--For much of this game the Washington offense was ineffective, and good defense and great punting kept things close. Tress [Way] is a baller and should be in line for his second-career Pro Bowl.
-- Pete Carroll says Tre Brown is ready to play but will not be activated to [Seahawks] 53-man roster this week to give him two more weeks, with the bye after this week, to get that much more fully recovered.
--Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Bell (hip) is close to a return but added the tight end could also be sidelined for a couple more weeks, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.
Bell began the campaign on IR following surgery to repair a hip flexor injury he suffered in late August and has remained sidelined since. While Reid's comments about the tight end being close to a return are encouraging, the head coach had a similar sentiment ahead of Kansas City's Week 8 bye, but Bell still remains on IR to start Week 9. It sounds like the Chiefs expect the tight end to return this season, but they don't appear to be in any rush to get him back on the active roster.
--Lane Johnson is 'the best right tackle in the world'
Oct 29, 2022 at 01:44 PM
Dave Spadaro
Beneath all the gifts that Lane Johnson has worked so hard to cultivate through the years – the long limbs, the reach, the extraordinary foot quickness, the brute strength – is an intelligence that separates him from the others. Ask Johnson about a defensive player he's watched and studied and really learned, and he provides a dissertation.
"Anything you can do to get an edge in this league, you do it," said Johnson, in his 10th season with the Eagles and one of the all-time greats in franchise history and, without a doubt, the best right tackle in today's NFL. "I love watching film. I need to know everything I can about a player before I line up against him."
At the age of 32, in a game in which players are supposed to be "on the other side" of greatness at around 30, Johnson is improving himself, playing the best ball of his career. He knows it. Defenses know it.
The Eagles' coaching staff certainly knows it.
"Lane to me is one of the best tackles in the world," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said during Training Camp. "He's the best right tackle in the world. To be able to say that about guys on your roster, that's a cool thing to have. 'Lane, you are the best right tackle in the world.' That's how my eyes see it, that's how people in our building see it, that's how our offensive coaches see it. The defensive staff sees it the same way."
A first-round pick by the Eagles in 2013, Johnson's story is one of evolution: He was a college quarterback at Kilgore (Texas) Community College before transferring to Oklahoma and then transitioned to the offensive tackle position. He was tall, of course, but back then he was long and lean and not particularly strong. Johnson built himself up and eventually was the fourth player selected in the 2013 NFL Draft. He was good right away, but over the course of his decade-long career, he has become great. There was an ankle injury that truncated his 2019 season and that bothered him in 2020. In 2021, he stepped away for a few weeks to "restore his personal life" as he dealt with depression and anxiety. But now that he is healthy and back on the field, Johnson has been virtually impenetrable.
"This is a special, special man," Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland says of Johnson. "You don't see people with the athletic ability that he has. He's really fast, really quick, great change of direction, really long. I don't know if you realize how long he is. I remember when we worked him out (prior to the 2013 draft). I went down to Texas to his high school, and his high school coach set me up there. He was doing a 'V-stretch,' and he was sitting on the ground. I was standing about where you are (about 3 feet away), and he stuck his arms out, and he reached to the chair. And he got on the bag drills, and when you watch him do the bag, his feet are so fast. He's really like a skill player playing offensive line. And he's physical, really a unique guy."
Johnson plays like he knows he's the best, leaving no detail untouched. He is thorough in his preparation and his performance.
"I'm definitely a lot bigger and stronger than what I was during the Super Bowl year," Johnson said. "Whatever I've lost in speed, I've made up for in power as I've gotten older. I feel much better than I did last year.
"Right now, I feel fast. I'm around 330, I feel good and just trying to keep that rolling. Early in my career, I played around 315, 320, and now I guess it's easier to keep on weight when you get older as long as it's not slowing me down too much. I feel good, I feel ready."
Johnson is part of an offensive line that has long been the foundation of the team's offensive success – third in yards per game, fourth in points after the 26-17 win over Dallas to improve to 6-0 entering the bye. He credits some of the success he has had to the men who have worked next to him – Todd Herremans (2013-14), Brandon Brooks (2016-21), and Isaac Seumalo now. They are the ones who must coordinate their timing and sync their minds in terms of recognizing what they are seeing from the defense and what they are hearing from the quarterback and center Jason Kelce as line calls and adjustments are made.
The mental part is something Johnson has long worked at mastering, and he is all the way there. A virtuoso at right tackle.
"It isn't all muscle or just being bigger than the other guy," Johnson said. "There is a lot more that goes into it and I enjoy that aspect of it, where I'm using leverage or my blocking angle to win that play. That's the thing: It's a play-to-play deal here. We don't have much time to celebrate because there is always going to be a new guy waiting to knock you off. I know they're coming after me. I love that challenge. I love that part of it."
Three times Johnson has been voted into the Pro Bowl. Twice he has been named an All-Pro player and once, of course, he has won a Super Bowl. There are more accolades and much more recognition ahead for Johnson, who is peaking at a time when most players are winding it all down.
Johnson is just now ramping up.
"Keeping your body right is the hardest thing at this level because you're always going to be stressed physically," he said. "I eat right, I recover and take it seriously, and I study until I can't look at the screen anymore. That's how serious I am. I don't want anybody getting a jump on me. It's a constant challenge to me."
And it's far from over. In Johnson's mind, life is a day-to-day process. He's in the groove of his football life and he has no intention of breaking stride. There is Stoutland on his case, mindful of the need to stay sharp. He has the rest of his linemates and the standard they've set. He has a quarterback in Jalen Hurts he wants to keep clean, a fan base that loves him, identifies with him, and has made him an "Underdog" for life.
He is one of the greatest Philadelphia Eagles ever, constantly pushing himself for the next turn.
"It's what I do and I love it," Johnson says, "and I wouldn't give it up for anything. It's the grind that gets you. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing until they don't want me anymore."
[OUB: On the opposite end of the spectrum:]
--Bobby Evans becomes point of emphasis for Rams fans dragging Sean McVay’s roster
Is Evans the worst offensive lineman in the NFL?
By Kenneth Arthur Nov 7, 2022
I have never seen the name “Bobby Evans” mentioned this many times by Rams fans. Obviously, it has not been for good reasons.
In the comments section of virtually any post-game article after the L.A. Rams’ 16-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, “Why is Bobby Evans employed by an NFL team?” has become the main complaint about the 53 players on the roster. Which is saying something given the amount of complaints that fans have about the 3-5 Rams right now.
“I want to see some “drastic” changes. McVay can stop talking and try to shake things up: Number one: Evans cut.”
“If McVay lets Evans play one more snap, he’s an utter moron.”
“I can tell you ONE thing that will definitely and immediately improve the team immensely: find someone other than Lunchmeat Evans to play LG.”
The frustrations are not without merit. The Rams probably have had the worst offensive line in the NFL at times this year and even if that is partly attributed to injuries at left tackle and guard (although the injury to Joseph Noteboom was probably a blessing in disguise), Evans was always a “next man up” option even though he came into the season with three years of experience under McVay and practically nothing to show for it other than a roster spot.
A third round pick in 2019, Evans made seven starts as a rookie and one last season, none of which were promising. He was also not impressing by any measure in preseason and training camp reps over the past four years. Evans has now started four of the last five games with starter David Edwards on injured reserve with a concussion.
On Sunday against the Bucs, PFF blamed Evans for half of the pressures and 75% of the sacks against Matthew Stafford.
Even if Edwards doesn’t return soon, the Rams must explore other options at guard. Recently-signed Oday Aboushi didn’t give up any pressures in his start against the 49ers and while fans should not get their hopes up for him either, it’s worth questioning why McVay hasn’t given him those reps at left guard recently.
Aboushi is a bad player usually, hence his availability. But why Evans doesn’t have that same availability is a mystery to which there are no answers.
Fans were ready for a change yesterday. No, fans were ready for a change yesteryear.
-- Pete Carroll says Tre Brown is ready to play but will not be activated to [Seahawks] 53-man roster this week to give him two more weeks, with the bye after this week, to get that much more fully recovered.
--Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Bell (hip) is close to a return but added the tight end could also be sidelined for a couple more weeks, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.
Bell began the campaign on IR following surgery to repair a hip flexor injury he suffered in late August and has remained sidelined since. While Reid's comments about the tight end being close to a return are encouraging, the head coach had a similar sentiment ahead of Kansas City's Week 8 bye, but Bell still remains on IR to start Week 9. It sounds like the Chiefs expect the tight end to return this season, but they don't appear to be in any rush to get him back on the active roster.
--Lane Johnson is 'the best right tackle in the world'
Oct 29, 2022 at 01:44 PM
Dave Spadaro
Beneath all the gifts that Lane Johnson has worked so hard to cultivate through the years – the long limbs, the reach, the extraordinary foot quickness, the brute strength – is an intelligence that separates him from the others. Ask Johnson about a defensive player he's watched and studied and really learned, and he provides a dissertation.
"Anything you can do to get an edge in this league, you do it," said Johnson, in his 10th season with the Eagles and one of the all-time greats in franchise history and, without a doubt, the best right tackle in today's NFL. "I love watching film. I need to know everything I can about a player before I line up against him."
At the age of 32, in a game in which players are supposed to be "on the other side" of greatness at around 30, Johnson is improving himself, playing the best ball of his career. He knows it. Defenses know it.
The Eagles' coaching staff certainly knows it.
"Lane to me is one of the best tackles in the world," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said during Training Camp. "He's the best right tackle in the world. To be able to say that about guys on your roster, that's a cool thing to have. 'Lane, you are the best right tackle in the world.' That's how my eyes see it, that's how people in our building see it, that's how our offensive coaches see it. The defensive staff sees it the same way."
A first-round pick by the Eagles in 2013, Johnson's story is one of evolution: He was a college quarterback at Kilgore (Texas) Community College before transferring to Oklahoma and then transitioned to the offensive tackle position. He was tall, of course, but back then he was long and lean and not particularly strong. Johnson built himself up and eventually was the fourth player selected in the 2013 NFL Draft. He was good right away, but over the course of his decade-long career, he has become great. There was an ankle injury that truncated his 2019 season and that bothered him in 2020. In 2021, he stepped away for a few weeks to "restore his personal life" as he dealt with depression and anxiety. But now that he is healthy and back on the field, Johnson has been virtually impenetrable.
"This is a special, special man," Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland says of Johnson. "You don't see people with the athletic ability that he has. He's really fast, really quick, great change of direction, really long. I don't know if you realize how long he is. I remember when we worked him out (prior to the 2013 draft). I went down to Texas to his high school, and his high school coach set me up there. He was doing a 'V-stretch,' and he was sitting on the ground. I was standing about where you are (about 3 feet away), and he stuck his arms out, and he reached to the chair. And he got on the bag drills, and when you watch him do the bag, his feet are so fast. He's really like a skill player playing offensive line. And he's physical, really a unique guy."
Johnson plays like he knows he's the best, leaving no detail untouched. He is thorough in his preparation and his performance.
"I'm definitely a lot bigger and stronger than what I was during the Super Bowl year," Johnson said. "Whatever I've lost in speed, I've made up for in power as I've gotten older. I feel much better than I did last year.
"Right now, I feel fast. I'm around 330, I feel good and just trying to keep that rolling. Early in my career, I played around 315, 320, and now I guess it's easier to keep on weight when you get older as long as it's not slowing me down too much. I feel good, I feel ready."
Johnson is part of an offensive line that has long been the foundation of the team's offensive success – third in yards per game, fourth in points after the 26-17 win over Dallas to improve to 6-0 entering the bye. He credits some of the success he has had to the men who have worked next to him – Todd Herremans (2013-14), Brandon Brooks (2016-21), and Isaac Seumalo now. They are the ones who must coordinate their timing and sync their minds in terms of recognizing what they are seeing from the defense and what they are hearing from the quarterback and center Jason Kelce as line calls and adjustments are made.
The mental part is something Johnson has long worked at mastering, and he is all the way there. A virtuoso at right tackle.
"It isn't all muscle or just being bigger than the other guy," Johnson said. "There is a lot more that goes into it and I enjoy that aspect of it, where I'm using leverage or my blocking angle to win that play. That's the thing: It's a play-to-play deal here. We don't have much time to celebrate because there is always going to be a new guy waiting to knock you off. I know they're coming after me. I love that challenge. I love that part of it."
Three times Johnson has been voted into the Pro Bowl. Twice he has been named an All-Pro player and once, of course, he has won a Super Bowl. There are more accolades and much more recognition ahead for Johnson, who is peaking at a time when most players are winding it all down.
Johnson is just now ramping up.
"Keeping your body right is the hardest thing at this level because you're always going to be stressed physically," he said. "I eat right, I recover and take it seriously, and I study until I can't look at the screen anymore. That's how serious I am. I don't want anybody getting a jump on me. It's a constant challenge to me."
And it's far from over. In Johnson's mind, life is a day-to-day process. He's in the groove of his football life and he has no intention of breaking stride. There is Stoutland on his case, mindful of the need to stay sharp. He has the rest of his linemates and the standard they've set. He has a quarterback in Jalen Hurts he wants to keep clean, a fan base that loves him, identifies with him, and has made him an "Underdog" for life.
He is one of the greatest Philadelphia Eagles ever, constantly pushing himself for the next turn.
"It's what I do and I love it," Johnson says, "and I wouldn't give it up for anything. It's the grind that gets you. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing until they don't want me anymore."
[OUB: On the opposite end of the spectrum:]
--Bobby Evans becomes point of emphasis for Rams fans dragging Sean McVay’s roster
Is Evans the worst offensive lineman in the NFL?
By Kenneth Arthur Nov 7, 2022
I have never seen the name “Bobby Evans” mentioned this many times by Rams fans. Obviously, it has not been for good reasons.
In the comments section of virtually any post-game article after the L.A. Rams’ 16-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, “Why is Bobby Evans employed by an NFL team?” has become the main complaint about the 53 players on the roster. Which is saying something given the amount of complaints that fans have about the 3-5 Rams right now.
“I want to see some “drastic” changes. McVay can stop talking and try to shake things up: Number one: Evans cut.”
“If McVay lets Evans play one more snap, he’s an utter moron.”
“I can tell you ONE thing that will definitely and immediately improve the team immensely: find someone other than Lunchmeat Evans to play LG.”
The frustrations are not without merit. The Rams probably have had the worst offensive line in the NFL at times this year and even if that is partly attributed to injuries at left tackle and guard (although the injury to Joseph Noteboom was probably a blessing in disguise), Evans was always a “next man up” option even though he came into the season with three years of experience under McVay and practically nothing to show for it other than a roster spot.
A third round pick in 2019, Evans made seven starts as a rookie and one last season, none of which were promising. He was also not impressing by any measure in preseason and training camp reps over the past four years. Evans has now started four of the last five games with starter David Edwards on injured reserve with a concussion.
On Sunday against the Bucs, PFF blamed Evans for half of the pressures and 75% of the sacks against Matthew Stafford.
Even if Edwards doesn’t return soon, the Rams must explore other options at guard. Recently-signed Oday Aboushi didn’t give up any pressures in his start against the 49ers and while fans should not get their hopes up for him either, it’s worth questioning why McVay hasn’t given him those reps at left guard recently.
Aboushi is a bad player usually, hence his availability. But why Evans doesn’t have that same availability is a mystery to which there are no answers.
Fans were ready for a change yesterday. No, fans were ready for a change yesteryear.
