admin / June 14, 2018

A family vacation kept Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger away from the start of the team’s organized team activities.

Roethlisberger returned Wednesday, but his earlier absences allowed backup quarterbacks Landry Jones, Josh Dobbs and rookie Mason Rudolph to secure additional repetitions during practice.

I know those guys really enjoyed it, and they were thanking me for it, Roethlisberger said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

You’ve got to understand, too, this is football without pads on, Roethlisberger said, via the Post-Gazette. This is kind of getting back into it. That’s the way I look at OTAs and minicamps, it’s just kind of getting back into it, knocking some rust off. You start to get a feel for some young guys a little bit, but it’s all going to change once you get to camp. Once you get to camp, you get pads on and that’s when real football begins.

The Steelers wrap up 10 days of voluntary OTAs on Thursday, and then hold a mandatory three-day minicamp on June 12-14.

According to various reports, few Eagles players were planning to attend the White House event and the team is holding a workout at their facility instead.

Johnson was part of the sad avalanche of NFL superstars who saw their seasons wiped out by injury in 2017. With fresh legs, the Cardinals undergoing a transition at quarterback and millions of dollars at stake (this is a contract year), consider it a huge upset if Johnson isn’t one of the very best backs in football in 2018. His dual-threat capabilities make him a safe bet to lead the league in touches this season. For a game-changing talent just reaching his prime, a 2,000 all-purpose yardage season is in play.

Jones’ end-zone slip in the final moments of a loss to the Eagles in the Divisional Round of the playoffs acted as an effective symbol for the Falcons ‘ offense as a whole in 2017: They were right there but could never quite get over the hump. It was a frustrating season for Jones, who piled up 88 catches for 1,444 yards… but just three touchdowns. Surprisingly, Jones has never been a TD monster (he’s reached double digits just once in his brilliant seven-year career), but a healthy Jones could double or even triple his scoring output in Year 2 under offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who knows his job may depend on it.

admin / June 9, 2018

Quarterback Carson Wentz continued to whet the Eagles fan base’s appetite on Tuesday as he participated in OTA drills for the second time in front of the media.

Every day gets a little bit better, Wentz said last week. I feel like I’ve made really good strides both mentally or physically.

Even if Wentz is not ready for Week 1, the Eagles remain prepared to weather his absence with the return of Foles, who took over for Wentz when he was injured last season and won Super Bowl MVP honors in guiding the Eagles to their first-ever Lombardi Trophy.

It’s not out of the question,Trapasso said of Buffalo once again finishing second to the Pats, noting that just as many questions surround the stripped-down Miami Dolphins and rebuilding New York Jets. Speaking of questions, the real one, for Buffalo, centers on which quarterback will replace Taylor in 2018?

Trapasso acknowledged that Allen is the obvious long-term hope under center and should produce wow playsthat incumbent backup Nathan Peterman and veteran pickup AJ McCarron can only dream of doing. But he also suggested that Peterman, who threw five first-half interceptions in his first action replacing Taylor, is actually the safest bet to start on Opening Day. They really like him,Trapasso said.

He’s one of those practice stars [and] it wouldn’t absolutely stun me if he starts Week One.Asked by Brinson which quarterback he would start if given the choice, Trapasso echoed short-term support for Peterman. Anything that [McCarron] did that looked good in 2015 was boosted by that really loaded Bengals team,he said. [I’d start] Peterman just knowing that he’s been in a few quarters, just because I don’t think he’ll be as much of a deer in the headlights.

admin / May 17, 2018

The woman who accused Reuben Foster of domestic violence earlier this year has since recanted, but prosecutors are sure to use the details of the initial police report in trying to make a case against the San Francisco 49ers star. Among the disturbing allegations is one that sounds like animal abuse.

Bucannon has not set the world on fire, but he’s had enough success to inspire the Rams to trade for Mark Barron, the Falcons to draft Deion Jones early in the second round and, most recently, the Steelers to take a big flyer on Virginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds late in the first round.

Troy Niklas battled injuries early on and never became a factor. Bruce Arians’ scheme wasn’t the most tight end-friendly, though if Niklas had been what they’d hoped, Arians would have found a role for him. Kareem Martin and Ed Stinson provided decent depth for a few years but never carved out distinct roles. John Brown did: deep threat. But after a tumultuous 2016 (health problems) and a quiet 2017, he’s now a Raven. Grade: C Atlanta Falcons Round 1 (6 overall). Jake Matthews, T, Texas A&M 2 (37). Ra’Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota 3 (68). Dezmen Southward, FS, Wisconsin 4 (103).

It’s a break for the Giants, who now will face the Saints in Week 4 with only half of the NFL-best tandem of Ingram and Alvin Kamara, the 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year. Giants defensive end Josh Mauro also will miss the game after receiving the same suspension as Ingram.

I would never condone any of the behavior that was alleged and will always respect and protect the rights of anyone who has been harassed or is the victim of violence. My priorities remain the same — to move forward and strive to be the best coach, teacher, and man that I can possibly be.

When contacted this week by The News, the Lions acknowledged they had not been aware of the incident.

Owner Martha Ford, general manager Bob Quinn and team president Rod Wood released a joint statement Monday night.

admin / May 11, 2018

Former Dallas Cowboys running back Herschel Walker told TMZ Sports he understands why teams won’t hire free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick based on his choice to protest social injustice and racial inequality during the national anthem.

I read where they asked him if he would still kneel if they hired him, and he said he wasn’t sure or he may, and that tells you right there that he doesn’t want to work, Walker said. My point is: I think what he was doing was great. I think what he stood for was great. Black lives matter.

Right now I think he’s got to remember that you have teams saying, ‘If you do what we ask you to do, you may have a job.’ But he don’t wanna do it. … I own a chicken company. If the guy that I hire don’t want to do what I ask him to do, why do I hire him? And I think that’s the problem right there, you know.

The move created $500,000 of cap space for the Lions.

Edge rusher: The 49ers were tied for 26th in the NFL with 30 sacks last season. The hope is Thomas can convert his freakish skill set into dominance, but it would help to have another young, viable threat to take the blocking attention off him.

While Fitzpatrick or James would be a nice piece to round out the secondary behind Thomas and Foster, those players could also use some extra support up front. The 49ers still have remnants of their old 3-4 base up front with Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner. While Buckner has settled nicely in as a 4-3 tackle, Armstead needs to be replaced to lead the rotation opposite Thomas.

Texas-San Antonio’s Marcus Davenport is among the intriguing pass rushers gaining steam and moving up the board late in the draft process. Boston College’s Harold Landry is also in play to go ahead of his mid-first round projections.