NYJets8

Le'Veon Bell may very well be headed to Pittsburgh's next opponent. On Sunday, after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Steelers are listening to trade offers for Bell, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has reported that the Buccaneers -- Pittsburgh's next opponent -- are one of three teams seriously considering trading for Bell. The other two teams are the New York Jets and the Indianapolis Colts. Tampa Bay enters Monday night's contest with a 2-0 record after defeating the Saints in Orleans in Week 1 before defeating the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles at home this past Sunday. Spearheading the Buccaneers' strong start to the season has been veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has completed 48 of his 61 pass attempts thus far for 819 yards and 8 touchdowns against just 1 interception. In Sunday's victory over the Eagles, Fitzpatrick, who is playing in place of suspended quarterback Jameis Winston, completed 27 of his 33 pass attempts for 402 yards with four touchdowns and a pick. Tampa Bay's defense has been just good enough to help Tampa Bay get out to their 2-0 start. The unit allowed 40 points 432 passing yards in their Week 1 victory over Drew Brees and the Saints. In Sunday's victory over the Eagles, the Buccaneers' defense allowed Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles to throw for 334 yards and a score as the Eagles' offense produced 412 yards in total offense. While the Steelers are dealing with Bell and Brown's ongoing drama, the Buccaneers are dealing with a growing quarterback controversy. DeSean Jackson, who has enjoyed a strong start to the season, recently lobbied for Fitzpatrick to keep his job as Tampa Bay's starting quarterback even after Winston is eligible to return from his suspension. Jackson will certainly look to have another big game on Monday night while strengthening Fitzpatrick's case to remain the team's starting quarterback. “He’s been playing on fire right now,” Jackson told the NFL Network (h/t the New York Post). “With the way the team is rallying behind him and just playing lights-out football, you have to kind of honor it. You know what I’m saying? You can’t take the hot man out. You got the hot fire right now. It’s like ‘NBA Jam.’ We used to play ‘NBA Jam’ — whoever’s got that hot fire shot, you got to keep shooting, man." Bell bounced back from a MCL injury in 2015 to post the best statistical season of his career in 2016, amassing 1,844 all-purpose yards in just 12 regular season games. Bell set franchise regular season and postseason records that season, rushing for a franchise regular season single game record 236 yards against the Buffalo Bills before rushing for a postseason franchise single game record 170 yards in a playoff victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Bell was again bitten by the injury bug during the 2016 AFC Championship Game, when a nagging groin injury sidelined Bell after just six carries. After holding out throughout the team's 2017 training camp and preseason, Bell endured a slow start to the season before finishing with 1,944 all-purpose yards and earning his second All-Pro nod. While no one is positive where he'll play next, one thing has been made clear based on Schefter's report: Le'Veon Bell has played his final snap for the Pittsburgh Steelers. While Bell's handling of his contract situation may raise some red flags, there will be at least one NFL team willing to offer the Steelers something that will enable them to part with Bell while getting something in return. Bell's new team, whoever that will be, will be able to offer him a long-term contract offer immediately. Or they could simply wait until the 2019 offseason before making Bell a longterm offer.

https://twitter.com/MMehtaNYDN/status/1036576941615271936/photo/1 ✔ Sources: Free-agent kicker Dan Bailey is working out for the Jets today. Barring an unexpected poor workout, NYJ will offer Bailey a deal to sign and replace Jason Myers. Bailey is the second most accurate kicker (88.2% on FGs) in NFL history.

Jets Likely To Sign Dan Bailey Yesterday it was announced that recently released kicker Dan Bailey would be traveling to New York for a workout with the Jets, and now it appears likely that the team will sign the former Cowboy. “Barring an unexpected poor workout, NYJ will offer Bailey a deal to sign and replace Jason Myers” sources to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Bailey, the second most accurate kicker in NFL history in terms of field goal percentage, was shockingly released by Dallas at final cuts. Bailey had been with the Cowboys since 2011, and besides an injury plagued 2017, had been one of the best kickers in the league. Myers appeared to have won the battle to be the Jets’ kicker but looks like he’ll now find himself out of a job once again. The Jets have cycled through kickers since Nick Folk left after the 2016 season, and could finally find some stability with Bailey. Whatever Bailey signs for, it will likely pay him top of the kicker market type money. It would be a nice upgrade this late in the proceedings for the Jets, and if New York fails to sign him several other teams will surely come calling.

Reams of newspaper print space, as well as TV and radio air time, have been dedicated to criticism of the Jets over the years. If we’re being honest, they often have made themselves an easy target. Not this time. Not with the deft handling of their current quarterback situation, which has been nothing short of spot-on since the moment the 2017 season ended. Dating back to the moment they re-signed veteran Josh McCown for a second season in green and white, to when they signed Teddy Bridgewater, who’s trying to come back from a devastating knee injury that erased the past two years of his playing career, to their drafting and developing of No. 3-overall pick Sam Darnold, the Jets have pushed every right button. And for this, though the real season is still days away, the Jets deserve their due credit. “They couldn’t have done it better,’’ former Giants quarterback and current NFL analyst for CBS Phil Simms said Tuesday. “I love their quarterback situation,’’ former Steelers head coach and current CBS studio analyst Bill Cowher said. Jets management and their coaching staff have put together perfect chemistry in their quarterback room. McCown is the ultimate unselfish, team-first player who’s a coach disguised as a player in uniform. Bridgewater is grateful for the opportunity the Jets have given him to resurrect his career — even if it turns out to be nothing more than a chance to showcase his improved health and ability in preseason to play for another team. There was little financial commitment in signing Bridgewater, who if he’s traded figures to bring in a good draft pick — though the Jets should be in no hurry to move him unless their leverage demands a second- or third-round pick. Darnold? The kid has the presence, even at age 21 and without having played a real game as a pro yet, of a 31-year-old with NFL experience. “I think it’s a really, really, really healthy situation,’’ Cowher said. “In the NFL, the one position everyone’s always trying to solve is the quarterback position. I think what you have right now with the Jets is as healthy a quarterback situation as there is in the NFL.’’ Those are some strong words about a team whose quarterback situations over the years have often bordered on the worst in the league (hello Mark Sanchez-Tim Tebow competition). Boomer Esiason, the former Jets quarterback turned CBS NFL analyst and WFAN morning drive-time personality, never has pulled punches when it’s come to constructive criticism of his former team. Not this time, though. “I think they’ve handled this thing great,’’ Esiason said. “The trade [up to draft Darnold] was awesome. The Bridgewater signing has been great.’’ Tony Romo, CBS’ lead NFL game color analyst and former Cowboys QB, has watched a lot of Darnold, before he was drafted and this preseason, and is bullish on him and how well the Jets have orchestrated their quarterback maneuvers. “They went and gave themselves options, which is hard to do in the NFL,’’ Romo said Tuesday. “I like the fact that they didn’t just bet on one thing [Darnold].’’ Enter Bridgewater, perhaps the most valuable insurance policy in the league at the moment. “It’s always good for quarterbacks who are young to be around players that have had production in the NFL,’’ Romo said. “They’ll see, through osmosis, what the veterans do, how they think and how they prepare. When a young quarterback is around a veteran who has played like Josh and Teddy that’s a big bonus.’’ Said Simms: “I’m very surprised by Teddy Bridgewater. I saw him at end of last year and I thought, ‘Oh my God, I don’t think he’ll ever make it back.’ But he’s better now than he was ever in Minnesota. He’s stronger, he’s got a little more zip on the ball and he’s throwing it better.’’ Simms and Romo said they don’t believe how well or poorly Darnold starts the season will have great impact on how good he’ll be in the long run. Asked if there’s a “danger’’ starting a 21-year-old quarterback, Romo said, “There’s always danger. There’s danger in starting a 29-year-old quarterback. You’ve got to start somewhere. The way to get better at football is to play football.’’ Simms referred to what he called “a great line’’ he once heard from Terry Bradshaw when thinking about what lies ahead for Darnold and the Jets. “He said, ‘As a quarterback, before you go to heaven you’ve got to go to hell,’ ’’ Simms said. The Jets, as their tortured fans can attest to, have spent a lot more time in hell than they have in heaven. Mark Cannizzaro

The Denver Broncos have great depth at outside linebacker and running back. That means the team will have to cut some talented players at both of those positions. Denver would probably love to sneak rookie pass rusher Jeff Holland and second-year running back De’Angelo Henderson onto its 10-man practice squad. Those two players would have to be subject to waivers before joining the practice squad, though, and both would likely be claimed. Henderson is “already generating interest” from NFL teams that anticipate him possibly being cut, according to the Denver Post’s Ryan O’Halloran. Holland is also drawing interest, according to The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala. The Broncos’ outside linebacker depth chart is crowded with Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Shane Ray and Shaq Barrett leading the way. The team probably can’t afford the roster space to carry five players at the position, so Holland may end up being cut. The team’s backfield is also crowded, featuring Devontae Booker, Royce Freeman, Phillip Lindsay, David Williams, Henderson and fullback Andy Janovich. Denver may carry five backs (including Janovich), but six is probably unlikely to happen. The Broncos may be able to get Williams to the practice squad if they keep Henderson. The front office will have many tough decisions to make. The 53-man roster must be submitted by Saturday, Sept. 1.

Sports NFL Trade Rumors: Jets Want Khalil Mack, Raiders Might Consider Right Offer By Anthony Riccobono on 08/27/18 at 2:22 pm Khalil Mack #52 of the Oakland Raiders matches up against Brandon Shell #72 of the New York Jets at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Sept. 17, 2017 in Oakland, California.Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images The start of the 2018 NFL season is just 10 days away and Khalil Mack still hasn’t reported to camp for the Oakland Raiders. Trade rumors regarding the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year won’t go away as more than one-third of the league has inquired about Mack’s availability. Pro Football Talk has reported that as many as 12 teams have expressed at least some interest in making a trade with Oakland, and four of those teams explored the possibility of a deal “very seriously.” The Raiders don’t appear to be actively shopping their best defender, but they haven’t shut the door on making a move, either. Who could be among those four teams that have considered making a competitive offer to Oakland? The New York Jets might be a good guess. Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News said Monday that the Jets are serious about acquiring Mack. New York has what they hope to be their franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold, who has had a strong preseason after being drafted No.3 overall. Adding an elite pass rusher that won’t turn 28 years old until after Super Bowl LIII would put the Jets one step closer to being the New England Patriots’ biggest competition in the AFC East over the next few years. The Jets’ 2019 first-round pick could be the centerpiece of a potential deal. Teddy Bridgewater is the biggest trade asset on New York’s current roster. Oakland is set at starting quarterback with Derek Carr, but they could use a reliable backup. There was speculation Sunday that the Detroit Lions might be looking to trade for Mack. A tweet by Dan Leach of 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit that said a limo driver claimed to have picked up Mack to meet with the Lions caught a lot of attention, though there doesn’t seem to be any truth to the rumor. The Green Bay Packers have been listed as the betting favorite to trade for Mack. Green Bay has two first-round picks in next year's draft. Any team that trades for Mack would almost certainly have to sign him to an extension. The defensive end hasn’t put on a uniform this preseason because he’s looking for a new contract as he heads for free agency in 2019. Mack has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons, averaging 12 sacks and 76 tackles per year.

He’s been overlooked, undervalued, pigeon-holed, and hurt. He has year-long gaps in his resume. He’s been marginalized because guys from his school are supposed to rule the world, not the line of scrimmage. Now, he has the opportunity of a lifetime. There’s no shame in admitting that you’d never heard of Brandon Copeland before the Jets signed him to a one-year free-agent contract this offseason. The 27-year-old outside linebacker has toiled in anonymity for five years, bouncing from the Ravens to the Titans to the Arena Football League to the NFL Veteran Combine to Detroit. He hasn’t played a single down in a year. Undrafted Ivy Leaguers have a short shelf life in the NFL, so it’s a wonder that Copeland, who has opened eyes in the run-up to the Jets preseason opener Friday night, has made a strong early impression to fill the Jets’ biggest defensive area of need. “I’ve seen so many things,” said Copeland, a three-time All-Ivy player at the University of Pennsylvania. “I’ve had such a roller-coaster career that I think I’m just happy to be playing. I’ve been on the practice squad. I’ve been cut and fired for a whole year. I tore my (pectoral muscle) last year and sat out. I just wanted any opportunity… If you want me to line up on punts, cool. It’s a blessing. If you want me to line up at D-end, if you want me to line up at safety, if you want me to line up at right guard, shoot, I’ll try it.” Todd Bowles has given Copeland an opportunity in training camp in his particularly irritating search for an edge pass rusher. The Jets haven’t been able to consistently rush the passer in seemingly forever. Bowles’ teams have ranked 27thand 28th in sacks the past two seasons without a dynamic presence on the edge. The 6-3, 250-pound Copeland has caught the eyes of his coaches this past week, prompting Bowles to elevate him to the first team for the last four practices. “Cope has shown some good speed,” outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene said. Copeland’s speed and athleticism could earn him a meaningful role on defense after predominantly playing special teams in two seasons with the Lions. Copeland, an undersized defensive end in the Lions’ scheme at the time, played just 6.8 percent and 13.2 percent of Detroit’s defensive snaps in 2015 and 2016, respectively. He logged 69 percent and 73 percent of the special teams snaps before missing all of last season with a torn pectoral muscle suffered in the preseason opener. Bowles and defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers are looking for someone to play opposite Jordan Jenkins, emerging from an outside linebacker group that includes Copeland, Josh Martin, Dylan Donahue, Lorenzo Mauldin, David Bass, Obum Gwacham and undrafted rookie Frankie Luvu. Copeland, whose 22 career tackles and 0.5 sack in 32 career games obviously don’t jump off the page, has always just asked for an even playing field. May the best man win. “I believe in my work. I believe in God. I believe in myself,” Copeland said. “Just give me an opportunity where you say everything is even… And if I made a tackle, then Brandon Copeland made that tackle. … In my early years, I felt like all my plays were discounted. If I made a play, it was more like, ‘The guy from Alabama turned (the runner/receiver) in (to me) … yada yada yada… The Penn guy didn’t really make it.’ If I find a place where they just let my play speak for itself, then I’ll fight with anybody. I don’t mind doing that. Because I’ve outworked those people.” Bowles, frankly, couldn’t care less where anyone went to college. Big school. Small school. Ivy League. State school. He’s in the business of playing the best players regardless of affiliation. Copeland couldn’t have asked for a more optimal situation. The Jets edge rusher gig is wide open. So, he made sure to prepare as best he could in the run-up to training camp, logging 8-9 hours each day with trainer Troy Jones at Brandon Marshall’s gym Fit Speed near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., (8:30 am – 4 pm) before doing more work on his own at a local L.A. Fitness. “You have such a small window to do this,” said Copeland, who also spent a week in Hawaii training with Eagles defensive lineman Michael Bennett. “I’ve seen it close and open back up. So, I’d rather work my tail off and maximize my recovery in other ways through stretching, sauna, cold tub. I wouldn’t want to look back and think, ‘I should have been in a little better shape’ or ‘I should have run that extra gasser.’” Although Copeland has lasted longer than most Ivy Leaguers in the NFL, he’s far from finished. He aced plenty of exams at Penn. Now, he’s ready to pass his biggest career test that could change everything for him. “I have goals of what I’m trying to get done in this league and in life,” Copeland said. “I know I’m one play away from losing that. So, I need to work every single play to keep coaches talking about me, to keep Coach proud, to keep Coach happy… But for today, for right now, Brandon Copeland can’t complain.” He’s getting the opportunity that he always wanted.

Awesome..! CAN’T WAIT!

The tougher it is for Sam Darnold, the better it is for the Jets. The No. 3 pick is presumably the quarterback the team’s decision-makers hope wins the starting job this preseason, but there are factors working against him: a brief training camp holdout, a general manager and coach who have yet to make the playoffs in three seasons and, perhaps most importantly, two other quarterbacks who are far from pushovers. “The best thing about having talented quarterbacks is the more competition you have at a position the better that person is going to be who comes out to win the job,” former Jets quarterback and SNY analyst Ray Lucas said. “The problem is, of course, that when you have three quarterbacks who want to start there are only so many snaps in the game, so many snaps in practice. When you do have your shot the light has to be on, you have to be ready at all times no matter what you get. You had two quarterbacks who have been great at points in their careers. [Josh] McCown is a journeyman, but if you want a guy who eats, sleeps and s–ts football, it’s Josh McCown. He embodies what a Jets player really should be. “[Teddy] Bridgewater was very happy in Minnesota, very talented the first two years. As a Jets fan, I was like, ‘Hell yeah, bring him over here’ when they signed him.” Darnold will get his first crack at taking that starting job on Friday night when the Jets open their preseason against the Falcons at MetLife Stadium. He and Bridgewater, who is two years removed from a catastrophic knee injury, are likely to see the majority of snaps, with the Jets knowing what they have in last year’s starter, McCown. “[Darnold] has to get acclimated to the speed of the game, it’s a lot different than it was in college,” Lucas said. “The one thing he has to do is trust his eye and understand the defense he sees under center is not the one they’ll be playing after the snap. I am interested to see how Darnold does reading the defense, being a field general. I would love to be in the huddle to see what his quarterback presence is inside the huddle.” Lucas said he believes the Jets lucked out when the Browns “screwed up” by taking Baker Mayfield No. 1 and having Darnold, 21, fall to them after the Giants picked Saquon Barkley. It’s a franchise in need of a break. Coach Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan are in their fourth year and went from 10 wins their first season together to 10 total the past two. Last season was largely viewed as one the Jets had to swallow and be bad enough to get a quarterback of Darnold’s stature. A 5-11 campaign could even be considered an overachievement, but it would be difficult for the fan base and ownership to abide another non-competitive season after significant spending in free agency. “Very high,” Lucas said of his expectations. “With all the additions (Trumaine Johnson, Avery Williamson, Isaiah Crowell, Bridgewater) that you have, Quincy Enunwa coming back, Robby Anderson had a great year last year, Jamal Adams and his partner in crime in the secondary (Marcus Maye)… The Jets are on the rise. I don’t think people in that organization feel we are still rebuilding.”

Body found at home of Giants star Janoris Jenkins —- star??

Was a good game, 15-20 years ago.

https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/stats/top-plays/fastest-ball-carriers/2017/all Eli registered one of the fastest mph runs of the season for any ball carrier last year.

When New York Jets special-teams coordinator Brant Boyer checked his inbox last season, he'd periodically find an email from Reggie Barlow, one of his old teammates with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Boyer knew exactly what each one contained: Video clips of Trenton Cannon, a touchdown machine at Division II Virginia State. Barlow, the school's head coach, did the work of a skilled PR man, promoting his player by sending out clips to some of his NFL friends. He and Boyer have what he describes as "a real cool relationship" -- Barlow returned punts and kickoffs for the Jaguars and Boyer blocked for him -- so he made sure to keep his buddy in the loop on Cannon. Thanks to the Boyer-Barlow relationship, the Jets developed an affinity for Cannon and drafted him in the sixth round, making him the first player drafted from Virginia State since 1996. They believe Cannon can make an immediate impact as a return specialist, a position that has haunted the Jets in recent years. His first real opportunity will happen Tuesday, when the team conducts its first OTA practice. This is how it goes in scouting. Coaches, general managers and scouts rely on their connections to get inside information on potential sleepers. Everybody knows about the big names such as Sam Darnold, Saquon Barkley and Baker Mayfield, prospects whose pro days and combine performances are featured on national TV. It's a different ballgame with small-school players. NFL evaluators need to be like investigative reporters, digging from crumbs of intel. "Brant Boyer did a great job with researching this guy and studying him over the last two years," Barlow told ESPN. "Coach Boyer and I have a relationship where he can trust that we see this guy and we think he's an NFL-caliber player. I think it's great that the Jets did their homework." Trenton Cannon rushed for more than 4,000 yards and 44 touchdowns in three seasons at Virginia State. Julio Cortez/AP Photo Barlow sent a variety of clips to Boyer, showing Cannon as a running back, slot receiver and kickoff returner. Boyer watched every video, often responding to Barlow with an enthusiastic comment about Cannon's potential. There was a lot to like last season as Cannon scored 22 touchdowns -- 17 rushing, three receiving and two on kickoffs. He averaged 33 yards per kickoff return, which excited Boyer, who spent two days at the Petersburg, Virginia, school during the run-up to the draft. He met with Cannon and worked him out, mainly studying his ability to return punts, something he didn't do in college. "He was extremely thorough," Barlow said of Boyer. "He came down, spent some time on campus, watching film. What I thought was really huge was [him saying], 'Let's make sure this guy fits the pedigree of a New York Jet. Let me talk with him.'" So they talked. "Typically, the first-round guys and maybe the second-round guys get that type of detailed attention," Barlow said. "[Boyer] knows how critical that position is to create that positive field position for yourself. I commend him on doing his homework and finding the guy that fits what the New York Jets are all about. He took the time to get to know him as a person." Cannon created a buzz in the scouting community when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds at his pro day at the University of Richmond. It was a chilly day, with temperatures in the mid-40s. The perimeter of the field was covered with snow, but Cannon came out smoking. "This was a guy that really kind of caught [Boyer's] eye, and our scouts liked him, too," Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan said. "He's an interesting guy. He's very athletic, maybe slightly undersized (5-foot-11, 185 pounds). We're going to use him as a running back, or line him up as a running back, but obviously our focus is to see how he can impact us as a returner. That's the part where we're very interested to see how he does." Let's not sugarcoat it: The Jets are desperate for a competent returner. In 2017, they averaged a league-low 4.5 yards on punt returns, barely exceeding what their leading rusher, Bilal Powell, averaged on runs from scrimmage (4.4). Since 2013, the Jets are ranked 32nd in punt return average and 22nd in kickoff return average. The Jets are one of only six teams since 2013 that hasn't returned a punt or kickoff for a touchdown. So, yes, they need an explosive player. Who better than someone named Cannon? "I played in the league for eight years and I know the pyramid you need to fit as far as size, weight, ability and explosiveness," Barlow said. "There aren't very many people I've seen that have that like Trent."

The NFL Draft is slightly over a week old, and the Browns have spent much of that time trying to convince their fans, and the general public, that Baker Mayfield was their guy all along. As you can expect, this has been a tough sell, given the fact that Mayfield is a 6-foot QB and the track record of players that small going in the Top 10 to the most important position in sports is not very good. According to MMQB’s Albert Breer, the Browns were the only team drafting in the Top 5 that had the Oklahoma QB ahead of USC star Sam Darnold, who fell 3rd to the Jets. Breer said this so on my Fox Sports Radio show Saturday morning (31:45 mark): The Browns front office can try to do as much damage control as possible, but nobody’s buying it. Things are going to get real interesting in Cleveland when Tyrod Taylor wins the starting QB job, and then has the Browns in contention for a playoff spot in November … and their #1 pick is pinned to the bench.

A nickname?..?? No.. none is better IMO. The topic just loses me a bit from the get.