Author: Ritik

Patrick Queen knows well about the labels people give him. These labels show up whenever the Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker searches his name on social media.

There are many labels—Queen thinks there are at least 100. They cover a range of criticisms, such as his supposed inability to do certain things and issues with communication. This is surprising given that Queen is known for talking a lot, both during games and off the field.

The label that bothers him the most is the idea that his impressive performance with the Baltimore Ravens was just because he played next to All-Pro Roquan Smith.

Queen, who just signed the biggest free-agent deal in Steelers history, wants to change this perception. He acknowledges that Smith is “a hell of a player and a hell of a teammate, a hell of a leader” and the best in their position, but he disagrees with the notion that his own success was merely due to opponents focusing on Smith.

Queen doesn’t buy into the idea that his career-high 133 tackles last year were just because opponents were planning to stop Smith and left him free to make plays. He is determined to show what he can do on his own.

The Steelers are counting on him to prove himself. Since a spinal injury ended rising star Ryan Shazier’s career in 2017, the inside linebacker position has seen many players come and go.

If Queen dislikes the comments about him online, they are nothing compared to the challenges faced by Jon Bostic, Mark Barron, Joe Schobert, Devin Bush, and Myles Jack, who all had relatively short tenures with the Steelers while trying to fill Shazier’s role with mixed results.

The team hopes it has finally found someone to fill Shazier’s spot, and so does Queen, who grew up in Louisiana dreaming of playing for the Steelers.

“It felt like I was destined to be here,” he said.

This strong sense of destiny is one reason Queen has embraced his role in Pittsburgh. He’s not the first player to switch from one AFC North rival to another, but he is definitely the loudest.

“He’s got a lot of juice, energy, bringing it every day,” outside linebacker Nick Herbig said. “And he’s out there just talking (smack), you know?”

This energetic personality is useful for a player who needs to pass on the defensive calls from coordinator Teryl Austin to the other players on the field.

The interesting part is that, despite Queen’s confident and talkative nature, the Steelers believe having a reliable three-down linebacker like him will benefit their defense, which will need to step up while a new offense led by Russell Wilson gets settled.

In recent years, Austin had to shift the responsibility for calling plays or have an assistant do it from the sideline because there wasn’t a linebacker versatile enough to stay on the field in every situation.

Now, with Queen in place, there’s hope that having a consistent person calling the plays will be reassuring for the defense.

“It can get a little erratic sometimes with who’s calling and who’s got it,” Austin said. “There’s been times we had different guys doing it. So, I think you have that one steady person. I think that’s really calming for the defense.”

It might be the only time you’ll see “calm” and Queen mentioned together in the same sentence. Before the snap, he is 6-feet and 232 pounds of constant movement.

If he’s not directing the defensive line to shift positions, he’s signaling to the secondary about coverage. Or he’s talking to fellow inside linebacker Elandon Roberts as they split their responsibilities for a play.

Austin described Queen as a player the Steelers “can build around.” Despite his confidence, Queen understands his place on a defense that features a top pass-rush duo with All-Pro T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

“If I do my job to the best of my ability to give them guys the second to get back to the quarterback, they’ll get there,” Queen said.

Queen might also get a chance to sack the quarterback himself. He has 13 1/2 sacks in four seasons and might have more chances to make plays in Pittsburgh, a place known for its aggressive defense.

Queen is ready to do whatever is needed because he believes he can handle it. He doesn’t care about the labels given to him elsewhere. His goal is much bigger.

“I want to be great,” he said. “I want to be ‘The Guy.’ My whole mindset coming here was just ‘Trying to be the best that came through here’ and etch a name for myself.”

Deshaun Watson is ready for a big comeback and needs to stay focused on the future.

“It’s a new year. It’s a new season,” Watson said on Wednesday. “No matter if you won MVP or didn’t play last year, it’s a new year. If you’re thinking about last year, you’re going to fall behind.”

Watson is heading into what might be the most crucial season of his career—college or pro—with huge expectations and a lot of pressure. He has only started 12 games in his first two years with Cleveland, and his 2023 season ended because of a right shoulder injury that needed surgery and several months of tough rehab.

Watson worked hard and thinks he’s ready. Now, the real challenge begins.

On Sunday, he will play in a game for the first time since November 12. The Browns, who made it to the playoffs without him last season, will play against the Dallas Cowboys. For Watson, just being back on the field is a win.

It was uncertain when he’d be able to play again after breaking the glenoid bone in his throwing shoulder. But Watson achieved all the goals set by his doctors and the Browns’ medical team to return to play.

Watson realized during mini-camp practices in the spring that he would be ready for the fall.

“When we first had the surgery back in November, no one knew exactly where it was going to lead to,” he said before practice. “It could have been now as we’re sitting here today or it could have been a whole year, which would’ve been in November.

“So it was very broad, but I challenged myself to get back to this moment right now.”

There have been challenges for Watson. He didn’t play at all during the preseason and was limited in practice two weeks ago due to what coach Kevin Stefanski called “general arm soreness.”

Watson, however, says he could have continued throwing.

“It was a medical decision where they just told me any type of soreness or anything you’re feeling, we’re going to take the high road and not try to push anything further,” he said. “The key is to play 17-plus games, not finish training camp and try to be a superhero.”

Watson also mentioned there have “never been any limitations” on his arm.

The Browns hope that there won’t be any limits on his performance this season. They invested $230 million in Watson and haven’t seen the results they expected.

After missing 11 games in 2023 due to an NFL suspension, Watson showed some of his old skill last season before a shoulder injury, which was not fully known until he completed 14 of 14 passes in a second-half comeback to beat Baltimore.

But aside from that game, there have been too many average performances with too many turnovers and excuses.

Watson said the injury made him go “back to basics” and that he and his personal coach, Quincy Avery, rebuilt his throwing mechanics “from scratch.” He has improved his diet and, with help from doctors and trainers, remade himself.

“We sat down together, we put out a plan and we followed that plan,” he said. “I feel really, really well, feel very explosive, locked in on my tasks, on the game, endurance, everything. So I’m excited to go out there and show what I got on Sunday and with all the hard work that I put in.”

A three-time Pro Bowler in four seasons with Houston (he missed 2021 due to a contract dispute), Watson has not been the same game-changing quarterback with Cleveland for clear reasons. Statistically, he is among the lower half of quarterbacks in the AFC.

Caleb Williams knows he needs to learn quickly. To help with this, the highly-touted rookie will rely on his past experiences.

The Chicago Bears are set to play the Tennessee Titans in their first game of the season on Sunday, and the attention on the quarterback picked first in the draft will be even greater now.

“The ability to learn fast, I think that has grown over time,” Williams said on Wednesday. “Obviously being in a bunch of different games, seeing a bunch of different films and things like that, I think that has helped. … In high school I was a little bit more under center, I had a few more play-actions from under center and things like that.

In college, I was a little bit more spread throwing the ball around a lot more and seeing a bunch of different concepts of space and all these different things.

So I’ve gotten a bunch of different types of playing throughout my years, and I think that has helped me tremendously to be able to learn this offense.” Now, it’s time to see how everything comes together.

The Bears have been looking forward to this moment ever since they traded quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March. This move allowed them to draft Williams, who won the 2022 Heisman Trophy from Southern California.

No rookie quarterback in Chicago has faced this much excitement. The Bears haven’t drafted a player with the No. 1 overall pick since 1947, when George Halas chose Oklahoma A&M halfback Bob Fenimore despite a knee injury that ended his senior season.

Fenimore, an All-American, lasted only one year in the NFL. Chicago’s only other No. 1 pick was Michigan halfback Tom Harmon in 1941, another Heisman Trophy winner.

In recent years, under former general manager Ryan Pace, Chicago drafted Mitchell Trubisky and Fields with high picks. Both were seen more as projects rather than ready players, and neither developed as the Bears had hoped.

With Williams, things seem different. At least, that’s how it looks.

From the very beginning, Williams has impressed the Bears not just with his strong arm and his ability to throw while moving, but also with his overall attitude and cheerful personality. He has done everything right, to the point that his teammates selected him as one of eight team captains.

“I’m extremely grateful,” Williams said. “I can’t really think of how many rookies are captains, especially with a team so talented like this. With a lot of, I guess you can say vet guys.

We’re a pretty young team but we obviously have a good amount of vets on this team, so to be named a captain by my peers and colleagues, my teammates and my friends and brothers I’m extremely grateful, extremely happy.”

Williams threw for 93 touchdowns and 14 interceptions over three seasons at Oklahoma and USC. He had impressive numbers the last two years with the Trojans, with 72 TD passes and 10 INTs.

Williams knows that his passing opportunities won’t last as long in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Bears are hoping for a long period of success with him as their quarterback.

Chicago has a combined record of 10-24 in two seasons under general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus. But after winning seven games last season, the Bears are aiming higher.

Williams has plenty of targets, including six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen and No. 9 pick Rome Odunze, who join DJ Moore at wide receiver. The Bears also have two tight ends who can catch passes, Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett.

“I wouldn’t rather be with another guy right now than Caleb,” said Allen, who was traded from the Los Angeles Chargers. “He’s gotten better ever since we started. The confidence is through the roof.”

He mentioned that Williams is ahead of where Justin Herbert was when he started with the Chargers in 2020, where Herbert threw for over 4,300 yards as a rookie.

The Bears are the only team that hasn’t had a quarterback pass for 4,000 yards. Williams will be aiming to change that.

On Sunday, Williams will begin this challenge with all eyes on him.

“Well, when feet touch the grass it’s going to be business as usual,” Williams said. “But I normally like to, when I run out the stadium, kind of do a little spin in the tunnel, when I’m coming out the tunnel, just kind of see the stadium, take it all in and feel the energy, the vibe, and get going from there. Once I do my spin and get down to the sideline, it’s gone time.”

Mike McDaniel has already noticed progress in Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as they enter their third year together.

McDaniel is particularly impressed by how Tagovailoa has become more comfortable taking on a leadership role.

“There’s certain guys that have an ‘it’ factor,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “You know when a team believes in their quarterback, quite honestly. And the appreciation for what his skills were (before), I think were strong, but nothing compared to the respect and regard his teammates have (now).”

Even if others haven’t always noticed, Tagovailoa said he’s always had it in him.

“I’ve had the ‘it’ factor,” Tagovailoa said ahead of Miami’s season opener. “I’ve had the ‘it’ factor since I was in high school and (going) into college and coming here. That’s how I’ve always viewed myself — as going out and competing, very nice, very cool, calm, and collected.

But like inside, just very competitive. So a lot of the guys know how I am, I guess it’s just only now showing that I’m becoming a little more vocal.”

His teammates noticed his increased willingness to speak up during the offseason. They appreciate following his lead, especially as he aims to lead Miami to its first playoff win in 24 years.

His leadership has been evident in practice, where he ensures even walkthroughs are conducted properly and clearly communicates his expectations.

“Tua has done a great job of over-communicating exactly what he wants as far as details and routes,” receiver Tyreek Hill said. “And Mike, our head coach, he has given him the keys to the car which is even more of a beautiful thing.”

Tagovailoa said he didn’t enter his fourth NFL season with the aim of being more vocal, but it naturally resulted from showing more of his personality.

“Finding himself as a person, that’s been front and center with the team,” McDaniel said, “and so he’s being him.”

Sixteen years ago, Antonio Pierce was nearing the end of his NFL playing career when he had the opportunity to intern for Howard Stern’s highly popular and often controversial radio show.

Pierce enjoyed the experience so much that he initially aimed for a career in media after football.

“Putting on makeup and looking at a camera for eight years is pretty cool,” he said. “But I missed being in that locker room. I missed competing. I missed that fire burning in my stomach.”

So, he returned to his passion and got back into football by becoming a coach.

Pierce started coaching at the high school level and worked his way up to this week, when he will have his first game as the Raiders’ full-time head coach. Las Vegas will start its season on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

It’s not very common for former NFL players to become coaches. Pierce is one of eight former players—excluding Denver’s Sean Payton, who played three games as a replacement during the 1987 strike—currently serving as head coaches, which is quite high compared to historical numbers.

“Coaching is very, very tough,” said Joe Horrigan, former executive director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “You have to be totally dedicated. Your time is spent in the coaches’ rooms.

When you’re wealthy, you might find being in a broadcast booth a lot easier than spending all your waking hours in a profession that demands so much of you.”

This is especially true for top players. Of the current head coaches, only four have been selected to the Pro Bowl, including Pierce.

Among these four, only Patriots’ Jerod Mayo and Texans’ DeMeco Ryans have received Associated Press All-Pro honors. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh was fourth in the AP MVP voting in 1995. Historically, most coaches do not have such impressive athletic backgrounds.

Among the 20 coaches with the most wins since the Super Bowl began, only Tom Landry and Dan Reeves were selected as All-Pros. Of the 14 coaches who have won multiple Super Bowls, only Landry, with two, was named All-Pro—in 1954.

Apart from Payton, none of the top seven coaches with the most wins since 2010 played in the NFL; they worked their way up through other levels of coaching.

“There are only a limited number of positions available each year in the NFL and many qualified coaches,” Horrigan said. “The NFL can be selective in who they hire, and candidates need to show they can coach. It’s common for coaches to come through the college ranks.

“It’s like a minor league system for coaches. The shift from being a player to a coach is difficult and not everyone can make it.” Former players had significant success last season, whether they started in the NFL or came from college (or other lower levels).

Ryans took over a Texans team that had a 3-13-1 record the previous year and led Houston to the playoffs. Todd Bowles with the Buccaneers and Dan Campbell with the Lions also made the postseason.

All three won at least one playoff game, with Campbell taking the Lions to the NFC Championship Game. The year before, Kevin O’Connell led the Vikings to the playoffs with a 13-4 record.

O’Connell said his experience as a quarterback helped him mentor rookie QB J.J. McCarthy before McCarthy injured his right knee in the preseason, calling it “the former quarterback in me.”

Another former quarterback, Harbaugh, is back in the NFL. He previously coached San Francisco to a Super Bowl appearance 12 years ago and spent the last nine years at Michigan, where he led the Wolverines to the national championship last season.

Now he’s working to elevate a Chargers team that has struggled to meet expectations to new heights.

“He just has that really unique sense of understanding what’s good for the team,” said Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. “But also he’s been in their shoes.

They respect the fact that he’s been in their shoes. He respects that they’re going through what he went through.”

Harbaugh’s team is set to play the Raiders this weekend. Las Vegas cornerback Jack Jones has played for Pierce at Long Beach (California) Poly High School, Arizona State, and now with the Raiders.

“A guy that’s never played in between the white lines and he’s trying to tell you how to make a tackle, how to do anything … it’s just harder to feel that, to understand,” Jones said.

“When you’re getting it from a former player, it’s almost like no question, like he did this before, so I don’t even have to question it.”

Pierce remembered his 2008 internship with Stern and the chances the show gave him both in front of and behind the camera.

He wasn’t ready, though, to share details about what happened behind the scenes with the self-proclaimed “king of all media.” “We’ve got to have a happy hour,” Pierce said.

Pierce had a significant moment when he was named the Raiders’ interim coach midseason last year. He went 5-4, earned the job on a full-time basis, and is now getting ready for his first season opener as head coach.

“I’m approaching the exact same way,” Pierce said. “When I got the interim, I wasn’t trying to give it up. So, in my head, I was permanent.”

Indianapolis long snapper Luke Rhodes is quietly preparing for practice at his locker. As one of the five players with the most years on the Colts, Rhodes knows he’s going to be asked about the team’s struggle with season openers.

With his eighth NFL season about to begin, Rhodes is facing a question that has puzzled everyone: When will the Colts finally win a season opener?

“Of course it’s frustrating,” he said, talking about the NFL’s longest current opening-day winless streak of 10 games. “I mean, as a competitor, you want to win, and starting the season off with a win is huge and it’s something we haven’t had for a little while.

Especially being at home because we’re super focused on winning at home this year.” The situation seems hard to explain.

No other NFL team has a longer opening-day losing streak than three years, and the Colts have experienced every type of game, from big losses to narrow defeats and even a 20-20 tie against Houston in 2022.

Some of the quarterbacks involved in these games were well-known, like Andrew Luck, Philip Rivers, and Matt Ryan, while others, like Scott Tolzien, are less remembered. Luck was part of three of those losses, and Jacoby Brissett, New England’s new starter, lost twice.

How long has it been since Indianapolis won their first game of the season?

Andrew Luck was in his second year in the NFL at that time. He retired five years ago, and no player from that game on September 8, 2013, is still on the Colts’ roster. In that game, Luck scored a 19-yard run with 5:20 left, giving the Colts a 21-17 lead over the Raiders, who were still based in Oakland.

Since then, it’s been a series of losses, except for that tie. But with Anthony Richardson set to be the first Colts quarterback in eight years to start consecutive Week 1 games, there might be a chance for change.

Just don’t bring it up at Colts headquarters.

“Obviously, a big divisional opener and I’m not going to talk about, you know, opening day wins and stuff like that,” owner Jim Irsay said in July. “Obviously, we’re hungry to get our opening game as a victory, no questions about that. So couldn’t be more excited.”

A win on Sunday against the visiting Texans would mean more than just ending The Streak. Indianapolis hasn’t had a winning record against division rivals since their last playoff appearance in 2020.

When these teams last faced each other at Lucas Oil Stadium in January, the Texans won 23-19 and took the AFC South title, leaving the Colts out of the playoffs for the third year in a row.

“Just looking for a chance to right a wrong, you know what I mean?” linebacker Zaire Franklin said. “Obviously, the Week 18 game, it was tough. It was something to deal with. Had to grow through it, learn through it.”

Each season brings back reminders of past losses. Former Colts star Peyton Manning started The Streak when he led Denver to a 31-24 win in 2014.

Two years later, the Colts came back from an 18-point deficit against Detroit and took a 35-34 lead when Luck connected with Jack Doyle for a 6-yard touchdown pass with 37 seconds left, only to watch the Lions score twice more — on Matt Prater’s go-ahead field goal and a safety on the final play.

The Colts lost twice in three years at Los Angeles, first to the Rams when Luck was injured and then to the Chargers after Luck’s surprise retirement.

In 2020, Rivers lost his first game with the Colts at Jacksonville, though the team eventually made the playoffs. Then there was the tie in 2022 and last year, in coach Shane Steichen’s first game, the Colts lost again to Jacksonville at home.

“I think every year — gosh, yeah, you want to hit the ground running Week 1. I mean you’re trying to win every game, and the urgency definitely has got to be there,” Steichen said.

“We know it’s a big game. It’s a division opponent right off the bat at home, and we’ve got to start fast. We’ve got to get off to a fast start this year. That’s the goal every year.”

The question is, can they solve the problem on Sunday?

“We’ve put a lot of talk into protecting Lucas Oil this year, being able to do it against a division opponent is, it’s awesome,” Rhodes said.

The Bills will have just two captains this season: quarterback Josh Allen and middle linebacker Terrel Bernard.

“Our captains this year leading our football team will be Josh Allen and Terrel Bernard. Additionally, there will be a leadership group or council of 10 other players who will help guide the team,” head coach Sean McDermott said today.

Last year, the Bills had eight captains, but this year McDermott explained that the team chose to have fewer captains and a larger leadership council.

“The leadership structure will change from year to year depending on the team, and each team is different. We strongly believe that the leadership setup we have chosen this year is what this team needs,” McDermott said.

Allen has been a captain for six consecutive years, while Bernard is serving as a captain for the first time.

The Ravens have released their initial injury updates for the 2024 season.

Running back Rasheen Ali is listed as doubtful for the game against the Chiefs in Kansas City on Thursday night. Edge rusher Adisa Isaac has been ruled out. These two rookies are the only players on the team’s injury report this week.

Ali, who has a neck injury, was drafted in the fifth round this year and was limited in practice this week. Derrick Henry and Justice Hill will be available to play in the backfield for Baltimore.

Isaac, a third-round pick, has been out of practice due to a hamstring injury. Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo are expected to handle most of the edge-rushing duties for the Ravens on Thursday.