Monthly Archives: September 2017

Coates fell flat last season despite getting every chance to be the big-play No. 2 opposite Antonio Brown in Martavis Bryant’s stead.

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With Bryant back and Eli Rogers, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Darrius Heyward-Bey all safe behind him, Coates’ short time has run out in Pittsburgh.

The Packers first-rounder hasn’t quite worked out as a middle-tier free-agent signing for their AFC North rivals. Minnesota is deep up front to the point it could be fine with cutting somebody it just gave $3.75 million in the offseason.

Gano, set to make $4 million this season, is expensive in relation to his recent struggles. Carolina should move on with rookie seventh-rounder Harrison Butker as its new field-goal guy.

Romo said he’s not thinking about what he’s missing on the football field, and at no point has he thought about returning. But he did say he’s excited for watch his former team take on its biggest rival.

“I’m a football fan first and foremost, so for me, being a football fan, the Giants-Cowboys game is a big game,” Romo said. “I’ve played in it a lot of times in my career, and know what they’re feeling when they’re out there, and it’s Game 1, everyone thinks they have a shot to win the Super Bowl, everyone thinks they’re in a position to have the season of their career, and then all of a sudden after one or two weeks a lot of that gets dashed.

“It gets amped up in other places more and it’s going to be a fun thing to watch. That Cheap Quality NBA Jerseys first game or two probably means a lot more than really probably anyone knows. Your season is Cheap Personalized Jerseys either set or, after a week or two of losses, you’re now behind the eight-ball and now everyone’s jobs are on the line.”

Brian O’Neil of Pittsburgh might be the next Lane Johnson.

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NFL teams seem to love Connor Williams, and he may be the odds-on favorite for top offensive tackle.

Arguably the biggest strength of the 2018 draft class, the interior offensive line might have three first-rounders and two more top-50 picks. All of these lineman look like instant NFL starters. Billy Price could be a rare top-15 pick.

“There’s an added comfort with knowing your guys, and having repetitions with the plays you’re going to run in games,” Tolzien said. “And also this being the second year in the system: You can start the season at a different point than you were at last year, when you were learning what every shift in motion means.”

It will be the coaches’ job, as Pagano explained, to conceive a game plan that emphasizes Tolzien’s strengths. That will no doubt involve emphasis on the running game, with the Colts apparently well-stocked at running back, but the depth chart released this week showed multiple changes from how several offensive linemen were positioned for much of the preseason.

In addition to the concern at quarterback and the O-line, there is a rebuilt defense that could include four rookies — safety Malik Hooker, corner Quincy Wilson, nose tackle Grover Stewart and linebacker Tarell Basham — serving in contributing roles.

With Beckham missing, running back Shane Vereen led all receivers with nine catches and had 51 yards. Rookie first-round pick Evan Engram, a tight end, had four catches for 44 yards. Second-year receiver Sterling Shepard had seven catches, but for just 44 yards. Lewis had four grabs for 54 yards.

Jaylon Smith made his debut for Dallas after missing his rookie year Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale recovering from a knee injury in his final game at Notre Dame. He was second to Cheap Qld NBA Jerseys All-Pro Sean Lee with seven tackles and forced the game’s only fumble.

it’s his way of saying the Vikings didn’t stand up for him as a child abuser.

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The Vikings wisely dumped him after the season, choosing not to pay him the absurd $18 million he was scheduled to earn in 2017. The Saints are paying him $3.5 million in salary and bonuses this year, and he will have to be highly productive in order to return in 2018, when he has no guaranteed money in the second year of his deal.

When Peterson claims it was his call to leave Minnesota, saying, “The decision to want a change of scenery was due to what transpired two years ago,” But they did in fact bring him back the following season.

Furthermore, it’s ridiculous for Peterson to want us to believe he would not be in Minnesota had the Vikings agreed to pay him more than what New Orleans offered. The truth is there was virtually no market for Peterson due to the double whammy of him being considered an injury risk with off-field baggage.

McManus kicked a 20-yard field goal on the last play of the third quarter, capping a 78-yard drive that ate up 8 minutes, 16 seconds.

HISTORIC OPENER: The game presented landmarks on the football field , along the sidelines and in the broadcast booth .

Not since 1960 had the Chargers represented L.A., where they played their inaugural season before bolting to San Diego.

Beth Mowins became the first woman to call an NFL regular season game since NBC’s Gayle Sierens in 1987 when she handled play-by-play on the doubleheader nightcap alongside Rex Ryan, who Cheap Michael Jordan Jerseys made his debut as an ESPN analyst.

With Anthony Lynn also making his head coaching debut, this marked Cheap NFL Jerseys Embroidered the first time two black head coaches worked their first NFL game against each other.

The Patriots’ defense goes backward vs. the Chiefs, and it’s not too early to worry

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The dominant theme in the Chiefs’ 42-27 spanking of the Patriots on Thursday night was: “Alex Smith did all that?” But that theme needs fleshing out, needs some crucial context: “Alex Smith did all that to that defense?”

He did, and that defense — specifically, the additions to a unit that was ranked No. 1 in the NFL in the Super Bowl-winning 2016 season — had no business letting that happen. Not on opening night, not on banner night, not in front of their own delirious fans, not in front of the constantly mocked commissioner.

And not on the watch of the coordinator whose growing reputation has been well-earned. Matt Patricia-coached Patriots defenses have been marked by turning pretty good parts into a beautiful whole. The parts the Patriots added this summer — Stephon Gilmore, David Harris, Kyle Van Noy among them — did, and do, look like obvious upgrades from last year.

As for the rest of them? I’d say you can buy Carolina because it’s not far removed from a dominant defensive season and because the young cornerbacks weathered some bad growing pains last season and came out stronger for it. I’m also buying Baltimore because of the caliber of its veteran personnel up front and in the secondary (though I’m hedging a little because of the reliance on rookie pass-rushers).

Green Bay and Dallas, I’d like to see do it again before buying in. Same with Jacksonville, even though the talent is clearly there on paper at all three levels. It just feels like we’ve been let down one too many times by that franchise. And the Rams? They won’t get Tolzien every week, of Cheap Jerseys Bike course, but I’m a Phillips believer, and this defense will get Aaron Donald back in Week 2. Optimism isn’t totally Cheap Jerseys 90 unjustified here.

Elliott’s attorneys released a statement after the suspension was announced.

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Belichick isn’t the only one who gets anxious ahead of Week 1. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said he “absolutely” wakes up with the proverbial butterflies in his stomach on game day.

“I think everybody does,” Brady said Monday. “Everyone works hard and it’s very unpredictable. You never know what’s going to happen.

“We, as players, feel like that, too. We’re prepared, we’re confident, but you’ve still got to go out there and do it, and you’ve got to do it against a team that you’ve studied but not much this year. You know they’re working on stuff, we’re working on stuff, we try to execute at a high level and they do, too. Yeah, there will definitely be nerves and being anxious, but that’s part of football. And, once you get out there and start going, those things calm down.”

According to the Star-Telegram, Elliott and the NFLPA are aware of Roberts’ situation and plan to exploit it if they have to go to federal court.

They called the NFL’s investigation “replete with factual inaccuracies and erroneous conclusions.”

Goodell appointed Harold Henderson, a former league executive who has heard many cases involving the NFL’s personal conduct policy, to hear the Elliott appeal. Henderson has the final say on whether to uphold the six-game suspension for Elliott.

Six rushes for 18 yards for Adrian Peterson, seven for 17 for Alvin Kamara Cheap Goalie Jerseys Soccer and six for 18 for Mark Ingram in Monday night’s loss. Possible overreaction: No single Cheap High Quality Soccer Jerseys running back stepped up for a New Orleans team that wanted to emphasize the run in 2017, and if no one does going forward, it could be another losing season for the Saints.

The Eagles couldn’t have asked for much more from Wentz at the start of his second season.

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It helped Wentz throw for 307 yards, and it helped him convert third-and-long situations on three of the Eagles’ five offensive scoring drives. The Agholor touchdown was on third-and-12. He was comfortable enough throwing 39 times, and he was sacked just twice.

The Eagles couldn’t have asked for much more from Wentz at the start of his second season. He has a different group of receivers now — in came Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith, out went Jordan Matthews, and Agholor got vastly more consistent. Most of them made his life easier Sunday.

But Wentz made their lives easier, too, by using his legs to keep plays alive. He noted that it had the desired effect on his own team’s defense during OTAs and training camp, and he knew it would do that when the games counted.

Still, the Chargers brought many of their woes on themselves, falling into such a big hole, making Trevor Siemien look like a decent John Elway knockoff at times, committing some unconscionable turnovers, and then mismanaging the clock on the drive that led to the field-goal try.

Britt has been a bit of an enigma since he joined the Browns as a free agent. After the team could not retain Terrelle Pryor, it turned to Britt as his replacement, signing him to a four-year, $32.5 million deal, according to ESPN’s Roster Management System. It was a lucrative deal for a guy who had one 1,000-yard season in his career, which came in his eighth season.

In the preseason, Britt had three receptions for 25 yards, with one drop on a Cheap Jerseys Baseball perfect third-down throw from Kizer and a missed touchdown on a throw from Brock Osweiler, on which he could Cheap Embroidered NFL Jerseys not get his feet down in the end zone.

Chicago has the ball on the New York 49-yard line down by 6 points.

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This time last year, the Bovada sportsbook listed the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets with identical odds of winning the Super Bowl. After removing the sportsbook’s vig, both the Falcons and Jets were given a 1.2 percent chance of winning Super Bowl LI. By the end of the year, the 5-11 Jets were in disarray and rebuilding, while the 11-5 Falcons came within a poorly timed holding penalty and a circus catch of winning their first Super Bowl.

The author and Collins also discussed specific plays from the safety’s breakout 2016 season. In an ESPN.com exclusive, here’s the discussion, along with video of each play.

The situation: Chicago has the ball on the New York 49-yard line down by 6 points. With the Giants protecting a fourth-quarter lead, the defense drops to a Cover 2 alignment. This allows Collins to gain depth, open his hips to the wide receiver and be in a position to play “top down” on the throw. Here, Collins can play the deep fade route, comeback or dig. And even though this is a poor throw from Jay Cutler, Collins plays the situation and leans on his technique and coaching to finish this play.

It’s definitely because of Alabama. We worked Cheap Heat Jerseys our technique all the time. We have Odell [Beckham Jr.], Sterling [Shepard], and Eli [Manning], he likes to throw deep. But this week with Cutler and where he likes to throw the ball, I just try to stay high. I always like to stay 4×4 just in case the Cheap Ireland Football Jerseys wide receiver makes that deep cut, inside dig or a 9, I can stay 4×4 and get into the wide receiver quickly as the ball travels towards us.

Hardaway stepped into a starting role and performed well

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The Knicks tendered a four-year, $71 million offer sheet to Tim Hardaway, Jr. when they traded him two seasons ago to the Hawks for Jerian Grant.

Hardaway was drafted with the No. 24 pick in 2013, which was a reasonable place for him to go as a potential sharpshooting, athletic wing. He fell out of favor in New York during Phil Jackson’s tenure before he was traded, despite being just 22 years old.

After Kyle Korver was traded to Cleveland from Atlanta, Hardaway stepped into a starting role and performed well. He averaged 17.5 points per game and had a 111 offensive rating in Korver’s place. He earned himself a huge payday from his time.

It’s hard to decide who’s a real winner or loser in Toronto, who re-signed Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry on Sunday in an effort to bring the gang back. On one hand, the Eastern Conference keeps getting weaker and weaker. On the other, none of the top four teams — Cleveland, Boston, and Washington — got worse, and the Raptors couldn’t get past the second round last year. Why would this coming season be any different?

But Lowry (who signed for three years and $100 million) and Ibaka (three years, $65 million) both are clients of agent Andy Miller, so he must be a winner for orchestrating $165 million headed to a couple of his players.

Part of the reason is that this was a particularly down season for centers — Nerlens Noel and Pau Gasol were the top options on the market entering July. A second reason the collective centers’ payday has been so pitiful is that the top options (including Noel and Gasol) have yet to sign contracts. By my assessment, only Cheap Official Jerseys eight of the top 50 free agents were centers. Of those, only Cheap Patriots Jerseys three — Kelly Olynyk, Dewayne Dedmon, and Nene — have signed deals.

Behind the slow processing of the centers this summer is the truth of the matter: Centers really don’t matter that much any more. The position has been de-emphasized in the modern NBA.

College football will never be as predictable as the NBA.

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The NBA tends to have predictable results because it is a high-scoring game with only five players on the court, limited substitutions for the best players, and seven-game series that reduce the possibility of upsets. Michael Mauboussin, take it away:

The regular season is short, and the playoff is small, so one bad game can be fatal.

Ohio State might have had the best team in 2015, but one instance of a poor game plan in bad weather conditions cost the Buckeyes even a shot at defending their title.

The Warriors could get away with a stinker in Game 4 against the Cavs this year,, because a seven-game series affords that luxury. Ditto for the Cavs’ casual approach to the regular season.

College football is more exciting in the sense that teams do not get the slack that pro teams have, but the flip side is that it is harder for teams to dominate.

That allowed him to justify giving this another shot. He’s never had back problems. He never was forced out of the game by father time dealing him a career-ending injury. He had just taken an 18-year break.

So Roberts began to train harder. He changed his work schedule at Sam’s Club to the night shift so he could use the gym more frequently during the day for wind sprints and weight training. He started by strengthening muscles he felt he’d use in games, and then augmented them by beefing up the muscles that supported them. Roberts said he never got “chubby” after he retired, but suddenly his skinny frame began to fill out with rippling muscle.

Today, Roberts hardly looks like an average 61-year-old. He Cheap Mitchell And Ness Jerseys has a torso like a tree trunk and the bulging biceps of a man 30 Cheap Lebron Jerseys years younger.

“I hadn’t seen him in about a year when he told me,” Natalia Roberts told SB Nation. “And then he came to visit me not long after and he was ripped.”

Dion Waiters has a team. We can all go home now

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Once the Gordon Hayward domino fell, NBA free agent moves began clicking into place. On Wednesday one of the runner-up teams for Hayward — the Miami Heat — reacted by locking up The Dion Waiters to a 4-year, $52 million deal. Waiters bet on himself that summer by taking a short deal to prove his worth (despite the insane money being thrown around in 2016). It paid off big time. Miami is also reportedly close to a deal with James Johnson.

The busy Thunder finished their work by locking up Andre Roberson on a 3-year, $30 million deal, yet another bargain for an elite wing defender (albeit one who cannot shoot a lick). OKC’s shooting problems will be real, but this might be a top-5 defensive club this season. That plus Russell Westbrook is dangerous.

Now we’re cooking — this is some real high-octane action movie stuff. Just look how he zooms down the freeway (obeying speed limits) while doing whatever it takes to get to his destination (while following all traffic regulations). And you can’t hear it here, but the tasteful Leon Bridges soundtrack gives the scene an artful touch.

Now this is where Griffin’s directorial wizardry comes into play — just look at this gorgeous, film noir-style black-and-white shot of his vehicle of choice. Like his play style on the court, Griffin’s cinematography is both powerful and pristine.

“On the moon I milly rock,” Blake Griffin seems to be saying with this extremely strange scene, one that, while visually stimulating, creates an atmosphere of uncertainty and amazement. Where did he even get this astronaut Cheap Jerseys Zoom costume — or is he really in space?

What does it all mean? I don’t posture to know — but what Cheap Kids NBA Jerseys I do know is that after basketball, Blake Griffen has a promising career in film.