Month: September 2024

Sep 28, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (4) passes against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the first quarter at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Report: Florida State QB DJ Uiagalelei breaks finger, out vs. Clemson

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Redshirt freshman Brock Glenn will start at quarterback on Saturday for Florida State against No. 15 Clemson as starter DJ Uiagalelei deals with a right hand injury, ESPN reported Monday.

Per the report, Uiagalelei broke a finger on his throwing hand in Saturday’s 42-16 loss to SMU and will be out a few weeks. He was undergoing testing on his hand Monday to determine the next step.

Talking to reporters Monday, coach Mike Norvell confirmed the injury but did not rule his starter out against Clemson, saying Uiagalelei would be evaluated as the week goes on. Uiagalelei and Glenn were listed as co-starters on the depth chart released Monday.

It’s been a rough season so far for the Seminoles (1-4, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who were ranked No. 10 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll. After stops at Clemson and Oregon State, Uiagalelei is in his first season at Florida State and has completed a career-low 53.8 percent of his passes for 1,065 yards, with four touchdowns and six interceptions.

Before leaving the SMU game, Uiagalelei was 12-for-30 passing for 222 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Glenn replaced him and couldn’t connect on any of his four pass attempts.

Glenn appeared in five games in 2023, with starts in the ACC championship game and the Orange Bowl after Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending injury Nov. 18. Glenn completed 19 of 51 passes last season (37.3 percent) for 229 yards with two interceptions.

–Field Level Media

Nov 26, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars place kicker Brandon McManus (10) makes a 40 yard field goal against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

NFL has ‘insufficient’ evidence to punish ex-Jags K Brandon McManus

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The NFL said Monday that it has concluded its investigation into former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus and would not be disciplining him at this time.

McManus is the subject of a lawsuit that alleges he sexually assaulted two women working on a team flight last year.

“There was insufficient evidence to support a finding that a violation of the personal conduct policy occurred,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement to several outlets Monday. “As always, if new evidence is presented it would be taken into consideration.”

The league interviewed 30 people as part of its investigation, but attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing the two accusers, claimed his clients had yet to speak with the NFL.

“We are still working to schedule a meeting between the NFL’s investigators and our clients,” Buzbee said in a statement to ESPN. “The NFL hasn’t yet spoken with our clients so I’m a bit confused as to why anyone could conclude (there was insufficient evidence) at this point.”

McManus is a free agent and eligible to sign with any team.

Two women filed a lawsuit in May after McManus had signed a one-year, $3.6 million contract with the Washington Commanders. They accused McManus of rubbing and grinding against them while they staffed the Jaguars’ flight to London for a pair of games in October 2023.

One accuser said McManus tried to kiss her, and the other claimed McManus “smirked and walked away” after she confronted him about grinding against her.

The Jaguars also were named in the suit, as the women claimed the team did not provide a safe working environment on the flight. They said players, including McManus, disregarded air travel safety and the kicker passed out $100 bills to try to get the flight attendants to drink and dance.

Earlier this month, a Florida circuit court judge dismissed the accusers’ initial lawsuit because they used the pseudonyms Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II without “exceptional circumstances that outweigh the public interest in open proceedings.”

The women re-filed the lawsuits using their names three days later. They are seeking more than $1 million in damages and a jury trial.

In a counterfiling called a request for admissions, McManus’ lawyer claimed that the women drank on the job, had drug addictions, made sexually explicit social media posts and used a racial slur, among other things.

McManus, 33, spent the first nine seasons of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos before joining Jacksonville on a one-year contract in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) celebrates with offensive lineman Parker Brailsford (72) after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Alabama’s Jalen Milroe rolls into heavy Heisman favorite status

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When Jalen Milroe announced last December that he was returning to Alabama for the 2024 season, he didn’t specifically mention the Heisman Trophy as a motivating factor.

If it weren’t already among his goals, Milroe can add it to his list after potentially enjoying his “Heisman moment” in Saturday’s 41-34 victory over bitter rival Georgia.

Milroe owned the fifth-shortest odds over the summer at +1500 at DraftKings. By last week he had moved into the third spot at +700 while watching Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Miami’s Cam Ward cycle through the top spot.

That spot now firmly belongs to Milroe. After accounting for four touchdowns against Georgia, he is now the +250 favorite — by far the shortest odds for any player this season through DraftKings. Milroe is followed by Ward (+500) and Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter, who had shot from +2000 last week to +700 by Monday.

HEISMAN TROPHY ODDS*
PLAYER, TEAM, JULY ODDS, WEEK 1, CURRENT
Jalen Milroe, Alabama, +1500, +1100, +250
Cam Ward, Miami, +2200, +950, +500
Travis Hunter, Colorado, N/A, N/A, +700
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State, N/A/, N/A, +1000
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon, +750, +800, +1400
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee, +1800, +1200, +1500
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss, +1400, +850, +1600
Quinn Ewers, Texas, +1000, +1400, +2000
Miller Moss, Southern California, N/A, +2200, +2500
Will Howard, Ohio State, +1500, +1600, +2500
Cade Klubnik, Clemson, N/A, N/A, +2800
Carson Beck, Georgia, +800, +900, +3000
Drew Allar, Penn State, N/A, N/A, +3500
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, N/A, +2200, +4000
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU, +2200, +3500, +4000
Arch Manning, Texas, N/A, N/A, +4500
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame, N/A, N/A, +5500
*DraftKings

Milroe has now thrown for 964 yards with 10 touchdowns against a lone interception this season. He has added a pair of touchdowns on the ground in each of the Crimson Tide’s first four games while racking up 273 yards on the ground.

Hunter has the shortest odds among non-quarterbacks, and he moved up the list following Ewers’ injury and early-season upsets that include Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, who plummeted to +1600 from +850 following the Rebels’ loss to Kentucky on Saturday.

Also rocketing up the list of contenders was Jeanty, who moved from +1000 after the star Boise State running back rumbled for 259 yards and four scores in a blowout win over Washington State. Jeanty now has 845 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground through four games.

Conversely, Beck saw his Heisman hopes hammered after throwing three picks against the Crimson Tide, the last one significantly underthrown and ending the Bulldogs’ final drive in the end zone. After rising as high as +800 over the summer, Beck is now a +3000 Heisman longshot. That’s behind Ewers (+2000), who has missed Texas’ past two games.

–Field Level Media

Aug 23, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris on the sideline against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Raheem Morris eyes more than ‘tick’ of improvement for Falcons’ offense

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In Raheem Morris’ first home win as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, the good outweighed the bad — but just barely.

Despite not scoring an offensive touchdown, Atlanta improved to 2-2 Sunday thanks to a special teams touchdown, a pick-six and four field goals from Younghoe Koo — including a career-long 58-yarder with two seconds left to beat the New Orleans Saints, 26-24.

“It’s a three-phase game, the way I look at it at all times,” Morris told reporters Monday. “But you get a chance to go out and score on defense, you score on special teams, you’re throwing a pool party in your head.”

In the pivotal NFC South victory, Atlanta possessed the ball for 11:24 less than the Saints, and mustered just 315 total yards.

Entering Sunday, the Falcons had struggled mightily on third-down conversions, holding a 6-for-27 (22.2 percent) success rate. Morris’ offense was slightly better in the Week 4 victory, as Atlanta converted on 4 of its 11 tries.

“There are always things you want to improve on,” Morris added. “You talk about time of possession, we got a little bit better on third downs (Sunday), just a tick better. I think you have to take it one step at a time when you’re trying to get better in all of those areas, but third downs is one of those stats that is directly related to time of possession. Those are the things you focus on from a coaching standpoint.”

Atlanta will have little time to correct any offensive shortcomings, as it hosts its second straight NFC South foe on Thursday in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The meeting between the top two teams in the division will mark multiple reunions for the first-year Falcons coach. After serving as a defensive assistant for the Buccaneers from 2002-05 and 2007-08, Morris was Tampa Bay’s head coach from 2009-11, compiling a 17-31 record.

Morris will also reunite with current Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield, who revived his career with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, when Morris was Los Angeles’ defensive coordinator.

“I’ve got so much respect for Baker from when we got him in L.A., and he had a chance to come out there and revitalize what he lost, a little bit,” Morris said. “I think Baker is going to do whatever he can to win that football game.”

Tampa Bay leads the all-time series with Atlanta 31-30, and has won six of the last eight over the Falcons.

–Morris said Andersen, who was responsible for Atlanta’s pick-six with a 47-yard return in the second quarter, is day-to-day with a knee injury.

The Falcons did not practice Monday but released an estimated injury report. Starting running back Bijan Robinson (hamstring), wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III (ankle) and right tackle Kaleb McGary (knee) would have been limited participants.

–The Falcons will sign linebacker and former first-round draft pick Rashaan Evans to their practice squad, ESPN reported Monday.

Evans, 28, started all 17 games for the Falcons in 2022 and recorded a career-high 159 tackles with two sacks and two fumble recoveries.

He was drafted 22nd overall by Tennessee in 2018 and has 485 tackles, five sacks, five fumble recoveries and two interceptions in 85 games (68 starts) with the Titans (2018-21), Falcons and Dallas Cowboys (2023).

–Field Level Media

Sep 18, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Browns RB Nick Chubb to return to practice Wednesday

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Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb will practice for the first time this season on Wednesday, head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Monday.

Chubb began the regular season on the physically unable to perform list. He had surgery last September to repair a torn left MCL and meniscus, and underwent another surgery in November to repair a torn left ACL, injuries he sustained in Week 2 of 2023.

Players who begin the regular season on the PUP list are required to sit out a minimum of four games.

Stefanski said the Browns (1-3) are opening the 21-day practice window for adding Chubb to the 53-man roster.

“He’s working very hard,” Stefanski said. “Natural progression is for him to start practicing … we’ll see how he goes from there.”

The Browns lost 20-16 to the host Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Cleveland returns to action on Sunday at Washington (3-1).

Chubb, 28, made four consecutive Pro Bowl teams (2019-22) and rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of those seasons, including 1,525 in 2022.

Since being selected by the Browns with the 35th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, Chubb has run for 6,511 yards and 48 touchdowns in 77 games (70 starts).

Jerome Ford is Cleveland’s leading rusher this season with 203 yards on 39 carries (5.2-yard average) and one touchdown in four games.

–Field Level Media

Sep 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) talks with head coach Steve Sarkisian before the game against Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Texas QB Quinn Ewers eyes return to face rival Oklahoma

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Quinn Ewers is on target to return on Oct. 12 when Texas faces archrival Oklahoma for the first time in the Southeastern Conference.

The No. 2 Longhorns (5-0, 1-0 SEC) enter their bye week with one healthy quarterback, Arch Manning, but Ewers was reportedly close to being cleared to play last week from the abdominal strain that knocked him out of the 56-7 win over UTSA on Sept. 14.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian said the No. 2 Longhorns will lean on the luxury of time with no game this week to allow Ewers to continue building strength before diving into plans for the Red River Rivalry meeting with the Sooners in Dallas.

“He’s just rehabbing as he has been. I think he’s been making steady progress one day to the next, which is a good sign,” Sarkisian said Monday. “We haven’t had any setbacks. It’s been steady progress. I think he’s getting stronger and more comfortable and more confident, and so we’ll just kind of stay the course with that.”

Sarkisian left little to speculation on Saturday after Manning guided the Longhorns to a 35-13 win over Mississippi State.

“We need Quinn back because he’s our quarterback, and he’s our leader,” Sarkisian said after Manning passed for 324 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Bulldogs.

“I think that that impacts the entire team’s belief. But what I think we learned, and what Arch kind of learned here over the last two and a half games, is this team can count on him, too. … When we get Quinn back, we’re all going to be excited about that but we also know, gosh, what a luxury that we do have. And what valuable experience Arch got here over the last two and a half games.”

Ewers led Texas to a Sept. 7 win at Michigan and is completing 73.4 percent of his passes for 691 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions this season. He missed the past two games, but Sarkisian believes he’ll jump back into the Heisman Trophy conversation when he takes the field again.

“(Ewers) is going to be in New York for the Heisman (as a finalist), whether he wins it or not, but he has the ability to do that,” Sarkisian said last week. “I think he has the ability to be a top-five NFL draft pick. All of the things that I think he is capable of are still out there for him. Him not playing in this game Saturday is not going to impact those three things that I know are goals that we’ve set for him and that he’s working towards.”

Manning has 900 yards passing with nine touchdowns and two picks plus three rushing touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) looks on prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Cowboys LB Micah Parsons: ‘If I can play, I will play’

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Dallas Cowboys All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons is itching to play, but the knee scooter and protective boot with him as he spoke to reporters Monday gave a clue that his left high-ankle sprain might force him to miss some time.

Parsons sustained the injury in the Cowboys’ 20-15 win over the New York Giants on Thursday, but he wasn’t ready to declare himself out for his team’s game Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1).

Still, he acknowledged the possibility of missing his first-ever game — that includes youth leagues through the NFL — due to injury.

“I kind of considered myself invincible for a while,” Parsons said. “I’m humbled.”

The only game he has missed with the Cowboys came in 2021 because of COVID-19.

“Man, it’s like, just frustrating, for real,” Parsons said. “Going from being ready and being there for the team, to being out hurts me because I feel like I’m letting people down.”

The way the schedule stands, Parsons could recover for about a month if he misses the game against the Steelers and the Oct. 13 matchup with the Detroit Lions. The Cowboys (2-2) have a bye after that, then return Oct. 27 against the San Francisco 49ers.

While he said the long recuperation sounds good in theory, it’s not something he’s eager to do.

“When you’re a real competitor, you only get 17 chances at this, and missing one of these chances to perform at the highest level bothers me. So I feel like I want to play this Sunday. I want to play. If I can play, I will play.”

He said he especially doesn’t want to be out at the same time as DeMarcus Lawrence, who suffered a foot injury against the Giants and is looking at several weeks out of action. Just in case, Parsons has started talking to his teammates about how they can step in.

Replacing Parsons isn’t an easy task, however.

Parsons, 25, was selected a first-team All-Pro in two of his previous three NFL seasons and averaged 13.5 sacks per year since the Cowboys took him with the No. 12 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.

–Field Level Media

Sep 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) warms up before the game against the Chicago Bears at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Texans RB Joe Mixon, WR Tank Dell listed as day-to-day

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Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon is day-to-day with an ankle injury that kept him out of the past two games, coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday.

Wide receiver Tank Dell (chest) is also in wait-and-see mode after missing Sunday’s 24-20 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“We’ll see this week with a week of practice,” Ryans said of both players on Monday as the Texans (3-1) prepare to host the Buffalo Bills (3-1) on Sunday.

Mixon, 28, is Houston’s leading rusher with 184 yards on 39 carries in two starts. He sustained the ankle injury during the Week 2 win against the Chicago Bears.

Dell, 24, ranks third on the team with 99 yards on nine receptions. He sustained bruised ribs during the Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

–Field Level Media

Sep 15, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) catches a pass against the Cincinnati Bengals during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Chiefs’ Rashee Rice still having tests; trade for WR could be in play

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Andy Reid didn’t fully rule out Rashee Rice for the rest of the season, but the Kansas City Chiefs could be in the market for a third midseason trade for a wide receiver in three years.

Rice is still undergoing tests, Reid told reporters Monday, one day after the receiver took an inadvertent hit to the knee from his own quarterback.

Reid said Rice would not be available for next week’s home game against the New Orleans Saints on “Monday Night Football,” but he stopped short of any further declarations. ESPN and NFL Network reported late Sunday that the Chiefs feared Rice tore his ACL.

“We’re still testing him, so I don’t have a definite for you right now,” Reid said Monday.

In the first quarter of a 17-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Patrick Mahomes threw an interception to cornerback Kristian Fulton, whose 29-yard return ended when Rice came up from behind him and poked the ball loose. Mahomes was simultaneously trying to make a tackle as Rice forced the fumble, and the quarterback crashed into Rice’s right knee.

Rice, 24, had to be helped off the field, and he was eventually carted to the locker room.

Rice is the Chiefs’ leading receiver in catches (24), targets (29), yards (288) and touchdowns (two, tied with Xavier Worthy).

Reid said it’s on more than just Worthy, the team’s first-round pick last April, to step up in Rice’s absence.

“We’ve got guys here that have experience of playing in the game,” Reid said. “It’s not that he’s the only one, doesn’t have to be the only one. We’ve got a good group of guys there that we can utilize, and we normally spread the ball around and that’s what we’ll continue to strive to do.”

The Chiefs are likely to give more playing time to veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster and former second-round pick Skyy Moore. But Kansas City isn’t unfamiliar with adding new receivers midseason.

In October 2022, the Chiefs made a deal with the New York Giants before the trade deadline to land wide receiver Kadarius Toney. Last year, they obtained former Chief Mecole Hardman from the New York Jets. Toney is no longer with the team, while Hardman has taken 14 snaps on offense this season and has not been targeted.

“It would depend on who the guy is,” Reid said. ” If he’s got experience in the offense, then it’s not too bad. But it takes somebody a little bit of time to get himself involved and get the terminology down. But it’s a lot easier now than it is during training camp when they have to learn a gazillion plays. Here, they just have the game week to learn and getting on the same page with the quarterback and the timing and all that, that’s a bigger issue.”

The trade deadline is Nov. 5.

–Field Level Media

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) talks with head coach Doug Pederson during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Browns defeated the Jaguars 18-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Doug Pederson, Jaguars all frustrated at 0-4

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Doug Pederson fielded a question about his job status on Sunday night as the Jaguars lost for the fourth time in four games to start the 2024 season.

Jacksonville has losses by five, four and three points, and a 37-point drubbing at Buffalo (47-10). Including five losses in the final six games to end the 2023 season, the Jaguars are licking their wounds from nine losses in 10 games with the Indianapolis Colts (2-2) due in town this Sunday.

An 0-5 start to the season would match Urban Meyer’s fate-sealing open to the 2021 season.

Pederson admitted there’s frustration for players and coaches and said plays made on the practice field during the week are not showing up on Sundays.

After a 24-20 Week 4 loss to the Texans, Pederson appeared to point the finger at players in responding to a question about taking over play-calling from offensive coordinator Press Taylor.

“As coaches, we can’t go out there and make the plays. It’s a two-way street. So you guys can sit here and point the finger all you want and it’s fine. Point it right at me, I can take it. OK. I can take it so whatever you want. Ask me, say whatever, write, go ahead,” he said.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence said it’s crucial for the Jaguars to stick together.

“Nobody is coming to save us. It on us,” he said.

Lawrence has lost nine consecutive starts. He and Pederson said they felt the offense was close to a breakthrough.

“There’s things that we did well (Sunday); we just have to do more of it,” Lawrence said. “And I don’t think we need to blow everything up and start over.”

Pederson is 18-20 since taking over the Jaguars, starting with back-to-back 9-8 seasons. Only one team, the 1992 San Diego Chargers, has rebounded from an 0-4 start to make the playoffs.

Meyer’s first win in 2021 came in London, where the Jaguars are headed to meet the Chicago Bears on Oct. 13 after a potentially pivotal spot this week. Before the Jaguars left for Houston, Pederson said the back-to-back games against the division would be critical. The Colts beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 on Sunday.

“Really these next two games, and then trying to just get on track and get ourselves these first three games kind of behind us,” Pederson said prior to Sunday’s loss. “But they’re all big, they’re all important and guys understand that, and they’re prepared. They’re ready to go and we’ve just got to go play.”

Jacksonville beat the Colts twice last season, taking both games by double digits.

–Field Level Media