Justin Herbert has been diagnosed with a plantar fascia injury in his right (ie. plant) foot.
That's an injury that lingers. See: the last couple years of Arik Armstead.
Herbert is to wear a boot for the next couple weeks, then slowly come back after that. Supposedly ready for the start of the season.
Just to put Ladd McConkey fantasy owners at ease, the Chargers backup QB is...
How are we feeling about Venu, the new sports streaming service? It's the one with all the ESPNs (plus ESPN+), Fox/FoxSports, ABC, TNT and TBS. That means college football, some NBA, MLB, boxing/UFC, racin' and a bunch of other stuff, including MNF and ESPN playoff games.
The big news today is the price: $43/month initially, though it's bound to increase.
On one hand, it's a cheaper way to get traditional cable TV that I might actually watch (i.e. sports).
On the other, I already have access to most NFL games (I have Amazon, Peacock, a digital antenna and a knowledge of darker corners of the interwebs, arrrrrrrr), and I rarely watch any sports that's not the NFL (or rugby).
Interesting. That's all I really want. I mostly use my dad's cable login for ESPN games still because they refuse to sell an ESPN+ with all the ESPN channels. I'd happily drop $15 a month for that but so would everyone else and no one would buy cable TV packages from Spectrum or Comcast anymore. So here we are at a strange stalemate.
I feel like Sling was close there a few years ago, but they put the TNT/TBS package in a different one from ESPN which made you buy both if you want NBA and/or NCAA basketball, so they became just as expensive as cable pretty quick.
I could see myself signing up for that package for a year and dropping YouTubeTV.
I'd mostly use it for watching sports in the garage during workouts and the ESPN inclusion would get me F1. And NBA at least for the next season until WBD goes away.
Still wish I could just pay a single price for a single sport (or even better a team) to the rights owner and get everything, regardless of broadcast partner and just be done with all this.
Like, I know the Hall of Fame game is stupid but why is hot-shot rookie quarterback not even playing a series in it.
Tonight's weather cancellation reminds me I should try out OUTBRK if it ever goes on sale on Steam.
Uh oh. The Panthers are only one snapped leg twig away from having to give UDFA QB Jake (not Jake) Plummer meaningful snaps in the preseason. Backup Andy Dalton is out for some unspecified length of time (ie forever) with a quad injury.
The list of available FA QBs: Ryan Tannehill, Brian Hoyer, Blaine Gabbert, AJ McCarron, Matt Barkley, Trevor Siemian, Logan Whiteside and Ben DiNucci. Yikes.
Send a 3rd to Dallas to get Trey Lance.
Uh oh. The Panthers are only one snapped leg twig away from having to give UDFA QB Jake (not Jake) Plummer meaningful snaps in the preseason. Backup Andy Dalton is out for some unspecified length of time (ie forever) with a quad injury.
The list of available FA QBs: Ryan Tannehill, Brian Hoyer, Blaine Gabbert, AJ McCarron, Matt Barkley, Trevor Siemian, Logan Whiteside and Ben DiNucci. Yikes.
Well, you're in luck!
Vikings being 'cautious' about Justin Jefferson's hamstring
EAGAN, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings gave receiver Justin Jefferson a day off from practice Wednesday, timed to coincide with the team's scheduled off day Thursday.
When he returned to the field Friday, Jefferson made clear that he and the Vikings are taking significant steps to avoid a reinjury of the right hamstring he tore last season, costing him seven games.
"I'm so scared for it to happen again that I've been overly cautious about it," Jefferson said, "just trying to take care of my body in the right way, just trying to find new things that I can implement in my day-to-day life that can better help me throughout the season. I've definitely been working on my hamstrings a little bit more, making sure that I'm injury-proof."
Yaeah, I get why they say it takes ages for athletes to get to a place where they feel completely comfortable again, coming off certain kinds of injuries, but especially your hammy, which can quickly go from "once" to "chronic issue."
Also, commendations to the NFL players for providing several weeks of grist for the take machine by ranking Lamar and McCaffrey ahead of Mahomes.
The Panthers used their second-round pick on RB Jonathon Brooks, who blew out his ACL in November. Today comes the who-woulda-thunk-it news that Brooks won't be available until Week 3 or 4 (officially) or probably longer (my bet) because he's still obviously still in recovery mode AND he's going to miss the preseason. Can't learn to pass block if you're over on Field #2 running in a straight line at half speed!
Oh, and first-round pick Xavier Legette suffered a dreaded "lower leg injury." You don't need your legs to catch passes so I'm sure he'll be fine. /s
If only the Panthers had like a really talented running back. The kind of guy that picks up 5 yards per carry. Someone that excels in the pass game, running routes and catching like he's a wide receiver. I bet a guy like that would help Li'l Bryce out quite a bit.
Oh wait, they had that guy.
They never should have let Viska go.
If only the Panthers had like a really talented running back. The kind of guy that picks up 5 yards per carry.
Funny you should mention that. Panthers signed Rashaad Penny (career 5.6 YPC) in the offseason, but last week he noped on out of Carolina and straight into retirement. Penny knows what's up in Charlotte.
Does this mean I can confidently start Chuba Hubbard every week?
Does this mean I can confidently start Chuba Hubbard every week?
Based on Dave Canales' time in Tampa, I don't think you can confidently start any Carolina running back any week.
The 49ers are supposedly listening to offers for Brandon Aiyuk, with the Browns and Patriots reportedly the frontrunners for making a deal, and the Steelers seemingly a distant 3rd.
A deal with Cleveland would seemingly include Amari Cooper being sent to SF in return. Cooper is in the last year of his deal, and the Niners could possibly work out something like a 2-year extension for a lot cheaper than Aiyuk.
New England doesn't have a real WR1 to send back, though they could return Kendrick Bourne to the Niners. I predict a deal with the Patriots would be for Matthew Judon, who wants a new deal and who skipped camp practice the day after an "animated" sideline encounter with head coach Jerod Mayo. The Niners have shown they want as many pass rushers as they can get, and they lost Drake Jackson to injury for an unknown amount of time, probably well into the season.
Steelers don't seem to be as strong in the running, but if it's them, I could see the deal including Alex Highsmith, getting the 49ers that additional edge rusher while opening up space on the Steelers D to move last year's draft pick Nick Herbig into a starting role.
All of these deals would include draft capital too to even out the value, but the 49ers have been clear that if they're moving Aiyuk, they want something that helps them this year.
Cousins reportedly would have given "more consideration" to staying in Minnesota had he known Atlanta would draft his replacement a month later.
I hope incidents like this cause players to push having the draft happen before free agency opens. Kyle Shanahan has been advocating for this for years. I know I've posted here arguing for it for even longer, since at least 2011 when the lockout caused free agency to be delayed and the draft happened first.
The main reason it doesn't happen seems to be that it would shake up the NFL calendar, forcing the league to have to adjust the well-oiled machine. So it won't happen unless someone pushes for it, and that someone would have to be the player's union.
Some suggest that drafting before free agency would lead to a depressed free agency market, but there doesn't seem to be any reason to expect this. The league still has a salary floor, the CBA still says players get 48% of revenue, teams still have to spend that money, and it's not going to the rookie class with their fixed contract values. Ergo, by process of elimination, it goes to extensions and free agent spending.
My suggestion would be to have the draft, then open up free agency for draft-eligible players (ie. the undrafted free agent rush that happens post-draft), then open up free agency for all, with some negotiation periods in there to spread things out.
Steelers don't seem to be as strong in the running, but if it's them, I could see the deal including Alex Highsmith, getting the 49ers that additional edge rusher while opening up space on the Steelers D to move last year's draft pick Nick Herbig into a starting role.
And now my phone is blowing up with notifications that the Steelers are "working hard" to get Aiyuk.
I think Alex Highsmith would be interesting for the 49ers, as it would give them 4 years of a cost-controlled edge rusher to line up opposite Bosa. The Steelers extended Highsmith last offseason, with nearly $26m of the contract's total $68m being signing bonus that would stay on Pittsburgh's cap. That would turn Highsmith from a $17m/yr player down to only about a $10.5m/yr player for the 49ers' cap.
Question would be though if Highsmith can transition to playing full time from a 3-point stance. And if it's an edge rusher that SF wants at all, or if they're sniffing around at other positions.
Hard Knocks Bears starts tomorrow!
I know it'll be the same dumb formula as it is every year (and nothing will top "Let's go eat a goddamn snack!") but I'm going to watch it like always.
Lots of repressed anger finally bubbled up after the cameras went away.
Hard Knocks Bears starts tomorrow!
I know it'll be the same dumb formula as it is every year (and nothing will top "Let's go eat a goddamn snack!") but I'm going to watch it like always.
Anything is better than the Raiders Hard Knocks. Mike Mayock choked the life out of that one so much, I'm surprised they had enough approved footage to even make episodes.
I have no proof but I'm relatively sure HBO threw a fit to the NFL after that one, and some guidelines were put into place to prevent future teams from being able to remove every bit of drama from the show.
Niners have "negotiated the frameworks of potential trades with both the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots". Assuming the report is true, the deciding factor will be which team offers Aiyuk the better deal.
The catch is, Aiyuk supposedly wasn't interested in either of those teams. Aiyuk wanted to go to Washington or Pittsburgh, and neither team has met the trade demands of the Niners. So there's some feeling that this leak is the Niners calling Aiyuk's bluff. He demanded a trade, now there's two trade options on the table, but they're not where he wanted to go. So he can either take one of those and go where he doesn't want to, or stay in SF and either sign the extension they're offering, or play out the option year and do this dance again next offseason.
Would you rather Groper Cleveland or not-Tom Brady be in integral to your career? is the new trolly problem.
So, the Patriots are out and the Steelers are supposedly back in.
Patriots reportedly offered a top 5 contract, but Aiyuk flat out does not want to go there, so they've taken themselves out.
Aiyuk seems to want to go to Pittsburgh, but there's no agreement on a deal between any of the parties.
But just in case, the 49ers worked out Robbie Anderson Chosen Anderson Robbie Chosen today.
Latest Aiyuk report: Steelers don't want to give up any players. 49ers want two 1st rounders if there's no players.
There's zero chance of Pittsburgh giving up two 1sts for Aiyuk, so it seems like the Niners are just giving them a "f*ck off" price. The odds of a deal seem slim, which suits the Niners just fine, because they clearly have not been motivated sellers in this process.
What's the worst outcome really?
No trade, he pouts, something happens at the trade deadline?
Maybe not best for this year but if some team actually gives 2 1st 49ers kinda just have to.
What's the worst outcome really?
No trade, he pouts, something happens at the trade deadline?
I doubt a trade deadline move would happen. Tough to both negotiate the trade and extension Aiyuk likes during the year. I think at that point, both parties would prefer to wait until after the season, where the 49ers would tag-and-trade him.
Maybe not best for this year but if some team actually gives 2 1st 49ers kinda just have to.
For sure, but I don't see any team paying that price.
AJ Brown went for a 1st.
Stefon Diggs went for a 2nd.
Tyreek Hill went for a 1st and a 2nd, plus some day 3 throw-ins. And even that much was because the 1st was known to be pick #29.
Davante Adams went for a 1st and a 2nd, picks #22 and #53. And the Raiders were exceptionally eager buyers with the Carr-Adams connection and all. That one's the closest to real two-1sts value.
I think AJ Brown is the best comparable, and that a 1st is the right value for Aiyuk. I think next offseason, the Niners would take that, or something close to it (eg. a high 2nd plus additional pick value).
But just in case, the 49ers worked out
Robbie AndersonChosen AndersonRobbie Chosen today.
And the Chosen One is officially signing and becoming a camp body future re-emerging star for the 49ers.
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