evening, the Eagles are -170, while the Buccaneers are +150. In money line bets, all the team you bet on has to do is win. In terms of what the -170 means for the Saints, you’d have to risk $170 dollars just to win $100. The Buccaneers at +150, meaning that a $100 dollar bet would win you $150 dollars. This is a big difference from last week, where the Buccaneers were +440.Over/Under bets: Again, no matter what way you pick, the odds in this case are -110. Vegas sports books currently have the over under at 44 陆 total points scored . If you take the over,the Bucs and Eagles must combined to score 45 points in order for you to win. Obviously, the under is 44 or under. So now we get to the part where I try and beat Vegas. Last week, I picked Tampa Bay at +9 陆 (won), but i also picked the under 49 陆 (lost). Current record on the season is 1-1. I will keep a tracker all season of how I am doing.A few things to consider. Philadelphia is 16-2 straight up (money line) in it’s last 18 games and 6-1 straight up on the road in their last seven. The total has gone UNDER in five of the last six games Tampa Bay has played at home, but the total has gone OVER in four of the last five matchups between the Eagles and Bucs.Just like last week, the public is leaning towards the Eagles. According to Oddshark.com 58% of the public is taking the Saints at -3 陆. Heavy bets have been coming in on the OVER of 44 陆.My picks: Buccaneers at +150 and the under over 44 陆. It’s Tampa Bay’s home opener and I believe they will win the game. The Buccaneers have momentum to carry over from last week’s win and unlike other week two’s, I think they do that this season. Tampa Bay starts 2-0 for the first time since 2010. I picked the over simply because Tampa will score points, but so will the Eagles. Ryan Smith and two rookie corners are playing this weekend. That’s a recipe for disaster, but like last week, “Fitzmagic” will outscore Foles.

Talking Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense with Acme Packing Company The San Francisco 49ers travel to face the Green Bay Packers on Monday Mike Person Jersey , in a matchup that will present a serious challenge to the young 49ers defense. There’s not much left to be said about Aaron Rodgers at this point, but it has been a bit of a struggle for the Packers offense the first five weeks. They rank in the middle of the pack in points scored, and Rodgers has openly expressed frustration about the inconsistency of the group.I chatted with Acme Packing Company writer Jason Hirschhorn this week in preparation for the game and wanted to get his thoughts on the state of the Packers offense. On Friday, he talked about the strengths and weaknesses of the defense. Today, he gets into the offense.While Green Bay does indeed rank seventh in offensive efficiency by DVOA entering Week 6, that mark gives a misleading impression. Prior to last week’s tilt in Detroit, the Packers ranked right in the middle of the league (No. 14). That game saw them get behind 24-0 before halftime, at which point the Lions simply played to prevent quick scores and gave up a lot of easy yardage underneath. In a more typical game script, a considerable amount of those easy conversions wouldn’t have transpired, and the Packers’ offensive DVOA ranking wouldn’t have made that leap into the top 10.And that underscores Aaron Rodgers’ apparent frustrations. The offense does do some things that work, but it doesn’t maximize the talent at its disposal. For example Adrian Colbert Jersey , Aaron Jones leads all qualified players with 5.67 yards per carry since the start of 2017, outpacing Alvin Kamara and Matt Breida for the top mark. And yet, head coach Mike McCarthy gave him fewer snaps this past week than Jamaal Williams and Ty Montgomery, two players with inferior running ability. Jones doesn’t cure everything wrong with the Packers offense, but he would give the unit a playmaker it needs in the backfield.Personnel usage doesn’t represent the entire problem. Unlike some of the league’s best offenses, the Packers haven’t adopted enough ways to manufacture easy completions for the quarterback. That hasn’t killed Green Bay given the presence of Rodgers, but it puts considerable strain on him when multiple key members of the receiving corps miss time and the offensive line struggles. Absent meaningful adjustments to the scheme, this could prove the final blow to the McCarthy era in Green Bay.Looking at the 49ers drops against the Cardinals There are many things that can frustrate fans in the San Francisco 49ers loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, but a lot of the threads of frustration connect to the offense. And nothing was more infuriating than the drops. Per Pro Football Focus, there were a total of six drops committed by the 49ers. Three for Pierre Gar莽on, and one each for the trio of George Kittle Brock Coyle Jersey , Kendrick Bourne, and Cole Wick. Gar莽on tied Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Michael Crabtree for most drops Sunday. It is worth noting Gar莽on entered the game with one drop through the first four games.The drops themselves wouldn’t be so maddening if they were simply drops, but that’s just too easy, now isn’t it? They wound up producing awful consequences. One of Gar莽on’s drops could be better classified as self-batted pass that landed in the hands of a Cardinals defender. Was it catchable? After rewatching the game (don’t get me started), the pass looks like it could have been caught if not for Gar莽on getting tripped up at the last (and perfect) minute which may have messed with his timing. The other two were just bad. One was a low-thrown ball, but still catchable for a first down. The other may have been a bit behind, but Gar莽on should have been able to turn and catch it. It would have been another first down if he did. The Kendrick Bourne drop teetered on the realm of unacceptable. Bourne had a nice path to make a lateral move and cut down the field for a first down. The pass hit him right in the numbers and bounced in the air for what could have been an easy interception if defenders were placed right. Those are catches you need to make if you want to keep your job. That brings us to the Cole Wick drop. On 3rd and goal on the 49ers’ 1-yard line, C.J. Beathard throws an absolute dart that had everyone thinking Cole Wick caught it. By everyone, I mean everyone because the foghorn that plays for every 49ers touchdown at Levi’s Stadium even started a brief rumble before it was apparent Wick dropped it. As one of the more maddening drops, at least Beathard was able to get the ball into Trent Taylor’s hands a play later—good teams can at least do that. And finally, the George Kittle drop. The Wick drop probably wins for worse drop of the day Richard Sherman Jersey , but the Kittle drop is up there. For a two point conversion, Beathard threw another dart that looked locked into Kittle’s bicep, and then it fell out. It was yet another catch he should have had. It was a catch you thought he had for a brief moment. The 49ers have had drop issues for several games and they are going to need to get these fixed if they are ever going to be competitive. C.J. Beathard went 34 for 54 on Sunday, which gives him a 62 completion percentage. Had those six drops not happened, Beathard’s numbers would have shot up to a near 75 completion percentage. And yes folks, that’s very good for anyone, not just C.J. Beathard. Catch the [site decorum] ball!