NFL News

[Futureshock]

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah: I’ll be ready for Travis Kelce

Posted by Josh Alper on September 7, 2021, 12:49 PM EDT

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The Browns’ 2020 season came to an end against the Chiefs in the playoffs last year and they’ll try for a better result in Kansas City this Sunday.

One difference for the Browns from the last time the two teams met will be the presence of linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on the defense. The second-round pick is listed as a backup on the team’s depth chart, but he expects to have a prominent role in the opener as part of the team’s plan to deal with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

“It’s not foreign to me to have some type of matchup that’s as such,” Owusu-Koramoah said, via Jeff Schudel of the Willoughby News-Herald. “I watched a lot of film, had to watch a lot of film to be able to be ready for a guy that’s as talented as him. So we’ll be ready. I’ll be ready and as a team we’re looking forward to game planning and correcting stuff. I’m expecting to have a big role — nickel, some base, stuff like that.”

Kelce had eight catches for 109 yards and a touchdown in January’s Chiefs win. If the rookie can keep him from having the same impact, the chances of a different result will be a lot higher.

[Futureshock]

Ravens signing Le’Veon Bell to practice squad

Posted by Josh Alper on September 7, 2021, 6:43 PM EDT

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Le'Veon Bell faced the Ravens many times while he was a member of the Steelers and he may get a chance to play for his former AFC North rivals soon.

Bell worked out for the Ravens on Monday and Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Ravens are signing him to their practice squad. Schefter adds that Bell is expected to be moved to the active roster “when ready,” although that plan could change if things don’t go as hoped during upcoming practices.

The Ravens lost J.K. Dobbins to a torn ACL in their final preseason game and Justice Hill to a torn Achilles in a recent practice. Gus Edwards and Ty'Son Williams are the other backs on the roster and there currently is not a back on the practice squad.

Bell opened last season with the Jets and hurt his hamstring in Week One. After a stint on injured reserve, he returned for one game and then got released after appearing to air his desire for a trade on social media. He signed with the Chiefs and ran 63 times for 254 yards and two touchdowns before falling out of the lineup in the final weeks of the season.

[Futureshock]

Did NOT see that coming...


Saints cut Latavius Murray

Posted by Michael David Smith on September 7, 2021, 5:20 PM EDT

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Saints running back Latavius Murray declined a pay cut, so he’s getting cut.

The Saints are releasing Murray after they asked him to take a pay cut and he refused, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Murray was due a $2.95 million base salary this season, which is a lot to pay a backup running back.

The 31-year-old Murray looked last year like he still had some tread left on the tires, so he’ll likely have some options. The Ravens, who have had a rash of injuries at running back, are a team that might be interested in his services.

The Saints have also officially signed Desmond Trufant, who takes the roster spot Murray vacates.

[Futureshock]

Will never forget him. We used to say "Sam Bam Cunningham"


Patriots great and college football legend Sam Cunningham dies at 71

Posted by Michael David Smith on September 7, 2021, 4:34 PM EDT

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Sam Cunningham, who had a legendary college football career and played for the Patriots for a decade, has died at the age of 71.

A bruising, 6-foot-3, 226-pound running back, Cunningham is best remembered for his spectacular performances in college at USC, where he was named Most Valuable Player of the 1973 Rose Bowl for scoring four touchdowns as USC clinched the national championship with a victory over Ohio State.

Perhaps most significantly, the African-American Cunningham turned in a dominant performance in USC’s 42-21 win against an all-white Alabama team in 1970. That game was said to help integrate Southern college football, as it convinced many football coaches and fans in the Deep South that if they remained segregated, their teams could not compete against the best integrated teams.

Cunningham was proud of his performance against Alabama but had mixed feelings about how that game was remembered, telling the Los Angeles Times years later that if he helped integrate Southern football, it wasn’t necessarily for the right reasons.

“That didn’t change how those white people thought of Black people,” Cunningham said. “They were accepted because they could help their program win football games.”

The Patriots selected Cunningham with the 11th overall pick in the 1973 NFL draft, and he played his entire career in New England, retiring after the 1982 season. He finished his NFL career with 1,385 carries for 5,453 yards and 43 touchdowns.

Among Cunningham’s survivors is his younger brother, former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham.

[Futureshock]

BRADLEY ROBYDB, HOUSTON TEXANS
Texans traded CB Bradley Roby to the Saints.


Roby is suspended Week 1 but will provide the Saints with a high quality starting cornerback once he returns. Per The Athletic's Aaron Reiss, the trade creates around $9 million in cap space for the Texans in 2021 and $10 million in 2022. Roby, age 29, makes quite a bit more sense on the Saints' roster than as part of Houston's rebuilding effort.

SOURCE: Ian Rapoport on Twitter
Sep 8, 2021, 10:30 AM

[Futureshock]

MARK INGRAMRB, HOUSTON TEXANS
Mark Ingram and Phillip Lindsay are expected to see most of the work in a run heavy Texans "attack."


The Texans also have David Johnson and Rex Burkhead, who are likely to see work as well. With just five wide receivers on the roster, the Texans aren't built for high volume passing. Instead they're likely to repeatedly run the ball whenever they have the chance. With a win total of just four games, the lowest in the league, this plan of attack seems destined for a head-on collision with reality. Nevertheless, the Houston's offensive philosophy is likely to yield slower paced games that are far less fantasy friendly for opposing teams than in years past. The Texans host the Jaguars in Week 1.

RELATED:

• Phillip Lindsay
• , David Johnson
• , Rex Burkhead

SOURCE: James Palmer on Twitter
Sep 8, 2021, 9:45 AM

[Futureshock]

Tom Brady voices Bucs hype video: “Every great story deserves a sequel. And ours begins right now.”

Posted by Curtis Crabtree on September 9, 2021, 1:04 AM EDT

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The NFL season kicks off tonight as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers begin their defense of the Lombardi Trophy at home against the Dallas Cowboys.

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is used to that position as he’s had six previous title defense seasons under his belt. As his seventh title defense and the Buccaneers’ second gets set to begin Thursday night, the Buccaneers released a “hype” video with Brady narrating the production.

“Take a moment and reflect,” Brady begins over highlights from last season. “Last February in this stadium, something special happened. Tonight is the encore. After a moment that Tampa Bay will never forget, a championship that the world can never take away, the journey of this team isn’t over. Tonight, we turn the page. We may be champions, but once again we suit up as the unproven.

The video then turns to acknowledge the fans who are returning in much larger numbers to stadiums, including Raymond James Stadium, as the 2021 NFL season kicks off.

Last year’s effort won’t be enough, so we need something we didn’t have last time,” Brady says over a shot of fans. “With our crew at out back, our strength is unmatched. So whoever you are, know this. There’s no fight you can bring, there’s no hell you can raise that’s greater than all that we’ve been through together. After all, every great story deserves a sequel. And ours begins right now.”

Cowboys at Buccaneers kicks off the 2021 campaign tonight at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.

[Futureshock]

Josh Allen, Mac Jones, Tom Brady have top three jerseys since August 1

Posted by Mike Florio on September 9, 2021, 9:53 AM EDT

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Nobody moves merchandise like quarterbacks. Five quarterbacks have ruled jersey sales since training camps opened.

Fanatics has announced, dating back to August 1, the top-selling jerseys.

In first place, Bills quarterback and sure-fire MVP candidate Josh Allen. Next is rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who became the clear-cut starter eight days ago. Tom Brady, who had been No. 1 for most of the last 20 years, lands at No. 3.

Next comes Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields, followed by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The league has come a long way from the offseason dominance of former Jaguars tight end Tim Tebow, who has returned to being gone and forgotten after his cup of decaf in Jacksonville. It’s all quarterbacks now, and it likely will continue to be quarterbacks throughout the season.

[Futureshock]

Goodness. You're a top 5 selection. If the ball is purple with orange polka dots, catch the dam thing kid. FFS


Ja’Marr Chase: NFL ball is harder to catch than NCAA ball, harder to see without white stripes

Posted by Michael David Smith on September 9, 2021, 9:16 AM EDT

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Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has an interesting excuse for the dropped passes that have plagued him in the preseason: He says he’s still adjusting to the change from the NFL football to the NCAA football.

The NFL and NCAA do not use the exact same specifications for their footballs, meaning the balls used in college football can be slightly smaller. The balls used in college football also have white stripes on either end, while NFL footballs have no stripes. Chase says that matters.

“The ball is different because it is bigger,” Chase said, via Bengals.com. “It doesn’t have the white stripes on the side so you can’t see the ball coming from the tip point so you actually have to look for the strings on the ball at the top, which is hard to see because whole ball is brown and you have the six strings that are white. But for the most part, just have to get used to it and find out what I am comfortable with catching.”

Of course, every single rookie has to make the exact same adjustment, and we haven’t heard any other rookies blame the footballs for dropped passes. Chase also said sitting out the 2020 season has him rusty, but he acknowledges that it’s on him to make the necessary adjustments.

“I don’t want to blame it on me sitting on my butt the whole year, but it probably had something to do with it, of course,” Chase said. “There’s a bigger ball adjustment, so I don’t want to make excuses but I’ve just got to be a pro and make the catch.”

If Chase plays as well as the Bengals expect him to, his preseason drops will soon be forgotten. But if the drops continue into the regular season, no one is going to accept the slight difference in the footballs as an excuse.

[Futureshock]

Looking at the drops, it looks more like a concentration issue. On all of them he actually took his eyes off the ball to turn upfield and didn't welcome the ball in. IDK how he thinks it has anything to do with stripes and crap.

[Cody_Russell]

Ravens potentially losing their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd string RBs before the season begins. Big ouch. Then again, watch Le'Veon Bell or the other guy become a beast in the Ravens system.
Marcus Peters, starting CB for the Ravens, went down today too.

[Forsh]

Ravens potentially losing their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd string RBs before the season begins. Big ouch. Then again, watch Le'Veon Bell or the other guy become a beast in the Ravens system.
Marcus Peters, starting CB for the Ravens, went down today too.

That's messed up

[Forsh]

And Ingram is healthy but gone

[Futureshock]

Ravens potentially losing their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd string RBs before the season begins. Big ouch. Then again, watch Le'Veon Bell or the other guy become a beast in the Ravens system.
Marcus Peters, starting CB for the Ravens, went down today too.

WTH is going on over there. I'm glad I took L Bell too in every league I took Edwards (and even some I didn't )

[Futureshock]

And Ingram is healthy but gone

Allegedly they are going to be run heavy in HOU with Ingram and Lindsay carrying an equal load. I manage to always get Lindsay because I probably over value him slightly. But most people don't know how good that guy is.