Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said last week that Dalton’s job is safe.

Hunt is awesome. I wish I’d drafted him in every fantasy league. But it’s too soon to know, especially with how great this class of rookie runners looks. My pick here is still Dalvin Cook, though Sam Bradford’s injury makes me wonder how well the Vikings’ offense will function overall. And I think Christian McCaffrey still gets heard from on this front once the Carolina offense gets its legs under it.

Game Youth Eddie Vanderdoes Jersey I talked to a couple of scouts about Hunt and they agree that he’s an excellent runner. But they want to see whether the Chiefs trust him in pass protection in games in which they fall behind and have to throw to catch up. Hunt could turn out to be the best of this rookie running back crop, but it’s a whale of a crop, and his brilliant start doesn’t mean he can’t be caught by one of his draft mates.

Jordan Howard Womens Jersey We are all part of a team. It’s not [that] we are divided; it’s not that way. It’s tough for me, it really is. I love him. I love our relationship. Been with him for a long time now. … I trust him every time he steps out there, and I think we are going to win every time he is under center. It’s part of football, though: You win some, lose some. That’s the way it goes.

Through two games, Dalton has completed 54.5 percent of his passes for 394 yards, no touchdowns and a 47.2 quarterback rating that ranks 37th out of 41 QBs. That has prompted some pundits to suggest a switch to McCarron, who filled in for an injured Dalton during the 2015 season, starting three regular-season games and the Bengals’ loss to the Steelers in the AFC wild-card round of the playoffs.

Cleveland’s DeShone Kizer and Week 1 Indianapolis starter Scott Tolzien were not in the survey.

I projected Kizer with a 4.0 tier average — in the Blake Bortles range for now — while slotting Tolzien at the bottom with a 4.5. All over/unders are courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook as of Sept. 5.

Because of a number of decisions you have to make, you can’t skip any cut-scenes —even if this is your second time going through the story mode. It doesn’t matter because what happens in the story mode relies on the choices you have made.

There isn’t just one singular ending to this story mode, and your choices will determine which ending occurs. The scenes run long at certain points and save checkpoints aren’t as convenient. There were times when I was scared to quit the game because that would mean that I’d have to listen to the same dialogue again.

The ball placed on either hash mark eliminates lots of options for both sides of the ball. More often than not, the ball will be run toward the field (away from the sidelines), because there is more space out there. If the ball is run into the boundary (toward the sidelines), it’s typically an inside zone, or in the rare instance there’s a TE down there, maybe a power play. Being on a hash narrows down the amount of pressures that can be run.

Usually, if a team will run a zone blitz where the DE drops into coverage, it wants that DE to be into the boundary because he has to cover less ground. When the ball is in the middle of the field, a zone pressure can come from anywhere. Also, when a team is in a 3×1 formation on the hash — three players are out wide in the formation, with one into the boundary — this really defines the pressure situation for the offense. The defense has to cheat big time to cover all that ground to the field if it wants to bring pressure. It’s easier to see for the offense.

Bill O’Brien: Five Texans in concussion protocol unlikely to play Thursday night

The Houston Texans ended their season-opening loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars with five players in the concussion protocol: inside linebacker Brian Cushing, wide receiver Bruce Ellington and all three tight ends on the active roster, C.J. Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin and Stephen Anderson.

Texans coach Bill O’Brien said it would be tough for any of the five to play on Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals because of the short turnaround.

“I would say that most of those guys are probably going to be out for the game, relative to it being a short week,” O’Brien said Monday. “I don’t know yet, but relative to the game being on Thursday night, that’s usually the case based on the protocol and all the tests they have to pass to be able to get back on the field.”

The Patriots played only three games on the recently Dick Butkus Jersey installed synthetic surface — two in the preseason and then the regular-season opener. They had one practice on the field, which was two days before the season opener, although Bronson Kaufusi Jersey kicker Stephen Gostkowski, punter Ryan Allen and long-snapper Joe Cardona regularly practice on the field.

With the Patriots’ next home game on Sept. 24 against the Houston Texans, there is an opening in the schedule to accommodate the change. The New England Revolution, who share the stadium, don’t have their next home MLS match until Sept. 23 against Toronto FC.

The change sparks memories of 2006, when the Patriots made the in-season switch from natural grass to FieldTurf’s synthetic turf after a rain-soaked Nov. 12 loss that year to the New York Jets in which players struggled to gain their footing. That year, the team had a two-week window before its next home game.

The Patriots have used synthetic turf at Gillette Stadium, which hosts numerous events, since that time. Work to change the field began Sunday, the day after the Revolution defeated visiting Montreal 1-0.

No other position affected a win total by even half that margin.

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There’s no easy answer when trying to quantify how much of an offense’s production can be credited to the quarterback position. Maybe the best way to see the value of an elite passer is when a team loses one and has to rely on a backup to fill in.

A statistical study by the University of Missouri found that losing a quarterback for four games due to injury or suspension would drop a team’s win total by an average of 1.3 games. No other position affected a win total by even half that margin.
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Not having a great player under center or losing one can crush a team’s chances at the playoffs. The Raiders dealt with 13 straight seasons outside the postseason — cycling through players like JaMarcus Russell, Kerry Collins, and Andrew Walter — before finally finding Carr.

With so much value at quarterback, what percentage of a team’s spending should go toward that position?

But his time with the team was doomed by a foot injury that kept him out for the entire 2003 season. The Giants released Mitrione in 2004 and attempts to keep his NFL career alive with the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings fizzled.

One of Khan’s later jobs in college was working with the Illinois highway department. He would travel to companies’ gravel pits and test their gravel. He would place the gravel residue in a shaker tube, give it a shake and twirl, and see how it settled compared to four different markers on the tube. That would determine if the gravel was fit for use.

Rescheduling was a close call, but it worked out for both teams.

The Texans were optimistic to still play their game last week, and wanted the opportunity to play at home as long as it was safe.

Sunday’s game, I can confirm to you, will be played here in Houston against the Jacksonville Jaguars, O’Brien said on Monday. (Houston Texans President) Jamey Rootes spoke with Mayor Turner and Judge Ed Emmett – obviously Bob McNair involved with that – and everyone agrees that our game will not take resources away from other parts of the city and that this game will be an opportunity to continue to bring us all together as Houstonians and as Texans.

Tucker landed in the concussion protocol, but thankfully for him, the team announced that he was cleared. And Tucker apparently just takes games — even preseason ones — really seriously.
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What I was thinking was that I needed to put my head across, go low and get him down on the ground, Tucker said after the game via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. I think he just came across with a knee pad or a thigh pad right in the neck. It was about trying to make a play.
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Not to be outdone, Jared Goff out-Goffed himself on this play. Whether this is a miscommunication or just a flat-out mistake is hard to know. What we do know is that it was Goff’s second turnover in the first quarter, which wasn’t ideal.

Jets claim TE Will Tye off waivers from Giants

Hurt by injuries and a suspension at tight end, the New York Jets claimed Will Tye on waivers.

He was among four players claimed by the Jets on Sunday. New York also claimed wide receivers Kalif Raymond (from the Denver Broncos), Damore’ea Stringfellow (from the Miami Dolphins) and linebacker Edmond Robinson (from the Minnesota Vikings).

To create room for the new additions, the Jets waived running back Marcus Murphy, tight end Jason Vander Laan and linebacker Freddie Bishop and released veteran linebacker Bruce Carter.

With Taylor’s status initially uncertain for Sunday’s game, the Bills had been preparing to start fifth-round rookie Nathan Peterman. They also signed veteran quarterback Joe Webb on Monday.

Webb is expected to take over Yates’ role as the No. 3 quarterback.

In three preseason games, Taylor completed 48 percent of his passes for 100 yards, two interceptions and a 27.9 quarterback rating.

Also on Tuesday, the Bills re-signed safety Colt Anderson after releasing him Monday. They signed defensive tackle Cedric Thornton and waived defensive tackle Deandre Coleman.

Schatz: Houston. The Texans’ schedule is somewhat front-loaded in Weeks 2-5 (at Bengals and Patriots, then Titans and Chiefs at home) so a slow start is a distinct possibility. There’s no reason to believe Watson would be worse than Tom Savage, and the upside is so much greater. A Week 6 home game against Cleveland would be a pretty nice way to ease the rookie in with his first start.
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The Patriots open the season Thursday night at home against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Brady hasn’t missed a regular-season game because of injury since tearing a ligament in his left knee in the season opener in 2008.

The Patriots open the season Thursday night at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. He is expected to become just the 13th quarterback since the 1970 merger to start an NFL game after turning 40.

Brady sat out the first four games of the 2016 season as punishment for his role in the Deflategate scandal. He missed practice late in the season for leg, thigh and ankle injuries, but he wasn’t listed on the league-required injury reports for a concussion or head injury at any point during the 2016 calendar year or for the playoffs.
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Two sources involved in the game told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler they were made aware that Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are neutral site options should the teams try to play this week, and that decision is expected to come Wednesday.

Authentic Mens Alex Boone Jersey The Dolphins practiced Tuesday with the expectation that a game will be played this week. Several Miami players were vocal about wanting to play, regardless of the circumstances.

Clay: 2. I have the Patriots as the favorite in each of their 16 games, but my projection model shows their lowest win probability as 60 percent in Week 14 when they head into Pittsburgh. That’s no fun, though, so I’ll go with the second game of the season and make the bold prediction that the Saints will pull off an upset in the Superdome. Coach Sean Payton and QB Drew Brees will prove they can score big without WR Brandin Cooks and take this one in a 37-34 shootout.

Panthers defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. sacked Henne in the second quarter and added another quarterback hurry.

Game Womens Troy Tulowitzki Jersey Former Wisconsin running back Corey Clement continues to have a good preseason. Clement ran for 42 yards and a touchdown on nine carries against the Dolphins. He also caught two passes for 11 yards and was solid in pass protection.

Panthers defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. sacked Henne in the second quarter and added another quarterback hurry. On his sack, the former Florida pass rusher pushed his way past the Jaguars tackle to get to Henne.

With Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Greg Olsen, Samuel and McCaffrey all advocating and worthy of targets, it’ll be difficult for offensive coordinator Mike Shula and Newton to keep everybody properly utilized.

The Panthers will look for offensive cohesion early in the season, but while going through a rapid adjustment, mistakes, struggles on third downs and internal frustrations likely will be short-term side effects.

At least none that will be displayed publically, which is the same tact Smith has taken toward public knocks on his play. The fact that Smith has averaged 10 wins in the four seasons since he was traded from San Francisco to Kansas City and his efficiency in avoiding big mistakes (i.e. turnovers) is often overshadowed by two other factors: his failure to consistently produce dynamic plays in the passing game and the team’s inability to advance past the second round of the playoffs despite having championship-caliber defenses.
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Smith allows that being a lightning rod for criticism is part of the quarterback lifestyle. He also learned to ignore much of it during his first six seasons with the 49ers when he was regularly skewered for failing to live up to what was expected of the 2005 draft’s top overall pick.

They don’t even take many more shots per game than Kyrie!

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Irving reportedly wants to be a centerpiece like Wall and Damian Lillard are for their teams and he might want to be careful about that desire. Lillard has been wrecked by the Warriors in the past two postseasons and is a perennial all-star snub. Wall is just coming into his true fame, and has never been beyond the second round of the NBA playoffs. Maybe Dame and Wall are featured on more posters around their teams’ arenas, but they are both underexposed nationally.

(They don’t even take many more shots per game than Kyrie! Lillard beat Irving in that category by 0.1 field goal attempts per game; Wall was 1.3 FGAs behind Kyrie this season.)

Despite all of this — despite the fact that more kids wear Kyrie’s jersey than all but four other guys, despite the fact that more people wear Kyrie’s shoes than anyone else’s except those of LeBron, despite the fact that he’s a four-time All-Star, one-time All-NBA player with a championship and max contract — he still wants out from under LeBron’s shadow.

Coty Sensabaugh Authentic Jersey While Prescott was near-perfect for the Cowboys, so too was Tom Savage. The Texans quarterback was 8 of 9 for 98 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots while rookie Deshaun Watson struggled mightily. Watson, the 12th overall pick in April’s draft, was just 3 of 10 in the 27-23 win over the Patriots. Watson’s three completions did go for 102 yards, thanks to rookie running back D’Onta Foreman turning a short pass into a 63-yard gain. That set up a 2-yard touchdown run for Watson.

The Packers saw three of their quarterbacks lead touchdown drives in a 21-17 win over the Redskins. Aaron Rodgers got things going on Green Bay’s first possession with a 3-yard pass to new tight end Martellus Bennett. Rodgers finished the night 6 of 8 for 37 yards and ran for 15 yards on two attempts. He was relieved by Brett Hundley, who was 9 of 10 for 107 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Taysom Hill, undrafted out of BYU, went 6 of 11 for 47 yards and ran for a game-winning 23-yard touchdown with 6:16 remaining in the game.

Colin Kaepernick’s protest didn’t result in fewer people watching NFL games last year

While it has been well-documented that the NFL’s television ratings were down in 2016, more people actually watched the league’s games last season than the previous year.

Hitchens’ injury could provide an unexpected opportunity for 2016 second-round pick Jaylon Smith, who missed all of last season due to nerve damage suffered in his knee at Notre Dame.

Smith started Dallas’ preseason game last week against the Colts, but he was back behind Hitchens on Saturday. Smith entered the game and recorded three tackles — one for loss — against the Raiders.

Justin Durant, who did not play Saturday, will also be in the running to start in the middle of Dallas’ defense should Hitchens’ injury prove to be as serious as currently feared.

Sean Lee, who is slated to start at weak-side linebacker, could also get some snaps in the middle, but he too has battled a litany of injuries throughout his career.

Hitchens has 220 tackles and 3.5 sacks through the first three seasons of his career. He developed into a reliable tackler last season, so his loss will be huge for the Cowboys.

Kalil spent most of 2016 on injured reserve and has never really lived up to his billing as a top draft pick, but the Panthers looked at the glass half full and went all-in on this five-year contract. If not for his status as a former top draft pick who played well early in his career, Kalil would have signed a one-year contract worth $7 million or less, as he would have been asked to prove he was worth more. Luckily for him, the Panthers don’t feel the need to have him prove it.Justin Durantseahawks_032