HT: Broncos are short on options to replace Jake Butt Losing Jake Butt to a torn ACL yesterday was a significant blow to the Broncos’ offense Derek Wolfe Jersey , and it came at a really horrible time. With the offense already sputtering, losing the guy with the 3rd most receptions through three weeks of play is pretty far from optimal.Compounding the issue, theBroncos’ tight ends group now consists of Jeff Heuerman and Matt LaCosse. Heuerman, a former 3rd round pick from the 2015 draft, has been okay at best so far in his career. LaCosse also entered the NFL in 2015, though he went undrafted, and sports a whole 3 receptions in his NFL career. Heuerman adds only another 23 receptions for 315 yards & 2 TDs despite playing in 29 games so far as a Bronco and starting 11 of them. So it should be no surprise when I tell you: That’s just not good enough.The Denver Broncos currently have, by far, the worst tight end group in the NFL.Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty ImagesNow the onus is on General Manager John Elway to step in & make a move to fill this suddenly gapinghole in the offense. It’s time for the NFL’s best free agency GM to work some magic and prestidigitate a new name into the top slot of the Broncos’ TE depth chart. Unfortunately, that’s probably going to be really hard to do.The ReplacementsCoby FleenerA former Colts & Saints tight end, Fleenor was released by New Orleans this past May after suffering from concussion symptoms for months on end. It’s hard to find current news on him, but as recently as June he was still hoping to make a return to the NFL. If that’s still the case, a prove-it deal would be in order. On such a deal, he’d arguably offer the Broncos the very best mixture of talent vs price they’re likely to find. And with over 3,000 career receiving yards and 22 touchdowns on 255 receptions, he’d immediately become the most proven tight end the Broncos have fielded since at least 2015 (Own Daniels/Vernon Davis), or arguably 2013 (Julius Thomas).Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty ImagesObviously, signing Fleener wouldn’t come without some significant risks. Those concussion symptoms are a scary issue, & it’s entirely fair to question whether facilitating his comeback to the NFL stage would be the best thing for his health- or for the Broncos.Jack DoyleThe NFL’s cupboard is pretty bare when it comes to spare tight ends. Despite the fact that quality starting tight ends can absolutely wreck a defense, it’s not easy to find those guys. Jack Doyle, uninspiring as he might be, is probably among the Broncos’ best bets for swinging a trade for a surplus tight end.Doyle is in his 6th year with the Indianapolis Colts, having accrued 1,563 yards on 183 receptions during that time Emmanuel Sanders Jersey , to go with 12 touchdowns. Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty ImagesThat’s not very impressive. Trust me, I know. But go scroll through each team’s depth chart and tell me how many teams have two tight ends who’ve been significant contributors in the NFL. There are definitely some out there: Zach Ertz & Dallas Goedert for the Philadelphia Eagles are a good example, or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Cameron Brate & OJ Howard. The problem is that both of those pairs contain one highly valuable, high-drafted youngster & one quality veteran who just signed a 5 or 6 year deal worth over $40 million total. That severely limits the realistic prospects of trading for any of those guys.Sad as it is, Doyle is more or less what’s probably achievable. As to whether he’s worth it at the $4.4 million price tag he would carry in 2018? That’s... highly debatable. For that matter, it’s debatable whether he’d even be an upgrade over Heuerman anyway.Maxx WilliamsAnother somewhat-realistic trade candidate is the Baltimore Ravens’ 4th year tight end. Williams basically missed the 2016 season with an injury, but the former 2nd round pick hasn’t done much to impress in the other 2.2 years of his NFL career. With 54 receptions for 422 yards and just 2 touchdowns, Williams has so far been underwhelming at the very least. Again, it’s entirely fair to give him a pass due to not even being an upgrade to what we have now.So What to Do?Quite honestly, if Fleener isn’t an option, there’s not really a “splashy” move I can see that’s worth making. The teams that have quality starting tight ends would be foolish to give them up, and those few teams who’ve managed to find two such players have excellent incentive to sell them dearly, if at all. And the Broncos lack the cap space to pay a TE a lot, which is another significant hurdle.In my opinion, it’s time for Elway & the Broncos’ front office to scour the league’s practice squads and dive headfirst into analyzing all of those guys’ tape in hopes of finding a diamond in the rough a-la Todd Davis or Brandon Marshall. With no sure bets, the only decent option is to start gambling. Hopefully Elway can make with the magic. Otherwise, we’re stuck hoping that Jeff Heuerman finally, finally becomes the player he was drafted to be. Do you like an option I didn’t think of? Let me know in the comments!Report: Broncos sign cornerback Adam “Pac Man” Jones to a one-year deal The Denver Broncos have officially announced that they have signed veteran cornerback Adam “Pac Man” Jones to a one-year deal. Jones worked out for the Broncos today and they obviously came away liking what they saw. Jones is entering his 11th year in the NFL and is listed at 5’10”, 185lbs. The 34-year-old cornerback played most of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. During his NFL career, Jones has totaled 411 tackles, 3 sacks, 89 pass deflections, 16 interceptions, 2 defensive touchdowns Bradley Chubb Jersey , and 7 forced fumbles.Denver Broncos Head Coach Vance Joseph coached Adam “Pac Man” Jones during the 2014 and 2015 seasons while he was the Bengals Defensive Backs coach. During those two seasons, Jones totaled 125 tackles, 1 sack, 23 pass deflections, 6 interceptions, and 1 fumble. Joseph helped Jones earn an All-Pro award in 2014 and a Pro Bowl selection in 2015.Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesNow, Jones is a multi-talented player. He is also a very talented return man. During his career, he has totaled 121 kick returns for 3,147 yards with an average for 26 yards per return. He also has 182 career punt returns for 1,922 yards and 5 touchdowns. So he also adds that to the Broncos as well. Jones will now add some much needed veteran depth to the Broncos secondary behind starters Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby. Behind those two you have veteran Tramaine Brock, rookie Isaac Yiadom, and second-year corner Brendan Langley. It is unclear what Jones’s role will be going forward, but it could have some implications on the roster. Do the Broncos keep six cornerbacks on the roster? or do they ending up parting ways with Tramaine Brock? or do they end the Brendan Langley experiment and trade or waive the young corner? These are questions we will have to wait to get answers for, but something to keep an eye on going forward.Jones will turn 35 years old at the end of September so I do not think he will add too much to the return game but will add some flare and a feisty veteran to the Broncos secondary. Jones does come with some off the field baggage, but hopefully, he can keep that in check going forward.In the end, I like this signing. Jones adds some flare to the secondary that left with Talib. It also allows rookie Isaac Yiadom to develop without throwing the rookie into the fire and constantly getting targeted by opposing offenses. Hopefully, the Broncos can squeeze one more solid season from Adam “Pac Man” Jones. Update:According to 9NEWS Denver’s Mike Klis, the Broncos have officially signed cornerback Adam “Pac Man” Jones to a one-year deal. To make room for Jones, the Broncos waived linebacker, Bo Bower.

Reviewing Jay Gruden’s comments for insight into the cornerback position battle following Scandrick’s release On Tuesday Tress Way Jersey , the release of Orlando Scandrick brought a lot of clarity to the expected regular season depth chart at cornerback, but there probably isn’t room on the regular season roster to keep every young player that’s having a good training camp.To figure out exactly which CBs are most likely to still be on the team when they line upto play the Cardinals in September, we will examine Jay Gruden’s press conference comments from Tuesday.General comments about the young CBs on the roster:What am I taking away from this?I get the sense that Gruden is talking about five guys who are all making the roster.We know that Josh Norman is gonna start on one side of the field.Jay’s comments tell me that Dunbar will be starting on the other boundary.He talks about the ‘emergence’ (a significant and positive word when Jay Gruden uses it) of Danny Johnson and Fabian Moreau at nickel.I don’t think there’s enough in this comment to say which player is behind the other on the depth chart, though the fact that Moreau is a 2nd year player from last year’s draft, and Johnson is an undrafted rookie may give some hint about the depth chart — at least for the start of the season.He identifies the two Virginia Tech rookie DBs — Stroman (‘18 7th round pick used)and Adonis Alexander (‘19 6th round pick used) — as the other young studs; presumably, the backup boundary corners.Lest there’s any confusion about who’s ahead of whom there, Jay had comments about the player taken in the Supplemental Draft last month. That’s press conference gold right there... Jay specifically identified Alexander as the “sixth” corner, which means he sees five guys ahead of Adonis: Norman, Dunbar, Moreau, Johnson and Stroman.That’s pretty strong confirmation of the expected depth chart.Jay makes it clear that Alexander is not really going to be ready to play defensive snaps at the start of the season, which might open the door a crack for a seventh CB.Jay, in the press conference, reiterated his praise for the rookies, but his slight change of wording helps identify who seems to be the leading slot corner, and then tosses in one more name:Jay, this time, focuses on Moreau as the “inside” player.I may be reading too much into this, but I’m thinking that Danny Johnson is showing up as a bit more of an all-purpose player who can backup the boundary or the slot, despite his small size (he’s listed at 5’9”, 181 pounds).Johnson ran a 4.44 40-yard dash at the Combine, giving him the speed to work inside in nickle, and perhaps to run on the boundary with speedy deep-threat receivers as well.With Moreau (6’0”, 205 lbs) playing the slot most of the time, the Redskins will have the flexibility to mix up coverages by swapping playing both Moreau and Johnson in the slot to challenge offensive scheming, and to have Johnson available for boundary duty if needed.Jay Gruden kinda throws Ranthony Texada’s name out there as an afterthought, and the adjective he uses is “good” (rather than something more glowing).Usually, this would make me think Texada was on his way to the practice squad, but there are two things that make me think that Texada still has a shot at the final 53.The first reason is that Adonis Alexander probably won’t be up-to-speed to start the season, but almost certainly needs to be kept on the roster to protect him from being picked up on waivers without making it to the Redskins practice squad.That would leave a young CB group desperately thin.The coaches may opt for a 7th CB, at least to open the season.The second reason for thinking Texada has a shot is that Jay mentioned him one more time:This time Jay is lumping Texada in with Johnson, and the praise is — by Jay’s press conference standards — fairly effusive.He said this in the context that the surprisingly good play by these rookies forced or allowed the coaches to cut Orlando Scandrick.All of a sudden, I’m thinking that the coaching staff might start the season with 7 cornerbacks — especially since both Johnson and Stroman have punt return skills, which is significant for a Redskins coaching staff looking to improve special teams in general, and the punt return depth in particular.What would the CB depth look like if all my thoughts turned into reality?Keeping seven CBs would mean that the Redskins would have to make a cut somewhere else on the roster, and frankly, Texada would easily survive being waived and put onto the practice squad.But if the ‘Skins don’t think they can rely on Alexander to play early in the season, they may make the decision to hold onto the extra CB until the rookies get a bit of regular season experience and the coaches become confident about whom they can rely on.Let’s look at a few more Jay Gruden comments:Fabian MoreauI hear both excitement and concern in Jay Gruden’s voice here.He clearly is high on Moreau, but also doesn’t think Fabian’s ready for prime time... the player needs more work, more repetitions in practice, more snaps in the preseason.Moreau is a second-year player, but because he was injured at the time he was drafted Brandon Scherff Jersey , he got limited preseason work last year, and played mostly special teams in 2017.He needs a heavy dose of seasoning if he’s gonna play a significant number of snaps on defense in 2018.Look for Fabian to be on the field a lot against the Jets and Broncos.Danny JohnsonWhat I’m hearing is that this UDFA has impressed in camp; he’s showing skills, but when Jay uses the word “competitive” like this, in combination with a phrase like “solid all the way round”, it’s a signal that Jay is hedging his praise slightly, especially when Jay goes on to emphasize the player’s special teams ability.Jay is signalling that the coaches like Danny Johnson, but he clearly a backup — not competing for a starting role.PossibilitiesJay lacks guile, so he sometimes struggles when he prevaricates.In a single sentence, he talks about two different scenarios:i. We’ll go with what we have — right nowii. We’ll probably sign another CB — shortlyAnd — oh, by the way — if we need to, we have time to make a move.I’m hearing Jay say that he wants very much to believe that Josh Norman, Quinton Dunbar, Fabian Moreau and 3 or 4 rookies will be able to handle the cornerback position — but Jay isn’t really sure.He’s keeping all his options open.We’re gonna stand pat.For now.But we will probably bring someone else in.Shortly.But we like what we have.But if it doen’t work out, we can still make changes.I suspect they have DRC on speed dial.No matter how much ‘confidence’ Jay expressed in these players on Tuesday, I think the thought of relying on 3 or more rookies to fill out the cornerback depth chart is keeping Jay awake at night.Josh HolseyThe Redskins seem to be going out of their way not to give any details on Holsey or make any comments that commit to a course of action with him.It’s preseason, so the Redskins aren’t required to disclose injury details (note how bothered Todd Bowles was this week that Terrelle Pryor talked to the press about breaking his ankle).It sounds like Holsey may be out there and available in the second half of the season if needed, the same way that I have a packet of fairy dust that can get me out of trouble if I really need it.I’ll be surprised if Holsey sees an NFL field in 2018 regular season or playoffs. A nice holidayThe Redskins last played a game in Week 3.When the Texans beat the Cowboys in overtime Sunday night, that brought the entire slate of Week 5 games to a close — except for the Washington - New Orleans contest, which will be played on Monday Night Football.Without stepping on the field for two weeks, the Redskins have moved up in the divisional and conference standings.Sign up for FanPulse, our weekly Redskins survey.At the end of Week 3, when the Redskins beat the Packers, the Eagles were 2-1 and ranked first in the NFC East, and the Cowboys and Giants were both 1-2.It was so early in the season that nearly anything was possible.In the 6 games our division rivals have played over the past two weeks, they have gone 1-5, with the lone win being the Cowboys’ victory over the Lions, who went into the game 1-2.The five losses came against the Titans, Saints, Panthers, Vikings and Texans, who today sit at a combined 13-9-1.Getting lots of helpIt’s hard to imagine how Sunday could have gone any better for the Redskins.The team is in the division lead at the moment, but in a 16-game season there are a lot of ups and downs.Washington wants to be in the best position, not only to win the division, but to get a wildcard spot if they need to.In addition to all 3 divisional rivals losing, the Redskins ability to secure a wildcard spot at the end of the season was helped along by game results.The undefeated Rams, who will likely be the NFC’s top seed no matter what, handed a conference loss to the Seahawks, dropping them to 2-3, while the Lions took care of business with the Packers, dropping Green Bay to 2-2-1.Opportunity and riskAt the close of play on Sunday, not only did the 2-1 Redskins have a full one-game lead on the 2-3 Eagles and Cowboys for the division title, but Washington is sitting all alone in the 5th position in the conference Da’Ron Payne Jersey , with a great opportunity available on Monday night — though opportunity is always accompanied by risk.If the Redskins beat the Saints on Monday night, these good things will all happen:The Redskins resulting 3-1 record would increase the lead in the division to 1.5 games.The ‘Skins would vault into a tie for 2nd place in the conference with the Bears and Panthers.The Redskins would earn a potentially critical tiebreaker against the Saints, which could matter in playoff seedings or wildcard calculations at the end of the season.The Redskins would put up an important win against a quality opponent on prime time television, something the Redskins haven’t done often enough in the past.By contrast, a loss to the Saints would see the 2-2 Redskins’ division lead drop to a half-game, they would fall into a tie with Tampa Bay for 5th/6th seeding in the conference, they would lose position relative to the Saints for any end-of-season playoff seeding or wildcard spot, and suffer yet another loss on Monday Night Football.In a sense, because the Redskins are in a strong position in the division and the conference at the moment, the stakes are much higher than they would have been ifthe team was buried in the middle of the standings.The Redskins-Saints rivalryFortunately, history gives the Redskins a lot of hope for showing up and taking care of business on Monday night.The Redskins lead the overall series with New Orleans 17-9 in a rivalry that dates back to 1967.But this isn’ta cherry-picked stat that requires wins from the 1970s to favor the Redskins.Washington is 4-2 in its last 6 games against the Saints, with both losses coming in overtime.The Redskins are actually 4-1 in the last 5 games played in the Mercedez-Benz Superdome, with the lone loss being last year’s Week 11 game in which the Redskins had a 2-touchdown lead with less than 7 minutes remaining, but ended up losing in overtime.In short, the Redskins have historically played well against the Saints and in the Superdome.Incidentally, Jay Gruden is 2-2 in games after the bye, with the two victories coming in ‘16 and ‘17.Monday Night FootballThe huge monkey on the back of the Washington Redskins franchise is the team’s consistent failure to win on Monday nights, a trend which has continued in the Jay Gruden era.Last season the Redskins lost to Kansas City on MNF in Week 5 in the game that featured the famous Doctson non-drop.The key turning point in that game seemed to come when Josh Norman was lost to a rib injury.The other loss came against the Eagles, on the road in Philadelphia in Week 8.In 2016, the Redskins also lost twice on Monday night, starting the season with a home-opening beatdown at the hands of the Steelers, and going on to lose at home to the Panthers late in season.In 2015, the eventual division champion Redskins lost at home, 19-16 to the Dallas Cowboys.Only in 2014 has Jay Gruden’s team found any success on Monday night.After losing to Seattle at the beginning of October, the Redskins managed to get a road win against Dallas at the end of the month, getting their lone Gruden-era MNF win, 20-17 behind 299 passing yards and one rushing touchdown from Colt McCoy.That win was so long ago, that Desean Jackson amassed 136 receiving yards while Alfred Morris, Roy Helu and Silas Redd all got carries at the RB position in that game.In short, if the Redskins are going to take advantage of the huge opportunity that sits in front of them, they will have to break the long history of failure under the bright Monday night lights.Execution matters more than historyThe ghost of past prime time failures won’t matter nearly as much as the team’s ability to execute on the field.Everyone knows how dangerous the Saints offense, led by future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, is.Everyone knows that Mark Ingram rejoins his team this week, after serving a suspension for the first four weeks.Ingram and Kamara may be the most dangerous running back duo in the NFL.But the Redskins have some pedigree of their own.Led by the DHogs — Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Matt Ioaniddis — the Redskins bring the league’s top ranked defense, which is also #1 against the pass, to New Orleans.Allowing just 278 yards per game overall, and just 187 ypg passing, the Redskins have blanketed opponents’ ability to move the ball through the air, and have also been pretty good against the run, giving up 90 yards per game on the ground — 6th best in the league.Of course Quinton Dunbar Jersey , yards don’t win games, points do.The Redskins have the top-ranked scoring defense, giving up 14.7 points per game — one of only six teams in the league to hold its opponents to less than 20 ppg. The Redskins rank 3rd in the NFC in point differential at +20, meaning that — while the offense hasn’t lit the world on fire, the team as a whole has managed to be about a touchdown better than their opponents over the first month of the season.To beat the Saints this week, the Redskins are going to need their top ranked defense to shut down one of the best running back pairs in football, and a QB who, literally, by the end of the game, will almost certainly be the most prolific passer in the history of the league.But the Redskins should have the horses to do it.In addition to the DHogs, the Redskins have a good OLB unit, featuring Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith, and a young but talented cornerback group, led by one of the NFL’s best in Josh Norman.Although Zach Brown has looked a bit off, suffering all season long from an oblique injury, Mason Foster has stepped up and played like a man on a mission.At safety, DJ Swearinger has brought his usual passion and mouth, and backed it up with some flashy play.On the other side of the ball, the Redskin offensive attack has been led by Adrian Peterson, who is 5th in the league in yards per game, and tied for 2nd in the league for rushing touchdowns per game, having crossed the goal line 3 times in 3 games.Alex Smith, meanwhile, has the 7th best QBR among signal callers with at least 10 passing attempts.Jordan Reed is 6th in the NFL among tight ends in receiving yards per game, while Chris Thompson is ranked 5th among running backs.The only real concern seems to be at the wide receiver position, where Doctson, Crowder and Richardson seem to be struggling to establish themselves in the pass game.Even that could change on Monday night.The Saints currently rank 30th against the pass, giving up 311 receiving yards per game to the Bucs, Browns, Falcons and Giants, who combine for a 6-12-1 record on the season.While TB leads the league in passing, and Atlanta is in the top-10, the Browns and Giants both rank in the bottom half of the league in passing, which indicates that the Redskins 20th rated passing attack should be able to find enough success against the porous Saints defense to allow the running backs and defense to lead Washington to a road win on Monday Night Football.There’s a great opportunity available for the Redskins in Week 5; the rewards for a win tonight are huge.The Redskins have the league’s highest rated defense for total yards per game, passing yards per game and points per game, along with two of the best running backs in the league in rushing and receiving, and a quarterback who is 71-32-1 since 2011.Playing with three different teams, Alex is averaging 11 wins and 5 losses per 16 games.The Redskins have put together a team that can win a huge game on the road on Monday night.Now is the time to do it.

Based on Tyrann Mathieu’s 2018 performance as a Houston Texan to this point Corey Moore Color Rush Jersey , do you...1 - ...want the Texans to re-sign him, assuming his contract will be in the upper-tier of guaranteed money for a safety (and regardless of his play, you KNOW this will be a requirement for his agent, at least as a starting point); and 2 - ...think the Texans actually WILL bring Mathieu back?Let’s see how the Masthead reacted Seantrel Henderson Color Rush Jersey , starting with my own thoughts.Chris:Titan Matt WestonCapt. Ron:BFmf’nD:Rivers McCown:Luke Beggs:Kenneth:Mike BullockJeremy Brener:Great discussion from the Masthead.I’m sure YOU have opinions as well.Put those bad boys in the comments section below, and feel free to tweet Tyrann Mathieu @Mathieu_Era to let him know we are all up in his business; I know he’s keeping an eye out for folks who don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.Honey Badger has the red-ass like that, which is one of the reasons I love the guy. Dang, it’s already Wednesday. Monday feels so long ago. Here we are. And with it comes injury and roster news as the Texans quickly shuffle onwards to hosting the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. First things first: D’Onta Foreman is practicing but still isn’t ready to play yet. The Texans’ second year running back Ibraheim Campbell Color Rush Jersey , who tore his Achilles a year ago, still hasn’t made it back to the point that he’s ready for game action.Unfortunately, it’s going to be another week of Alfred Blue getting 13 carries for 40 yards. On a positive note, everyone’s favorite scrappy inside linebacker will be back this week. Dylan Cole has been activated and Josh Keyes has been released to make room for him. Cole went to the shop to repair a dislocated wrist and had arthroscopic knee surgery during his stay at the doctor’s office. Cole is back just in time to play Cleveland. Sadly Senio Kelemete Color Rush Jersey , DeShone Kizer and Kevin Hogan aren’t around to play musical chairs while Hue Jackson refuses to stop the CD from spinning. Keke Coutee left Monday’s game with a hamstring injury. That same vile piece of soft issue that has been hampering him all year long. He’s trending to play this Sunday, but he still may not. For insurance purposes, the Texans worked out former Jets wide receiver Devin Smith. That’s all we got for now. All that’s left to do is wait around for Sunday to get here.

After a promising start we’re back to staring at the possibility of being at .500 following last weekend’s overtime gut-punching loss to the Dolphins.Without that Leonard Floyd Color Rush Jersey , the prospect of facing a surging New England Patriots squad, that has been among the NFL’s elite for a mind-boggling 18 years and counting, wouldn’t be as nerve-wracking. The Bears could’ve been 4-1 and a loss wouldn’t have anyone sweating.But now, at 3-2, falling to 3-3 opens that door that the Bears already peaked, that it was too soon to believe, that they are still a young team, yadda, yadda, yadda.That’s not to say that they couldn’t come back from .500 to make the playoffs, or even post a winning record, but it would bring at least a week of negative analysis and more discussion of what could have been had the win not slipped away in Miami.There’s no time to dwell on that though, Sunday will be no short order but the Bears should be able to put up a fight. The Bears are 0-4 against Brady but this is their best shot at the team since 2006.New England PatriotsSB Nation site: Pats PulpitGame Day/Time/TV: Sunday, noon CT, CBSRecord: 4-2Last week: 43-40 dramatic win over the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.Bears all-time record against: 3-9Historical match ups: Hard to believe that the Bears have one victory against the Patriots since their historic Super Bowl XX win over them in January 1986. That win came in December of 2000, when Dick Jauron led Shane Matthews and James Allen out on to Soldier Field against Bill Belichick and Drew Bledsoe.Matthews threw two touchdowns, including one to Eddie Kennison. Allen had 97 yards rushing and both a rushing and receiving TD. Nine Bears receivers caught passes and the Bears won 24-17.Last meeting: The first of what would be the notorious bye-week sandwiching 50-burgers of the Marc Trestman era. The Bears, just one week removed from a loss to the Dolphins, went to New England and were dismantled. The Pats took a 38-7 halftime lead on their way to a 51-23 win as Tom Brady threw five touchdowns, including 3 to Rob Gronkowski. Gronk had 149 yards receiving, Brandon LaFell had 124 yards and a TD. The final insult came when Lamarr Houston tore his ACL celebrating a fourth quarter sack of Jimmy Garoppolo. Offense: The Patriots enter the game with the fourth best scoring offense. They rank 14th in yards, however.Surprisingly, the Patriots rushing game ranks ahead of its passing game in terms of yardage: the passing attack comes in at 19th, while the ground attack ranks 11th.The passing game is led by Tom Brady, of course Eric Kush Jersey , who comes in with 1,599 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.His passes are going to Gronkowski (26 rec/405 yds/1 TD), RB James White (37/323/4) and increasingly, Josh Gordon (9/124/1) and Julian Edelman (11/111/1). Other receiving leaders are Chris Hogan (15/221/2), Phillip Dorsett (19/190/2) and Cordarrelle Patterson (11/114/2).The Patriots’ run game is headed up by rookie Sony Michel (91 att/400 yds/4 TDs) and White (29/149/1).While Brady is just getting in sync with his best passing weapons (Edelman was suspended and Gordon was on the Browns), the running game has actually been quite strong for the Patriots. Is that because teams are focusing on covering the receivers? Or is it that Brady is able to stay clean? He has been sacked just eight times, tied for second fewest sacks allowed in the league. Defense: The Patriots defense is lagging behind its offense, ranking 18th in points allowed and 20th in yards allowed.The passing defense ranks 21st while the rushing defense comes in ranked 18th. They have allowed the second fewest rushing touchdowns (1), behind the Bears (0).Opposing quarterbacks have thrown 15 touchdowns (third most in the league) but they have also thrown eight interceptions. Overall, opposing QBs have a 91.6 rating vs. the Patriots.The defense, much like on offense, are more a ‘sum of their parts’ unit than one that has crazy good star powerUp front are Trey Flowers (2 sacks/1 FF/2 TFL/4 QB hits) and Deatrich Wise (2.5 sacks/2 TFL/6 QB hits). Their LBs and secondary have a lot of their big name players, such as Dont’a Hightower (1 FF/1 PD/1 INT), Kyle Van Noy (1 INT/2 PDs), Stephon GIlmore (6 PDs/1 INT) and Devin McCourty (1 PD/1 FF).Injury report: The Patriots listed 11 players on their Wednesday injury report:Limited: DL Malcom Brown (knee), WR Julian Edelman (heel), WR Josh Gordon (hamstring), DL Geneo Grissom (ankle), TE Rob Gronkowski (ankle), TE Jacob Hollister (hamstring), RB Sony Michel (knee), DB Eric Rowe) (groin), DE John Simon (shoulder), DL Deatrich Wise (ankle/knee)Did not participate: OL Marcus Cannon (concussion)Key match ups: The first one comes to mind is if Cannon can’t clear concussion protocol https://www.thebearsfanshop.com/Roquan-Smith-Jersey , then Khalil Mack would be matched up against his back up, LaAdrian Waddle.If that’s the case, he could use a lot of help, meaning Gronk isn’t running routes because he stays in to block, or at least he has late releases, as he chips. Keeping Gronk in to pass block isn’t likely to happen a lot, but it’s a dynamic when there is a pass rusher of Mack’s caliber on the defense.Kyle Fuller vs. Josh Gordon will be another big one. Gordon has elite speed and is starting to build up his rapport with Brady. If the pass rush is as absent as last week, Fuller will have a tough time against a speedy receiver such as Gordon.Going back to Gronk for a second, it will be curious to see how the Bears defend him. This could be a big test for Roquan Smith, who has the speed as a LB to keep up with Gronk, but better size, although it’s hard to match Gronk on a size level.For the offense, Mitch Trubisky will have to navigate a secondary that is apt to find the ball, much like Miami, however, there will be plays to be made. Like the Dolphins, the Pats don’t have a great pass rush, but their QB hit numbers are on the leading edge of the league, so they just aren’t finishing plays.The New England defense has forced at least one takeaway in every game this year, while their offense has also had a turnover in every game.What to watch for: Can the Bears truly hang, for four quarters, against one of the truly elite teams in the league?The Bears offense has shown it can put up points, but they still have lingering questions about playing a full four quarters. They slept walked through the second half of the Packers game and gave up a big lead and then they started slow in Miami last week, dug themselves out of the hole and then collapsed again.The Patriots prey on teams weaknesses, as well as taking advantage of any little mistake their opponent makes. The Bears have to play a complete game and keep their foot down and remain aggressive on both sides of the ball Eddie Goldman Color Rush Jersey , but also have sound technique to not allow any breakaway big plays like we’ve seen at times.Home field advantage should work in the Bears favor, but other than the Tampa game, have we really seen the Bears play mistake free for a whole game?Key stats: The Patriots haven’t lost three straight road games since 2013.The Bears are 13-8 as a home underdog since 2003, while the Patriots are 11-9 as road favorites.Tom Brady is 4-0 against the Bears and the total score in those games was 137-73Mitch Trubisky is completing a higher percentage of his passes than Tom Brady (70.2 to 67.8)Trubisky and Brady have the same number of 300-yard passing games in 2018 (2)Brady has just two more TD passes than Trubisky, but has two more INTs as well (on 53 more pass attempts)The last time the Bears beat the Patriots, Trubisky was six years old and Tom Brady was a rookiePrediction: This game should be closer than the last couple of meetings and I expect a high scoring game. I think the Bears come up just short, 33-31. For my analysis of the game from a betting perspective, check out my latest piece on Sports Bet Collective, here. First article in free with sign up.Do you think the Bears can win Sunday? What are some key match ups?Will the Bears make the playoffs? Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse — a survey of fans across the NFL, powered by SurveyMonkey. Each week, we send 32 polls to 100+ plugged in fans from each team. Bears fans, sign up HERE to join FanPulse.When we last checked in on this week’s FanPulse results, we learned that our Chicago Bears’ fanbase still felt pretty good about the direction that our beloved Bears were heading with an 84% approval rating. These same fans were asked if they thought the Bears were making the playoffs in 2018, and they went Yes to the tune of 57%.I stuck with my preseason prediction and voted no... and yes, I hope I’m wrong.The Bears definitely have a couple winnable games coming up on the schedule, so if they can end the first half at 5-3, I’d like their chances even more. My season prediction was 10-6 but third in the NFC North. That tie from the Packers and Vikings might come into play, but this was always going to be a tough division for the Bears to win.Speaking of the NFC North, here’s how the other FanPulse results came in when their fans were asked if they were making the postseason. Minnesota Vikings - 100%Detroit Lions - 66%Green Bay Packers - 55%I wonder if Packer fans are starting to feel their team slipping with their quarterback hobbled a little this season. This Sunday the Chicago Bears host the New York Jets, and Bears’ fans are predicting a 9 point Chicago victory, while Jets’ FanPulse fans are predicting a 4 point Bears win. Let’s see what our WCG readers think about with this week’s survey question.

in a 9-6 slugfest against the Tennessee Titans yesterday. The defense managed seven tackles for a loss and three sacks with four hits on either of Blaine Gabbert or Marcus Mariota — but it wasn’t enough to salvage an awful effort from the offense and earn a third win of the season.Let’s take a look at each of the sacks and relish in just how damn good Calais Campbell is.Sack #1: Calais CampbellThe Titans center wants zero part of trying to block Campbell Josh Lambo Color Rush Jersey , who is charging towards the quarterback like a bat out of hell.Sack #2: Telvin SmithTelvin comes screaming off the right edge of the Titans offensive line and with a well-timed jump causes Gabbert to hesitate long enough to slap him down.Sack #3: Calais CampbellCampbell played about as angry as I’ve ever seen him play and beat the center for the second time of the day with raw power and strength. In awe of this lad. Absolute unit. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey will miss the start of training camp after becoming a new father.Ramsey announced Wednesday on his Twitter page that he would remain in Tennessee with his girlfriend, Bre Ronnie Harrison Jersey , and newborn daughter, Breelyn, while the team opens camp Thursday.Over a picture from Disney’s “The Lion King https://www.jaguarsfanstore.com/Will-Richardson-Jersey ,” Ramsey wrote “for me, family is among the most important things in my life, along with my faith and football. Today starts a new chapter in my life Logan Cooke Color Rush Jersey , as Bre and I are blessed to welcome our baby into this world.”He adds “as soon as I’m comfortable knowing my family is healthy and happy, I’ll return to Jacksonville to rejoin my teammates on our quest to handle some unfinished business.”Coach Doug Marrone says Ramsey let coaches know about the potential conflict months ago.

to simple possession and failure to exercise due care while driving Womens Courtland Sutton Jersey , while getting a DUI charge dismissed, the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports.Johnson will have the charges dropped if he pays court costs and completes 363 days of unsupervised probation after agreeing to a judicial diversion program.He remains subject to NFL discipline.Johnson was charged with a DUI and cited for simple possession in July 2017 after police stopped him for a traffic violation and found he had bloodshot eyes with alcohol on his breath and a marijuana cigarette next to him.Jurors in Knoxville, Tennessee, acquitted Johnson and former University of Tennessee teammate Michael Williams of aggravated rape charges 2 1/2 months ago, stemming from a November 2014 incident.The Broncos signed Johnson on Aug. 13, following his trial.GIF Horse - Josey Jewell and the Diamonds in the Rough In case you somehow missed it, the Broncos preseason is halfway over already. When the Broncos visit Washington next Friday it will be the dress rehearsal for the opener and while Chad Kelly has eaten up a ton of the media attention there have been a few other great developments for the orange and blue.Despite the outcomes, the offensive foundation has been built.The Lead Draw is a play that could be devastating with Freeman carrying the ball. Through 2 games, the Broncos have heavily featured sets I mentioned during my Musgrave study (parts 1, 2, and 3 here), even using a vertical concept on first and goal with the first team offense against Chicago. One play that really caught my eye came in the first game against Minnesota: the Lead Draw. Chris Brown of ESPN (then Grantland) covered it’s success extensively with the Adrian Peterson Vikings, but the exciting part is how the play could fit the Broncos’ backs. While the line and quarterback act as if it’s a pass play on the snap in order to cause defensive hesitation, Andy Janovich or an H-back moves to lead. Brown called it a perfect combination of deceptive power and it would create additional aid for the offensive line while utilizing Janovich to help the ball carrier build a full head of steam. Speaking of the ball carrier Authentic Emmanuel Sanders Jersey , we’re long past the point where Royce Freeman should be considered the heavy favorite for the job. Booker may start but I’d lose some sleep if Musgrave and Joseph fail to notice that the rookie back is a far more effective. He possesses a deadly combination of raw power, shiftiness and vision. Freeman does a nice job moving to take advantage of the space on the backside here. Musgrave Under the MicroscopeThe Broncos 2 PT Play: Trips Bunch Left, Tight End Nub Right. The first thing that sticks out about the play above is how the formation forces the Bears defense to devote so much attention to trips set. Musgrave specialized in forcing this kind of pinch on the opposing coordinator during his time in Oakland and with the WR corps as it currently looks he’ll do it frequently this season as well.It’s notable that the back is aligned to the right of Case Keenum here. By doing so the most logical run threat is towards the bunch, which means that the backers are favoring that side. What’s fun about this play though is that the three receiver side was little more than a decoy for where the real action was.Musgrave routinely creates “Either/Or” situations where the defense can’t win. On the snap Jeff Heuerman makes like he’s running a fade, while Devontae Booker runs an arrow route. Keenum looks left at the bunch, which freezes the backer. Notice that Heuerman looks doubled here, but Booker is drawing attention. Easy completion.It’s a fun play and one that the Broncos can keep in their back pocket for short yardage situations to come.This could be the deepest receiving corps the Broncos have ever had. WR1: Demaryius Thomas- a top ten receiver in the NFL. WR2: Emmanuel Sanders- a little over 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns in his Broncos tenureWR3: a tossup between Courtland Sutton, who’s routinely made highlight plays through camp and has the kind of raw tools you dream about, and DaeSean Hamilton who’s a special kind of worker. What’s being lost in the shuffle with these four though? Tim Patrick has looked legit. It’d be one thing if he did this once. Patrick has been putting on a show through camp as well. The Broncos represent Patrick’s third stop in the league after he spent parts of the 2017 season in Baltimore and San Francisco. He stands 6’4, 210 lbs and knows how to use his frame to make catches over defenders. In college he didn’t have an extensive route tree so he’ll still need polish in that area, but the talent is there if he can stay healthy.During the Bears broadcast it was leaked that the Broncos hope to carry 6 receivers out of camp. As of now the best guess is that Isaiah McKenzie is the favorite in part because of his return prowess and the explosive flashes he’s shown. Obviously fumbles have marred that a great deal and they cropped up again against the Bears, but the talent is there.Josey Jewell shows a ton of promise Jewell’s instincts may help him to make up for his limited straight line speed. “Outlaw” has been a fan favorite since the day he was drafted around Denver, which led me to a wary bit of skepticism that the Iowa linebacker could match the hype. At different times over the summer I watched a bit of his tape here and there but concluded it best to see how he adjusted to NFL speed before I really focused my eye on him.Jewell can’t afford to make mistakes like these. He was impressive Womens Royce Freeman Jersey , but I can also see why he fell to the 4th round of the NFL draft. In case you missed the combine this year, Jewell ran a 4.82 40 yard dash. He’s faster in pads because he has very good instincts to the ball and it helps him to anticipate where it’s going. Additionally, his lateral mobility is elite which helps him to shift quickly from one direction to the other. This showed up when he was matched up against the new Giant Saquon Barkley during their collegiate careers, but as shown in the play above, Jewell’s lack of top end speed means he really can’t afford to take a false step.Another question to ask as game 2 bleeds into 3 is if he can consistently take good angles to the ball. Everyone notices the good plays, but there are a few of these sprinkled in as well.Totally acceptable for a rookie to make this mistake, but Jewell will have to improve at it. On the surface, this is a small issue, but one that will be exacerbated if Jewell is forced into action against players like Kareem Hunt or Melvin Gordon. It’s obviously very early though and I’d expect plays like this to become even less frequent as Jewell acclimates to NFL speed. The last concern I had while watching the Vikings game was that Jewell was locked up by a blocker from time to time. This happens to every backer, but it was a question when Jewell was drafted and something he’ll need to improve at.Jewell did a good job of meeting the ISO block and separating to make the tackle here. 3 & Out: Other impressive defenders. 1st and 10: Shelby HarrisGotsis makes the tackle here, but the attention Harris received created the opportunity. Longtime readers of GIF Horse will know that I’ve dedicated an entire summer film study to Shelby Harris, but it looks like he’s poised to pick up right where he left off in 2017. Double teams, pass deflections, tackles for a loss. Harris looks like the total package so far. It will be interesting to see how Bill Kollar deploys the defensive line http://www.denverbroncosteamonline.com/domata-peko-jersey , as the position group is probably the deepest one on the team. 2nd and 7: Jeff HollandSpeaking of deep position groups, the Broncos are insanely stacked at edge rusher.Another player I took an extensive look at this summer, Holland’s been so good through two games that he deserves another mention. It’s very early, but Elway appears to have unearthed another gem in the undrafted rubble this year. 3rd and 4: DeMarcus WalkerThe sack isn’t an anomaly, Walker’s flashed multiple times against the Bears and Vikings. Basically the forgotten man from the 2017 class, Walker spent the offseason gaining weight and changing positions to become a full time defensive linemen. He’s taken to the changes like a fish to water and could cause Clinton McDonald some sleepless nights as the final cut day creeps closer.4th and 1: Brandon MarshallMarshall looked like his old self against the Bears. 2018 is a critical year for Brandon Marshall. The 6-year veteran signed a $32 million extension in 2016, but following the season Elway could move on with all but $4 M of the remaining saved. At the time of the signing a $9 M cap hit seemed like a bargain given Marshall’s standout play, but last season was an injury marred one. There has already been some rumblings that Josey Jewell could potentially replace him or Todd Davis.While that may be exciting for Iowa fans, if the Broncos D is going to remain among the very best in the league this season, they need Marshall to return to his standout play. It’s looked like he’s ready to do just that through two games.This is the second down play following Marshall’s TFL. He made it into the backfield once again. Who’s excited you? Let me know in the comments and I’ll make a point to study up on them this week!

Another week http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-kelvin-beachum-jersey , another Jets win. That’s something I haven’t said in quite some time, but wouldn’t mind getting used to repeating. I rewatched this game and a few things stood out. First, I have to take back my initial review of Williams in this game. Outside of a few dominant plays that had minimal impact, he did nothing of note and it wasn’t really due to superior OL play or double teams, as is sometimes the case. He needs to step it up. Avery Williamson didn’t record a lot of tackles, but he saved multiple TDs in coverage and had a nice interception. Adams also deserves a shout out, but honestly, he’s been either good or great in every game this year. I think he’s got a real shot at the Pro Bowl and he could develop into a player that was absolutely worth the 6th overall pick last year, even as a safety. Now onto this week’s reward winners:Bronze Star: CB Morris Claiborne (4 tackles, 2 PDs, 1 INT Neal Sterling Jersey , 1 TD)While his interception was more of a “right place, right time” play than anything planned, you have to love how he set the tone of the game right out of the gate. Though they played against one of the worst receiving groups without T.Y. Hilton, Claiborne held up very well despite Luck’s best efforts to rally his team. Claiborne has really rewarded the Jets for placing their trust in him over the last 2 years despite his injury concerns. He’s been the best corner on the team thus far despite the contract given to Johnson, and has handled being the #1 quite well despite the losses of Johnson and Skrine. Claiborne and Adams have been bright spots on a secondary that hasn’t quite lived up to the investment.Silver Star: QB Sam Darnold (24 of 30 for 280 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 6 rushes for 8 yards)I’ll admit I’ve been down on Darnold thus far. Outside of his play against the Broncos, buoyed heavily by both incredible plays by Crowell and the run blocking as well as a pathetic effort by the Broncos defense, I’ve thought he looked pretty bad out there. Don’t get me wrong. I think he’s going to be a good one. I’ve just seen a lot of bad against some admittedly strong defenses. This was the game I’ve been praying for from him. Outside of one horrendous interception, Darnold was perfect. His ball placement at times is startling and he’s thrown absolute dimes to Robby in the end zone in back to back games. This is what I hope to see for the next decade Authentic Doug Middleton Jersey , and he deserves his spot on the list this week.Gold Star: K Jason Myers (7 for 7 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points, 8 touchbacks)You have to give it up to Myers this week. Somehow the Jets have had two players set franchise records in back to back weeks. Now I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but I feel safe in assuming that doesn’t happen often. Anyway, what can you say? Myers nailed all 10 of his kicks, including some 40+ yard kicks, and only allowed 2 returns on his kicks, neither of which got far. While I understand some of the trepidation with a guy like Myers, it’s amazing when you realize that he leads the NFL in field goals, field goal percentage (minimum of 12 attempts), and has hit a 55 yarder this season. Yeah Youth Brandon Copeland Jersey , he’s missed an extra point and he will probably not keep this up, but he deserves respect for how he’s kicked thus far and a gold star for setting a franchise record this week.So there you have it, six weeks in and the table stands:Jamal Adams 5 points (2 silver, 1 bronze)Quincy Enunwa 4 points (1 gold, 1 bronze)Darron Lee 4 points (2 silver)Isaiah Crowell 3 points (1 gold)Henry Anderson 3 points (1 gold)Avery Williamson 3 points (1 gold)Jason Myers 3 points (1 gold)Andre Roberts 3 points (1 gold)Sam Darnold 2 points (1 silver)Leonard Williams 2 points (1 silver)Bilal Powell 2 points (2 bronze)Morris Claiborne 1 point (1 bronze)Robby Anderson 1 point (1 bronze)Jets training camp news and live updates 8/22 Today is the end of Jets training camp in 2018. The team will break camp a couple of days ahead of the third preseason game against the New York Giants.Camp began focused on a player who was not there for the start. Sam Darnold began as a holdout. After missing three practices, he signed his contract and has not looked back. This year’s training camp has featured a standout performance by the likes of third round pick Nathan Shepherd. Players like Derrick Jones have tried to show they are taking the next step. And there has been an unfortunate number of injuries.It isn’t clear whether this will be a busy practice day. Since it is the final day of camp and the last practice before a game, my guess is that it will not be busy. Even so, the GGN Twitter widget is embedded below one last time in camp to provide you with updates.Tweets from https://twitter.com/GangGreenNation/list...american-widget