National Football League

[Oldermanish]

He didn't have much to smile about between the first Quarter and the last drive. He was taking his bad passes pretty hard. Fortunately the last drive was well-scripted and executed without too much free lancing. Metcalf's block was perfect and could've been the killer penalty if he hadn't thought it through. It kinda looked like he was managing his contact for the refs on that play. Thanks, DK!

Turns out Metcalf was very sick the day before, leaving team meetings to throw up. That'd explain his foggy and non-aggressive (for him) fights for passes. That'd be tough to do.

 

[Oldermanish]

SEA with a win! They need to clean up the penalties to make their lives easier! Entertaining game.

CIN is rollin'!
SF drops three in a row!
Jets with 4 wins! After AR went down I figured that they might only get five wins for the season.

Cousins and ARodge are both going to be listening to mating dolphins now. Lots of injuries!

And now here comes Frank Clark and Leonard Williams from the Giants to encourage Brock and Co. Seattle is not leaving anything to chance it would seem.

 

[movingtarget]

I have to laugh at the talking heads this morning: Purdy has been the second coming of (fill in your own blank here), but now all of a sudden they are all saying how he was over rated, the honeymoon is over, never was elite, etc...

I can't watch ESPN or the like anymore, it's become ridiculous. the mood swings on players from one game to the next is pathetic Purdy just finished his 17th game or so in totality and had to learn Shanahan's playbook which even some veterans struggle with. Yes Purdy has strung a few together now but apart from a couple of errors he also made some great throws but he's no longer getting the rookie benefit of the doubt from the media. It took Lawrence and Allen more than a season. Fields and Wilson are still having issues while Lance is even further behind but watching Purdy it's obvious why he opted for Purdy over Lance. He processes the game more efficiently without lLance's arm strength. Hindsight is wonderful but I think it was a mistake not playing Darnold. It made no sense to rush Purdy back and it seems he took another head hit in this game as well but no one mentioned concussion although his head hit the ground fairly hard. This was the situation Darnold was signed for and I know Shanahan was desperate for a win but at the same time in the season for the previous two years they were in a worse position. Not saying Darnold would have won as no 49ers fan felt confident about that game after the past two weeks. Very strange drop off after the domination of the Cowboys especially on defense.

 

[Nomad]

Lots of people saying the Chiefs lost the game, as if Denver had nothing to do with it. But this was without question Denver's best game in years, and Russ best game in a Bronco uniform. Russ still made mistakes, a bad pick, a fumble, a few missed throws. But their entire team kept fighting, especially their defense. They ran numerous blitzes, and stunts, and just hustled on every play.

Having said that, I agree with Nomad. They might go 8-9 and finish ahead of the Raiders, but this was probably the best they will ever play. I don't see them getting into the playoffs, and certainly don't see them winning a game if they get there. It would take not only this kind of effort, bad weather, the other team underestimating them and making mistakes.

Definitely the Chiefs lost the game, IMO. Mahomes was sick as a dog - up all night, 2 IVs & he probably was on some kind of cold/flu medication just to get on the field. He had 2 picks & a fumble, and looked dazed & confused out there when the pocket broke down (you could see it in his eyes & facial expressions when he was seated on the bench just how sick he was). When have we ever seen that before with Mahomes? Mahomes is a playmaker - particularly against adversity. We've seen him literally perform magic on the field. As Mahomes goes...so does the Chiefs.

Reid must have concluded that a 60% Mahomes is  better than a 100% Gabbert (I had to look up who the backup was because my son, who's a fantasy football guy, didn't even know. Lol).

And that's what is really pathetic with backup QBs in this league. Has there ever been a period of time in the NFL where the performance & reliability of backups is so egregious? FFS, Tyrod Taylor gets hurt bad enough that he needs to go to the hospital & some guy name "Tommy Devito" comes in - but the coach doesn't what him to throw any passes? WTH? - an NFL caliber QB whose coach doesn't want him throwing any passes? Lol

And look at Trubisky yesterday! Are you kidding me - what a stiff! 2 drives that were killed by his interceptions. No playmaking ability whatsoever and unable to put the team in the position to win the game. And there he is on the sidelines with that dazed look & no teammates wanting to be near him. Lol. You knew when Pickett went out for the game, the Steelers had no chance in winning that game (and wasn't he a 2nd Overall selection who couldn't cut it as a starter?).

I remember the days (I'm sure you do as well) where John Elway had the flu, or stomach virus, etc, & was a game time decision. More often than not, Shanahan went with Kubiak - and the Broncos won most of those games. How about the 72 Dolphins? Bob Griese goes down mid-season & backup Earl Morrall plays in 11 games, including the AFC Championship, winning them all!

Because of the state of the backups in this league, I see the team's starters having to play injured & ill. Enormous pressure will be put on starters to play hurt & risk further, more serious injury because the backups are so unreliable & a disaster.

 

[Unchained]

Definitely the Chiefs lost the game, IMO. Mahomes was sick as a dog - up all night, 2 IVs & he probably was on some kind of cold/flu medication just to get on the field. He had 2 picks & a fumble, and looked dazed & confused out there when the pocket broke down (you could see it in his eyes & facial expressions when he was seated on the bench just how sick he was). When have we ever seen that before with Mahomes? Mahomes is a playmaker - particularly against adversity. We've seen him literally perform magic on the field. As Mahomes goes...so does the Chiefs.

Reid must have concluded that a 60% Mahomes is  better than a 100% Gabbert (I had to look up who the backup was because my son, who's a fantasy football guy, didn't even know. Lol).

And that's what is really pathetic with backup QBs in this league. Has there ever been a period of time in the NFL where the performance & reliability of backups is so egregious? FFS, Tyrod Taylor gets hurt bad enough that he needs to go to the hospital & some guy name "Tommy Devito" comes in - but the coach doesn't what him to throw any passes? WTH? - an NFL caliber QB whose coach doesn't want him throwing any passes? Lol

And look at Trubisky yesterday! Are you kidding me - what a stiff! 2 drives that were killed by his interceptions. No playmaking ability whatsoever and unable to put the team in the position to win the game. And there he is on the sidelines with that dazed look & no teammates wanting to be near him. Lol. You knew when Pickett went out for the game, the Steelers had no chance in winning that game (and wasn't he a 2nd Overall selection who couldn't cut it as a starter?).

I remember the days (I'm sure you do as well) where John Elway had the flu, or stomach virus, etc, & was a game time decision. More often than not, Shanahan went with Kubiak - and the Broncos won most of those games. How about the 72 Dolphins? Bob Griese goes down mid-season & backup Earl Morrall plays in 11 games, including the AFC Championship, winning them all!

Because of the state of the backups in this league, I see the team's starters having to play injured & ill. Enormous pressure will be put on starters to play hurt & risk further, more serious injury because the backups are so unreliable & a disaster.

Lots of detailed stories about Tom Brady bringing a chef and only eating his food and sleeping on sheets and bedding that he shuttled to games to avoid getting stomach bugs or respiratory ailments from soap or something else on bed..

I


I absolutely loved when Kansas City players were gushing w compliments about Chad Henne if I remember right.. He stepped in and got the job done

 

[SHAD0W93]

Definitely the Chiefs lost the game, IMO. Mahomes was sick as a dog - up all night, 2 IVs & he probably was on some kind of cold/flu medication just to get on the field. He had 2 picks & a fumble, and looked dazed & confused out there when the pocket broke down (you could see it in his eyes & facial expressions when he was seated on the bench just how sick he was). When have we ever seen that before with Mahomes? Mahomes is a playmaker - particularly against adversity. We've seen him literally perform magic on the field. As Mahomes goes...so does the Chiefs.

Reid must have concluded that a 60% Mahomes is  better than a 100% Gabbert (I had to look up who the backup was because my son, who's a fantasy football guy, didn't even know. Lol).

And that's what is really pathetic with backup QBs in this league. Has there ever been a period of time in the NFL where the performance & reliability of backups is so egregious? FFS, Tyrod Taylor gets hurt bad enough that he needs to go to the hospital & some guy name "Tommy Devito" comes in - but the coach doesn't what him to throw any passes? WTH? - an NFL caliber QB whose coach doesn't want him throwing any passes? Lol

And look at Trubisky yesterday! Are you kidding me - what a stiff! 2 drives that were killed by his interceptions. No playmaking ability whatsoever and unable to put the team in the position to win the game. And there he is on the sidelines with that dazed look & no teammates wanting to be near him. Lol. You knew when Pickett went out for the game, the Steelers had no chance in winning that game (and wasn't he a 2nd Overall selection who couldn't cut it as a starter?).

I remember the days (I'm sure you do as well) where John Elway had the flu, or stomach virus, etc, & was a game time decision. More often than not, Shanahan went with Kubiak - and the Broncos won most of those games. How about the 72 Dolphins? Bob Griese goes down mid-season & backup Earl Morrall plays in 11 games, including the AFC Championship, winning them all!

Because of the state of the backups in this league, I see the team's starters having to play injured & ill. Enormous pressure will be put on starters to play hurt & risk further, more serious injury because the backups are so unreliable & a disaster.

Mahomes has looked like this in multiple games in the past with the only difference being he was sick now and there wasn’t any ref controversy. If Moore doesn’t drop that touchdown there’s a good chance Chiefs win from Broncos imploding as has happened with other teams in the past and the narrative is different. Chiefs are still first in the conference despite their offense looking poor with a big game against the Dolphins which I think is going to come down to a big play by either defense in a high 20-30 game to win the game.

Devito is the third string and we’ve seen previous years of teams not having faith in their backup coming in late, let alone their third string quarterback. Heck the Patriots beat the Texans with their third string Brisset barely throwing the ball when Brady was out for “deflategate” and Kimmy got injured.

How can you forget the most famous backup getting thrust into starting of all.


As others have brought up the longer the NFL season gets in addition to the MNF, TNF, etc. games will lead to more backups being played.

 

[jmdirt]

BTW:

I like some of the 'throw back' uniforms. SEA's was especially good I thought (shocking huh?!.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Another miserable performance by the Raiders offense. Bad pass protection all night. Garappolo seems out of sync with his receivers, not that they can catch the ball anyway. All of Adams talk about not being involved, they threw to him what, 9 times? And one single catch, that's it. Same with Renfro. And supposedly Garappolo has a noodle arm? Well, Adams must have assumed that too by not continuing on with a fly pattern for an easy TD. One could say the Raiders should sit Garappolo and see what O'Connell has, but Aiden isn't very mobile, in fact, that's the one knock on him. He had a very similar game when the Raiders got beat by the Chargers. But at the same time, what do they have to lose? Garappolo obviously isn't earning his $27m salary. I think Nomad said similar before. I think the Raiders were hoping he'd be a good bridge QB for 2 maybe 3 years, like Alex Smith in KC. But I'm starting to sense it's not going to happen and he's in the twilight of his career. I just don't see him lasting.

Agree on the throwback unis. Loved that Seattle 90s look.

And that's what is really pathetic with backup QBs in this league. Has there ever been a period of time in the NFL where the performance & reliability of backups is so egregious? FFS, Tyrod Taylor gets hurt bad enough that he needs to go to the hospital & some guy name "Tommy Devito" comes in - but the coach doesn't what him to throw any passes? WTH?

One single pass attempt in the 2nd half. That's it. I think it was in the last drive actually. 3 passes in OT, two screens to Barkley for -1 yards, and an incompletion. Were they really that unprepared? Maybe so!

And look at Trubisky yesterday! Are you kidding me - what a stiff!

Don't forget, the Bears traded up to get him. And they took him over Mahomes!

I find it laughable when a few pundits were talking about him finding his place as a top back-up now for a stabile team in the Steelers. Are you kidding? He's as bad as he ever was! Matt Nagy was a miracle worker to get those wins out of him a few years back. Granted, that team was all defense. And of course the Bears fired Nagy blaming him for not developing Trubisky, and they promptly got worse. Same thing happened when the Bears had Lovie Smith and were at least competitive (edit: He took them to the Super Bowl!). As soon as they finished 8-8, they canned him too. Just looked Matt up. OC for Kansas City now. Good for him!

That Trubisky trade was so bad I had to look it up. The Bears already had the 3rd overall pick, behind Cleveland and SF. Worried that SF would take Trubisky for some bizarre reason (who had played only 1 season as a starter at NC). SF had signed Garappolo who actually was good then, so I don't know WTF the Bears were thinking. But they gave up:

1. 3rd pick overall, which became Solomon Thomas, who was decent. A torn ACL at the end of his rookie contract hurt him. Overdrafted, but now a solid player with the Jets.
2. Their 2nd round pick, which SF traded to NO, who drafted Alvin Kamara, a star.
3. The following year's 3rd round pick, which with SF took Fred Warner, another star.
4. Plus the 4th round pick, which SF traded to Seattle, who took Tedric Thompson, who had some talent but his career was riddled with injuries and he's out of the NFL.

 

[movingtarget]

Raiders defense must be frustrated, they were good in the first half then inevitably tired being on the field so much. Funny watching Campbell go off about a missed FG while the Raiders coach barely had any offense at all. Yes the O line is not helping Jimmy but he was playing much better than this before he was hurt last season. Adams dropping the ball just adding to his frustration. Good win by Detroit they just dominated time in possession.

Meanwhile more QBs go down. Pickett out with knee and rib injuries. Stafford out with a sprained UCL in the right thumb. Rams wanted to sign Rypien but he wants to stay in Texas so they are bringing back Wolford. Stetson Bennett on IR for the season probably.

Fournette back in the league signing with the Bills. Seattle signing Williams probably a good move. Wonder if the 49ers will answer with a late trade, plenty of rumors circulating.

 

[movingtarget]

Vikings trading for Cardinals QB Josh Dobbs following Kirk Cousins' season-ending injury

The Arizona Cardinals are trading quarterback Joshua Dobbs to the Minnesota Vikings, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday.

www.nfl.com

 

[movingtarget]

Commanders trading DE Chase Young to 49ers for 2024 third-round pick

 

[movingtarget]

Former Rams back up QB John Wolford has rejected offers from the Vikings and Rams and is sticking with Tampa Bay.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

The one trade that surprised me a little was Arizona giving up Dobbs. Their plan seems clear: Start Clayton Tune next week against the Browns, unless Murray is ready to go, and see what Tune has. He was so-so in the pre-season after a college career putting up a lot of numbers. Then, they are all-in on Murray, and expect him to start soon. , and likely play the rest of the season. I'm also surprised because this is the flip of what Minnesota could sort of do. They could start Hall this coming week with Manion on the bench. Then next week when Nick Mullens comes back, name him your starter. I'm not sure Dobbs is much better than Mullens, honestly.

Completely out of left field here. But why on earth is the team from Arizona still the Cardinals? Yes, I know they moved from STL. But that was aeons ago, and the nearest cardinal (bird) is about 1500 miles to the northeast. There are so, so, so many other things that are southwest related they could name the team after: Rattlers, Scorpions, Sidewinders, Coyotes, Tarantulas, Javelinas, Road Runners. Or something native related. Apache, Zuni, Paiute, or Gila, which would make a great mascot in the Gila Monster, which could make an awesome looking uniform.

I like the adds by SF, Seattle and Buffalo. I can see why Washington jettisoned some players, and Denver did not. I thought for sure the Raiders were shopping WR Renfro, but maybe the $ was too much. Surprised that KC and Tennessee didn't do anything.

 

[movingtarget]

Raiders fire head coach Josh McDaniels, general manager David Ziegler

 

[movingtarget]

NFL trade deadline 2023: Grading deals for Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Joshua Dobbs and more

How did each side fare in the swap that sent Chase Young from the Commanders to the 49ers? Kevin Patra grades the deals made in the run-up to the 2023 NFL trade deadline.

www.nfl.com

 

[movingtarget]

The one trade that surprised me a little was Arizona giving up Dobbs. Their plan seems clear: Start Clayton Tune next week against the Browns, unless Murray is ready to go, and see what Tune has. He was so-so in the pre-season after a college career putting up a lot of numbers. Then, they are all-in on Murray, and expect him to start soon. , and likely play the rest of the season. I'm also surprised because this is the flip of what Minnesota could sort of do. They could start Hall this coming week with Manion on the bench. Then next week when Nick Mullens comes back, name him your starter. I'm not sure Dobbs is much better than Mullens, honestly.

Completely out of left field here. But why on earth is the team from Arizona still the Cardinals? Yes, I know they moved from STL. But that was aeons ago, and the nearest cardinal (bird) is about 1500 miles to the northeast. There are so, so, so many other things that are southwest related they could name the team after: Rattlers, Scorpions, Sidewinders, Coyotes, Tarantulas, Javelinas, Road Runners. Or something native related. Apache, Zuni, Paiute, or Gila, which would make a great mascot in the Gila Monster, which could make an awesome looking uniform.

I like the adds by SF, Seattle and Buffalo. I can see why Washington jettisoned some players, and Denver did not. I thought for sure the Raiders were shopping WR Renfro, but maybe the $ was too much. Surprised that KC and Tennessee didn't do anything.

Yeah I don't think Dobbs is much better than Mullens if at all and he's gone backwards the past few games.

Arizona Rattlers is a good one.

So much for the trade talk about Henry and Surtain. Denver were supposed to be sellers. Though I never thought Surtain would be traded nor Henry really.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Raiders fire head coach Josh McDaniels, general manager David Ziegler

Not at all surprised. Over $105m on the payroll for the offense, and they made every other team look like the '85 Bears. I think what was worse though was how anemic the offense was, how flat the play calling was, even after this criticism was repeatedly leveled at the team. Granted, the Patriots had Brady, but think back on how the Pats offense would attack other teams defenses. They'd sometimes run a play, then line up and have a second play ready, catching them off guard for example. They may not have been as innovative as the best teams ever, but they were always ahead of the curve. I guess it was Brady (maybe somewhat Belicheck) and the year McDaniels (supposedly) made Mac Jones look good, or Garappolo and Brissett look decent, was a mirage.

A little surprised Ziegler was fired, as he wasn't too bad. But Mark Davis has never been a very deep thinker no matter how you slice it. A part of me still thinks Davis thought McDaniels could do what Gruden wouldn't - get Brady to come play for the Raiders and bring them a Super Bowl win in their home stadium. When that fell through...

The "worst" part is all the idiotic Raider fans thinking this will lead to the team winning. My guess is the Raiders will now likely finish 4-13 or 5-12, losing many games just like they have this year (and last). Because they simply don't have the depth on either the OL or DL. Their QB is slow and aging, etc.

 

[movingtarget]

Not at all surprised. Over $105m on the payroll for the offense, and they made every other team look like the '85 Bears. I think what was worse though was how anemic the offense was, how flat the play calling was, even after this criticism was repeatedly leveled at the team. Granted, the Patriots had Brady, but think back on how the Pats offense would attack other teams defenses. They'd sometimes run a play, then line up and have a second play ready, catching them off guard for example. They may not have been as innovative as the best teams ever, but they were always ahead of the curve. I guess it was Brady (maybe somewhat Belicheck) and the year McDaniels (supposedly) made Mac Jones look good, or Garappolo and Brissett look decent, was a mirage.

A little surprised Ziegler was fired, as he wasn't too bad. But Mark Davis has never been a very deep thinker no matter how you slice it. A part of me still thinks Davis thought McDaniels could do what Gruden wouldn't - get Brady to come play for the Raiders and bring them a Super Bowl win in their home stadium. When that fell through...

The "worst" part is all the idiotic Raider fans thinking this will lead to the team winning. My guess is the Raiders will now likely finish 4-13 or 5-12, losing many games just like they have this year (and last). Because they simply don't have the depth on either the OL or DL. Their QB is slow and aging, etc.

Yes not a big surprise. Haven't seen Jimmy look this bad for quite a while but then he's already been injured twice this season and you can't improve if you keep missing games and practice. and the soonest they can cut him is after July next year otherwise the cap hit is too big. They might get a shot at a first round QB in the next draft if the season continues like this.

 

[SHAD0W93]

McDaniels has always had the stigma of poor play in calling in certain situations since 2015 though on top of boring concepts. Heck a play he gets huge credit for against the Eagles when Edelman threw the teams touchdown wasn’t even how the play was supposed to be ran. How many of those have occurred.

Raiders this year haven’t ran the ball well and only have 560 yards. Patriots his last year had 2151. Even when Brady was out and Garappolo and Brissett started they ran the ball more.

Plus who knows how he is personality wise but that’s twice he’s gone to a team and they’ve looked bad. Adams could even pull a Moss and go to a new team and be rejuvenated. But as long as they’re playing bad that’ll make my drive to work easier when they’re at home. Even my fiancé wants to see the Chiefs play them in Vegas so she can see Raiders get their rear ends kicked.

 

[jmdirt]

Commanders trading DE Chase Young to 49ers for 2024 third-round pick

good move for SF and Young.

 

[jmdirt]

McDaniels has always had the stigma of poor play in calling in certain situations since 2015 though on top of boring concepts. Heck a play he gets huge credit for against the Eagles when Edelman threw the teams touchdown wasn’t even how the play was supposed to be ran. How many of those have occurred.

Raiders this year haven’t ran the ball well and only have 560 yards. Patriots his last year had 2151. Even when Brady was out and Garappolo and Brissett started they ran the ball more.

Plus who knows how he is personality wise but that’s twice he’s gone to a team and they’ve looked bad. Adams could even pull a Moss and go to a new team and be rejuvenated. But as long as they’re playing bad that’ll make my drive to work easier when they’re at home. Even my fiancé wants to see the Chiefs play them in Vegas so she can see Raiders get their rear ends kicked.

IMO, this is 50/50 the O line not being great, and Jacobs coming in not ready after his holdout. Which came first: the bad running 'potential' or the bad play calling? Is the bad play calling due to the poor run potential? Is the bad play calling from the sideline or the QB play changes at the line?

 

[movingtarget]

IMO, this is 50/50 the O line not being great, and Jacobs coming in not ready after his holdout. Which came first: the bad running 'potential' or the bad play calling? Is the bad play calling due to the poor run potential? Is the bad play calling from the sideline or the QB play changes at the line?

Jacobs is getting better. Thought he played pretty well. The passing game was a bust.

 

[jmdirt]

Jacobs is getting better. Thought he played pretty well. The passing game was a bust.

Yes, he is getting better, but his early season makes me think that he wasn't putting in the work while he was holding out.

Remember when Elliott held out in '19? and came in 10 pounds heavier because he was spending so much time in the wight room since he wasn't on the practice field? That's what should be expected. He had 1,300+ yards rushing that year.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I agree it was sort of 50/50 on whether to can him, at least at this point in time. But the writing was also on the wall. McDaniels has proven himself to be the new Norv Turner. Raiders also fired OC Mick Lombardi, who apparently several players were unhappy with for drawing up vanilla plays from the 90s with McDaniels (I made up that last bit!).

I'm not someone who thinks if the Raiders can just draft Caleb Williams or Drake Maye everything will be sunshine and lollipops in the future. I've written about this kind of strategy many times in the past, so have some of you. The other thing to know here is the Raiders already have a rookie QB in Aiden O'Connell who has shown real potential. Yes, he turned the ball over and lost against the Chargers, but he also had very few snaps with the first team that week (maybe none) and was anointed the starter that Saturday. He played decent in garbage time against Chicago once he settled in. Both cases he had little prep work, and played better than both Garappolo and Hoyer. The Raiders have more problems than just QB though. Their OL is a patchwork of average players, and there is no depth there. Jacobs should be fit by now, and I'm suspecting he's facing the same short shelf life as 90% of the other RBs out there.

Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce first call was to bench Jimmy G and announce Aiden as the starter. So that's a smart move I think. Might lead to some offense and the Raiders winning a game or two.

 

[jmdirt]

I agree it was sort of 50/50 on whether to can him, at least at this point in time. But the writing was also on the wall. McDaniels has proven himself to be the new Norv Turner. Raiders also fired OC Mick Lombardi, who apparently several players were unhappy with for drawing up vanilla plays from the 90s with McDaniels (I made up that last bit!).

I'm not someone who thinks if the Raiders can just draft Caleb Williams or Drake Maye everything will be sunshine and lollipops in the future. I've written about this kind of strategy many times in the past, so have some of you. The other thing to know here is the Raiders already have a rookie QB in Aiden O'Connell who has shown real potential. Yes, he turned the ball over and lost against the Chargers, but he also had very few snaps with the first team that week (maybe none) and was anointed the starter that Saturday. He played decent in garbage time against Chicago once he settled in. Both cases he had little prep work, and played better than both Garappolo and Hoyer. The Raiders have more problems than just QB though. Their OL is a patchwork of average players, and there is no depth there. Jacobs should be fit by now, and I'm suspecting he's facing the same short shelf life as 90% of the other RBs out there.

Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce first call was to bench Jimmy G and announce Aiden as the starter. So that's a smart move I think. Might lead to some offense and the Raiders winning a game or two.

I don't know that Jacobs can get fit during the season, but he seems to be at least getting into 'game rhythm'. It seems like he had a hip/pelvis/femur issue near the end of last year, but that's too long ago for me to remember details. Tough to see that he hit his shelf life in a few months during the off season though.

I'm alarmed by the lack of good, let alone elite, O linemen in the league. There is no doubt that D players have gotten way better, but why haven't the O done the same? EDIT: strategies should get better too, get creative against the guys who are always on top of the QB.

EDIT 2: for example, if Micah Parsons at 245 or Jamal Adams at 225 are coming at your QB1 why are you trying to block them with a 300+ guy?