2. 2017
  3. September

Watch: Rams RB Todd Gurley Jersey hurdles his way to a touchdown

Rams running back Todd Gurley had touchdowns on his mind Sunday, and no play was more indicative of that than one in the third quarter against the Redskins.
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On a first down from the Redskins’ 18-yard line, Gurley broke a run down the sideline and saw cornerback Bashaud Breeland in his way. The young corner was not in his way for long.
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Crazy thing about it was this wasn’t not his first hurdle of the day. He did the same thing in the second quarter.

Rob Kelley, Washington Redskins, rib, (Q): Kelley’s status will likely come down to pregame, as the decision on whether he plays or sits is a matter of how well he can function in the presence of a rib cartilage injury. His involvement in practice early in the week was a good sign, but the injury kept him from doing much in practice as the week progressed.

A numbing injection and rib pads are a possibility when it comes to helping to manage the discomfort but completely alleviating it is unlikely, given that every reaching and twisting motion — even breathing, which moves the rib cage — stresses the injured area. Add to that the impossibility of avoiding contact as a running back, and it may be a challenge for Kelley to play. If he does play, he may be limited either by design in advance or as the game progresses, if his discomfort increases. With this game taking place on Sunday night, it may be hard for fantasy owners to not make alternate plans.

Chris Thompson, Washington Redskins, back: Three touchdowns in two weeks and an injured Rob Kelley make Thompson’s status worth monitoring. Despite being listed on the injury report because of his back, Thompson practiced fully each day, and his removal from the game status injury report indicates he will play.

The Chiefs are good enough to give Andy Reid Jersey the Super Bowl he deserves

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There are seven NFL teams sitting at 2-0, and none of them has looked as good as the Kansas City Chiefs. This is weird.

Not that the Chiefs being good is weird. The Chiefs have had a winning record each season and missed the playoffs just once in four years under Andy Reid.

But for the Chiefs to look utterly dominant is something else. Under Reid, the Chiefs have become the sort of high-floor, low-ceiling team that you wouldn’t really expect to see in the Super Bowl. They’ve gone down swinging (read: painfully, excruciatingly) in all three of their playoff losses under Reid and have yet to get past the Divisional round. They could be counted on to be pretty good in all phases — to rush better than most teams, to be frustrating to score on, and to not cough up the ball — but fall short when games are tight and matter most.

His 45-yard touchdown to ice his team’s win was massive both for Detroit and the franchise’s budding star wideout.

Last Sunday’s performance proved he has the athleticism and hands to make big plays, but the preseason showcased his field awareness and ability to adjust to the ball once it’s thrown. He’s looked every bit the kind of receiver who can bail out his quarterback on underthrown or opposite-shoulder throws. Here he is adjusting back to the ball to increase his window while a Colts cornerback overcommits and can’t make a play on the ball:
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Here he is in that same game, turning to box out a cornerback and adjust back to the ball to fall into the end zone for six points:

Golladay wasn’t a blue-chip high school recruit. He didn’t have a player page on Rivals. He had just one scholarship offer to a Division I school — and that was the University of North Dakota. At barely 6’0 and with middling speed, he didn’t have special measurables — but he emerged as an immediate contributor with the Fighting Hawks.

The Rams’ Color Rush uniforms are actually good

It’s Thursday Night Football season, meaning we get a bunch of bad football and colorful uniforms that may or may not make for a bad viewing experience. Not a lot of teams get their Color Rush uniforms done right — I’m looking at you, Jaguars, with your dijon mustard lookin’ threads.

One team that does get it right, and has since Color Rush started, is the Rams.

Yeah, I know — these are just regular mustard, or low power mode on your iPhone, or Laa Laa the Teletubby, or even Tom Herman hydration chart (pee!) colored. But damn it, they’re good uniforms.

The Rams are currently in a uniform crisis. They moved back to Los Angeles, which ignited a lot of conversation toward uniform reform that was sparked by nostalgia.

In the offseason, Washington proposed a bylaw that would give teams the choice to opt out of wearing the uniforms. The team’s entire reason for the proposition was explained in two words:

But Washington withdrew the submission before it could reach a vote and that means Color Rush is here to stay.

While the Bengals’ all-white uniforms and the Texans’ all-navy blue are low on the garish scale, there will be more outrageous uniforms in the remainder of the 2017 season.

Jacksonville has donned a terrible mustard color in each of the last two seasons that even Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles thinks are “ugly as hell.” The Buccaneers and Rams once met in a ketchup vs. mustard battle.nike_jets_1391

Brandon Marshall Jersey is two games into his Giants career …

so far, so bad. Marshall has one catch in each of the outings and sits at nine targets, two receptions, 27 yards and zero touchdowns. The 33-year-old did ranks second on the team with five targets on Monday night, but he had a costly drop — and it’s worth remembering that his role was bigger with Odell Beckham Jr. limited. It’s possible that a healthy Beckham will open things up for Marshall, but the Giants’ dreadful offense is unlikely to yield much fantasy production for secondary targets. Marshall is barely worth a roster spot in most formats.

Michael Crabtree, WR, Oakland Raiders: For only the third time in his 113-game NFL career, Crabtree reached the 30-point plateau in PPR fantasy scoring, and for the second time, he scored three touchdowns in a game. He was a perfect 6-for-6 catching his targets en route to leading all players through the Sunday 4 p.m. ET games. While Crabtree’s fantasy managers who drafted him 36th overall (37.3 ADP) in the preseason were surely pleased, Amari Cooper’s were not. After all, they drafted Cooper 23rd (23.4 ADP) and have gotten 20.8 fewer PPR fantasy points out of him (45.3 for Crabtree, 24.5 Cooper) on five more targets (18 for Cooper, 13 Crabtree), with Cooper leading the seasonal red zone target battle 4-2.
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Michael Saunders Authentic Jersey The way he played his first game, he sure didn’t look like a rookie, as he runs precise routes, consistently gets open and brings a stable, veteran presence. And I think Jared Goff can be competent and said that even before facing the terrible Colts. No Ram had more targets than Kupp in Week 1 and all credit due to a healthy Sammy Watkins but I think Kupp ends up the top target getter. And by the way, Washington’s secondary isn’t so great, either, so I expect the Rams to continue moving the ball. — Eric Karabell

Packers receiver Geronimo Allison Jersey and Rams safety Isaiah Johnson Jersey left their respective games to be evaluated for head injuries.

I don’t think it changes that much for either guy, O’Brien said. They both obviously have different skillsets. There’s maybe three or four different plays that we run and vice versa that the other guy doesn’t run, but it (the offense) doesn’t really change too much.

Complicating matters should Watson earn his first career start is an avalanche of offensive injuries. Allen (ankle) will not play on Thursday, giving way to another backup, Greg Mancz. The Texans’ tight-end depth chart was obliterated by concussions, with C.J. Fiedorowicz, who was on Tuesday placed on injured reserve, Ryan Griffin, and Stephen Anderson all concussed against the Jaguars. Houston also lost receiver Bruce Ellington, who enjoyed a productive preseason, to a concussion, but will welcome back receiver Jaelen Strong from his one-game suspension.

Bengals rookie receiver John Ross left Thursday’s game against the Colts in the second quarter with a left knee injury and did not return. A shoulder injury prevented Ross from playing the first two preseason games and he was expected to see extensive time Thursday after appearing briefly in last week’s preseason game against the Redskins. He had an 8-yard run in last game’s game and had a 6-yard reception to go with a 25-yard run on a reverse against the Colts.
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Fran Tarkenton Kids Jersey Following his injury, Ross went to the locker room but did walk back out to the sideline, where he watched the remainder of the game.

Steelers defensive backs Malik Golden (right groin), Jordan Dangerfield (left ankle) and Cameron Sutton (right hamstring) all left Thursday’s win over the Panthers and did not return.

J.J. Watt Jersey has raised $16 million for Hurricane Harvey relief, eyeing $20 million

What started as a $100,000 donation and a call for help for the city of Houston and those affected by Hurricane Harvey has become one of the biggest fund-raisers in NFL history.

No doubt, thousands of Patriots fans will wave their own handmade signs denouncing Goodell.

I give NBC credit for showing Goodell. It is a legit news story. The Patriots, meanwhile, will not show Goodell on their video scoreboards. The commissioner, it should be noted, will not be sitting in Pats owner Robert Kraft’s luxury box.

Will the network show him early and then ignore him, or will it stick with the story and follow the fan protests? During NBC’s Football Night in America pregame show, Dan Patrick noted Pats fans widely jeering Goodell as he hung out on the sideline.

Originally handed a six-game suspension, Elliott was already cleared to suit up Sunday night against the Giants. Now, with the injunction granted, Elliott’s suspension will be temporarily lifted.

Authentic Youth DeMarcus Cousins Jersey Elliott’s legal team issued a statement saying in part, This is just the beginning of the unveiling of the NFL’s mishandling as it relates to Mr. Elliott’s suspension. As the Court noted, the question of whether Mr. Elliott received a fundamentally fair hearing was answered 鈥?’he did not.’ We agree.
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While the Elliott situation is far from resolved, this latest development provides a bit of clarity for this season.

The NFLPA issued a release shortly after the court ruling.

Commissioner discipline will continue to be a distraction from our game for one reason: because NFL owners have refused to collectively bargain a fair and transparent process that exists in other sports, the release stated. This ‘imposed’ system remains problematic for players and the game, but as the honest and honorable testimony of a few NFL employees recently revealed, it also demonstrates the continued lack of integrity within their own League office.

Cardinals coach: David Johnson ‘possibly’ back between Thanksgiving and Christmas

The two-to-three month projections for Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson to return from surgery to repair his dislocated wrist may have been a bit premature.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians is hoping the All-Pro back “possibly” between Thanksgiving and Christmas – 11 to 15 weeks from now – he said Tuesday night on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

“It’s a great opportunity for Kerwynn Williams and Andre,” Arians said. “We’ll get Chris Johnson back up to speed.”

Although Hill wasn’t penalized for the play, he can still be punished once the league looks over the game. For context as to how much the fine could be, let’s look at a case last year involving Odell Beckham Jr. The Giants receiver was fined $24,000 for a taunting penalty in which all he did was exchange words with a defender.

MORE: Why your team won’t win the Super Bowl

If Hill does end up getting fined, we’d likely have to hear it from him first. The league doesn’t announce fines, and we often have to find out through other mediums when players get punished.

The league has laxed up a bit on its celebration rules for 2017, but the first game in Week 1 could set a standard for other players regarding the taunting aspect.
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Giants OL allows a sack on Eli Manning Authentic Jersey during their ‘Sunday Night Football’ intros

The Giants’ offensive line allowed a sack on Eli Manning during New York’s first offensive series against the Cowboys in Week 1. Unfortunately for the line, it happened during the unit’s Sunday Night Football introductions.

This timing could not have been more unfortunate.
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John Jerry out of Ole Miss is the one who gets beat by Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence. Lawrence puts a brutal sack on Eli Manning, and he celebrates with his teammates as the offensive linemen’s introductions are wrapping up.

The Giants have had two possessions in the first quarter, and they’ve gone three-and-out both times. But if they’re going to allow a sack on the first possession, at least we got to laugh about it happen while they were introducing themselves on national television.

I close my laptop. I pause the game. When I come back to watch it, after my kids are in bed, I will watch most of the fourth quarter on fast-forward. The frames that click by will look like repeats of each other: Rodgers knocked to the ground, but a Packer with the ball crossing the yellow line anyway. The final six minutes-plus of game time will pass that way, the ending so unremarkable I zip past the final: Packers 17, Seahawks 9.
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But for now, with sports frozen in time, I read books to my kids. I sing them lullabies. I hug them and kiss them, and their hair is fine and soft like fresh corn silk as I put them to bed.

The drive ends in a touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins, and I cannot understate the glaring and obvious difference between Savage and Watson. Savage’s movement in the first half resembled the first time in Ratatouille that Remy remote-controlled his blindfolded human friend by yanking his hair. Watson, conversely, looks like a natural biped. I am convinced Bill O’Brien has brain parasites.

Julian Edelman Jersey and Spencer Ware’s injuries show how dangerous the preseason can be

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One of the many reasons the NFL preseason is bad is that, seemingly every year, we see big stars or important players go down to severe injuries in a meaningless game. Unfortunately, things have been no different in 2017, and Friday night saw two key players suffer major knee injuries that threaten their season before it even begins.

The New England Patriots were the first team to endure a loss when wide receiver Julian Edelman went down on a non-contact injury. On Saturday afternoon the team’s worst fears were confirmed — it’s a torn ACL.

Now he’ll go to Seattle, a place where many defensive linemen like Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, and plenty of others have thrived after starting their careers elsewhere.

For Jermaine Kearse, the trade will mean a big change in scenery. Before the move, he spent his entire organized football life in Washington, whether it was in high school at Lakewood Lakes, playing college ball for the Huskies, or winning a Super Bowl with the Seahawks. Now he’ll head across the country to play for the Jets.
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The veteran wide receiver was traded by Seattle, ending a five-year run in which every season ended with at least one postseason victory on the books. The move clears a spot on the depth chart for players like Paul Richardson and Amara Darboh to step up and gives the Jets some receiver help after a rough offseason at the position.

the Falcons have a new stadium this season.

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Scott Niedermayer Authentic Jersey There’s plenty of uni-related news as we move toward the kickoff of the 2017 NFL season. Most notably, a new Nike collar that eliminates the Flywire design has been adopted by 19 of the 22 teams that were still using the old one — we’ll call them the Flyswatter Brigade! Here’s our rundown of what you can expect to see in the NFC South on the gridiron this fall.

The Buccaneers are among the handful of teams that have stuck with last year’s template, so they’re still saddled with the Flywire collar.
On the plus side, the Bucs have added a new set of white pants with red trim. The previous white pants, with pewter trim, are still part of the team’s wardrobe, but the new version is a big upgrade. Here’s hoping they wear it a lot this season.

The Falcons, much like the Packers, stuck with the old Reebok fabric and tailoring when Nike took over the league’s uniform contract in 2012. This season they’re finally shifting to the new Nike template.

Meanwhile, the Falcons have a new stadium this season. The early reviews are mostly positive (lots of additional info here), though there are some problems with the retractable roof, which won’t be able to open for at least the first few games of the season.

The NFL chews up and spits out athletes in droves. The average length of a career in the league is about three years, leaving many of the nation’s best athletes with no choice but to look for a new career path in their mid-20s.

For a few, MMA has provided that option.