DeMarco Murray Has Restored Roar in Titans Running Game

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — DeMarco Murray isn’t counting his carries, or his 100-yard games.

The Titans running back, acquired this offseason via trade, said he’s only worried about the outcome of games. His early season success, however, is a good sign for a team that’s making good on its plan of bringing a dominant run game back to Nashville.

“Every time we go into a game I tell him, ‘100 yards or more.’ That’s what I want,’’ Titans tackle Taylor Lewan said of Murray. “Because his success is our success. We get the opportunity to run the ball, and it is a huge accomplishment as an offensive line to see him get those yards. He is an unbelievable back. He makes guys miss all the time. He also lowers his shoulder. I am very impressed.”

Murray has gone over the 100-yard mark in three of the team’s past five games. He’s currently third in the NFL with 633 rushing yards, with five touchdowns, and is on pace to finish the season with 1,447 yards. It would be his best season since 2014 in Dallas, when he ran for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns en route to being named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year.

In the process, Murray has restored the roar to the Titans running game. The Titans didn’t have 100-yard rusher in 2014 or 2015. Already, Murray has more rushing yards than the team’s top running back a year ago (Antonio Andrews, 520).

Murray is averaging 90.4 yards per contest.

“I just think guys are playing well,’’ Murray said. “Obviously the previous two weeks Marcus (Mariota) was lighting teams up through the air, so this week the box got a little lighter. I am sure it is going to continue to get harder and harder, but I think with Rishard (Matthews) playing at a high level and Kendall (Wright) and the offensive line and those guys blocking well. …

“And Delanie (Walker) obviously, he is someone the defense pays a lot of attention to no matter what the situation is, and I think that is great for us. … We just have to find a way to keep it going, and to win games.”

The Titans (3-4) face the Jaguars (2-4) on Thursday night at Nissan Stadium.

Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said he’s been impressed with Murray’s all-around ability. In addition to his contributions running the ball, Murray also has a team-high 27 receptions for 192 yards and two more touchdowns.

“(He’s) very talented,’’ Bradley said. “You know what, you try to find the scheme that you really utilize the player's strength. I felt like they did that in Dallas. I didn't see him last year (with the Eagles), but they're really utilizing his strengths and his talents. He's playing at a high level. He's one of the top running backs in the league as far as yardage, but I think what's also impressive is the receptions that he has.

“It's not surprising to me that he's playing so well because I know when he was at Dallas, we had chances to watch him on tape and he's an unbelievable back. He's got great vision and great instincts. He's playing that way this year.”

Murray has 603 scrimmage yards (502 rushing, 101 receiving) in the past five games, with five touchdowns. Since 2013, he leads the NFL with 33 rushing touchdowns and is second with 4,301 rushing yards.

Since 1999, when the franchise became the Titans, Murray’s 633 rushing yards already ranks sixth for the team in the first eight games of a season. Main­taining his current pace against the Jaguars would put him at 723 yards, which would be fourth-highest “Titans era” total through eight games. It would be the most since Chris Johnson’s 959 yards in the first half of 2009.

"I think him as a player, just his versatility coming out of the backfield or doing certain things in the run game (stands out),’’ Mariota said. “I think he's an incredible player. He's a complete player—somebody that understands protections, understands schemes—and we're very fortunate to have him.”

Murray, of course, wants to keep it going.

After beginning the year averaging just 13.3 carries in the first three games, his workload has increased as well. Murray has 25, 27, 21 and 25 carries over the last four games.

When the game is on the line, he wants to be in the game, working. Behind Murray, running back Derrick Henry has 161 yards on 37 carries for the Titans.

“I think as the game goes on, no matter the carry situation, I just like to be involved in the game whether it is blocking, passing, I just like to be out there playing with the guys and trying to make an impact as much as I can,” Murray said. “As the game goes on, (defensive) guys get tired, and you just kind of get a feel for what is going on."

via TitansOnline.com.

Giants 2016 Rookie Progress Report

Since taking over as head coach, Ben McAdoo has reiterated that he won’t be afraid to trust and play young players. That has been the case so far as his rookies – both drafted and undrafted – made an impact on the first half of the season.

As the Giants take stock of the team over the bye week, now’s a good time for Giants.com to do the same. Here is a breakdown of the rookies’ performances so far, beginning with the 2016 Draft Class:

CB ELI APPLE

Draft Rd 1 (10)
At the bye: 5 GP, 1 GS, 15 TACK, 1 FF, 3 PD

Drafted 10th overall out of Ohio State, Apple immediately stepped into a prominent role alongside veteran cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins. But after having 11 tackles and a pass breakup in back-to-back wins to start the season, the rookie suffered a hamstring against Washington in Week 3 and went on to miss the next game at Minnesota. He returned only to leave with a groin injury at Green Bay and again missed the following week against Baltimore. The former Buckeye hopes that’s all behind him as he not only traveled to London, but also got the start. On a four-interception day for the defense, Apple recorded three tackles, broke up a pass and forced a fumble in the victory over the Rams.

“We certainly don't want to set him back like with what happened last time,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said before the London trip. “He came off the hamstring, and then it set him back with the groin, so we don't want that to happen. We'll have to be smart about it.”

WR STERLING SHEPARD

Draft Rd 2 (40)
At the bye: 7 GP, 7 GS, 31 REC, 334 YDS (10.8 AVG), 2 TD

The second-round pick raced out to 16 receptions for 233 yards and two touchdowns in his first three games, including a nine-yard score in his debut at Dallas. Meanwhile, Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, and Shepard became the most productive wide receiver trio in the NFL through the first month of the season. Since then, the passing game has struggled to find consistency while Shepard has 15 receptions for 101 yards in the last four games. But the veteran Cruz still believes this could be the best receiving corps he’s ever been around.

“I was part of one that won a Super Bowl, but I think that right now we definitely have the talent to do so,” Cruz said. “Sterling Shepard is a tremendously talented wide receiver, as well as Odell Beckham and I think obviously on paper right now we definitely have all the intangibles to make it there, but we just have to take it one week at a time. But I do believe that this receiving corps is a pretty good bunch.”

SAFETY DARIAN THOMPSON

Draft Rd 3 (71)
At the bye: 2 GP, 1 GS, 7 TACK

Thompson was the talk of spring workouts as well as training camp after impressing coaches with his ability to bark out orders in the secondary. The third-round pick out of Boise State started opposite Landon Collins from Day 1, but a foot injury stalled his progress and sidelined him for the last five weeks. The safety depth took another hit as Nat Berhe has dealt with a concussion, forcing undrafted rookie Andrew Adams to step up. More on him later.

“I'm looking forward to getting everybody back [after the bye],” coach Ben McAdoo said. “I'd love to hit the practice field and have the full team practicing. I think that's certainly a possibility.”

LB B.J. GOODSON

Draft Rd 4 (109)
At the bye: 6 GP

Like he did at Clemson, Goodson is waiting his turn behind a veteran group of linebackers that includes defensive captain Jonathan Casillas (eight years in the NFL), Kelvin Sheppard (six), Keenan Robinson (five), Devon Kennard (three), and Mark Herzlich (six). Once he does get his shot, the Giants hope he can replicate what he did with the Tigers. In his first season as a full-time starter, Goodson led Clemson in tackles as the team went on to an undefeated regular season.

“You see B.J. getting better each week,” linebackers coach Bill McGovern said earlier in the season. “He's gaining confidence. Obviously, like any rookie coming in, when you get out on the field and you start playing with these guys, at first it could be a little bit intimidating, which he never backed away from and has always been good with. But, also now getting out on the field in actual game time where he's been playing on special teams and everything else, I think it's only helping his confidence that he is getting better with practice, with time.”

RB PAUL PERKINS

Draft Rd 5 (149)
At the bye: 5 GP, 10 ATT, 39 YDS (3.9 AVG); 6 REC, 105 YDS (17.5 AVG)

The fifth-rounder out of UCLA will be an intriguing player to watch in the second half of the season as the Giants evaluate their rushing woes over the bye week. Before the break, McAdoo was asked if he would like to get Perkins more involved in the mix at running back. He responded, “Paul is a young player. He's turned into a good special teamer for us. We look forward to him growing as a runner as well.” And don’t forget about his playmaking ability as a receiver out of the backfield. In Week 4 at Minnesota, Perkins had a catch-and-run for 67 yards, the Giants’ longest reception until Beckham’s 75-yard touchdown against Baltimore.

TE JERELL ADAMS

Draft Rd 6 (184)
At the bye: 5 GP, 3 REC, 32 YDS (10.7 AVG)

Similar to Perkins, Adams could be in line for more action down the stretch while fellow tight ends Larry Donnell and Will Tye have combined for 33 receptions and 241 yards through seven weeks. 

“We are confident in the players that we have at that spot,” McAdoo said. “We are going roll Jerell and Tye in there some more with Larry and let those guys compete and whoever is playing the best is who we will go with.”

WR ROGER LEWIS

Undrafted
At the bye: 4 GP, 2 REC, 31 YDS (15.5 AVG), 1 TD

The Bowling Green product’s biggest moment came against Baltimore in Week 6 when he was forced into action after Beckham temporarily went down with a hip pointer. With the two-time Pro Bowler getting medical attention in the locker room, Lewis sparked the Giants with a 24-yard touchdown late in the first half.

“Good to get Roger [involved],” Manning said. “He’s been doing a good job; he did some good things at training camp and early on. He’s kind of waited for his opportunity to get in there.”

SAFETY ANDREW ADAMS

Undrafted
At the bye: 5 GP, 4 GS, 20 TACK, 2 PD, 1 QBH

With Thompson and Berhe out, the undrafted free agent from the University of Connecticut has started the last four weeks. In that span, the Giants have allowed an average of 20 points per game while opposing quarterbacks have a completion percentage of 58.8 and a passer rating of 70.3.

“Andrew's been solid,” Spagnuolo said. “He has made some normal rookie mistakes. They show up in the game, but if those mistakes as a safety can be ones that don't kill us in the football game, we can survive them. He had to step in there going from practice squad, not getting a lot of reps, having to be thrown in the fire right away. I think he's done an admirable job, really.”

DE ROMEO OKWARA

Undrafted
At the bye: 7 GP, 3 TACK, 1 QBH

As the Giants look for more in their rotation behind Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon, Okwara has seen his snap counts increase. The Notre Dame product has also made an impact on special teams and blocked a punt in Week 3 against Washington. However, it was nullified by a personal foul on Andrew Adams.

“I think that since we got him, in the spring, he has been working really hard to get the playbook down and he has been out there almost every day,” defensive line coach Patrick Graham said. “And he has just been steadily improving his technique both against the run and the pass and any playing time he got on Sunday, he earned it and he was productive in his role. So as long as he keeps doing that, we will be OK."

via Giants.com.

DFS NFL Picks: 2016 Week 3

QB:
Drew Brees-New Orleans Saints: Brees completed 29-of-44 passes for 263 yards and one touchdown Sunday in what was supposed to be a fantasy shootout between two high powered offenses. He plays another suspect defense next week (Falcons) and should have a bounce back game at home.

RB:
David Johnson-Arizona Cardinals: Johnson has proved that the is a three every time he gets the ball. He faces a struggling Buffalo Bills defense this week.

WR:
Antonio Brown-Pittsburgh Steelers: Brown was limited to four catches on 11 targets for 39 yards on Sunday, but expect him to bounce back in a big way next week as the Steelers hit the road to face the Philadelphia Eagles.

Julio Jones-Atlanta Falcons: ones had five catches, 106 yards, and one touchdown Sunday and could be argued as the best WR in football. He should be fine come Sunday.

TE:
Jordan Reed-Washington Redskins: Reed was targeted seven times on Sunday, catching five passes for 70 yards. The only problem with Reed is that Josh Doctson had several designed end zone plays, limiting Reed's. But Reed should be fine by Sunday.

D/ST:
Seattle Seahawks: Is there any surprise that the Seahawks are the best defense in the NFL right now, at least in the minds of many? They are a defense you need to pick every week (Except the team's bye week, obviously).

DFS NFL Picks: 2016 Week 2

Ezekiel Elliott could be one of the top RB choices for
Week 2.

QB:
Ben Roethlisberger - Pittsburgh Steelers: Three QBs came to our head here. Ryan Fitzpatrick faces the Bills on Thursday, and he had a pair of touchdowns in both games against them last year. Meanwhile, Joe Flacco faces the Browns, who he has a great history against. But ultimately, we feel Ben Roethlisberger is the way to go. He has performed excellent again the Bengals, who he faces this weekend.

WR:
Giant Mania: The Giants face the Steelers this weekend. No doubt Odell Beckham Jr. should be started, but Sterling Shepherd may be worth taking a chance on. The rookie wide receiver seems to have potential. But the salsa is back! Victor Cruz played his first regular season game after missing many from a slew of injuries and was even able to do that famous TD dance this past Sunday against Dallas. The Giants wide receiver position may get interesting, so follow up on that for sure.

TE:

Rob Gronkowski - New England Patriots: No question, if Gronkowski is healthy enough to start, start him. If not, fins another TE. Could not be more simpler.

RB:
Ezekiel Elliott - Dallas Cowboys: Elliott didn't exactly have the best week in Week one against the Giants, but he did score a TD and should do very well against a Redskins defense that struggled greatly in Week 1.

D/ST:
Seattle Seahawks: You're looking at possibly the NFL's best defense in the current day that is about to face the struggling Rams offense in this scenario. No question to pick Seattle, but definitely also consider the Minnesota Vikings defense. They're coming off an impressive two touchdown week 1 perfoemance, but it will definitely be hard for them to replicate that. Still, consider them.

Getting the boot: Kickers make a big impact in Week 1

NEW YORK (AP) — It is called football, after all. And in Week 1 of the NFL season, the kicking game has been critical, from the season opener on Thursday night through the finale of Sunday's first full day of action.

Matt Prater knocked his 43-yard field goal through to lift Detroit past Indianapolis, his 13th winning or tying field goal with under 4:00 to play in the fourth quarter or in overtime.

Chandler Catanzaro missed his potential winner from 47 after a bad snap, and New England escaped at Arizona.

Mike Nugent came through for Cincinnati against his former Jets team, and Graham Gano failed for Carolina vs. Denver.

Five kickers botched 33-yard extra points, though four of their teams won. The Jets' Nick Folk, who'd never missed a PAT in his 10-year NFL career, saw his string of 312 straight makes end. Plus, he had a field goal blocked in a 23-22 defeat.

"I feel like I let the team down," Folk admitted. "If we make the extra point and the field goal, they need a touchdown at the end. That would have put us up six, so it's just frustrating from my end."

He gets an early chance to make up for it: "We have a game in four days (at Buffalo), so we have to bounce back pretty quick."

No kicker had more to bounce back from since last season than Minnesota's Blair Walsh. He infamously shanked a 27-yard field goal on the final play of a wild-card game against Seattle in January, and had to live with that memory until Sunday.

Then he missed two field goals and an extra point at Nashville before snapping out of his funk and connecting on four field goals in a 25-16 win.

"It's nice to bounce back with four field goals, and we won the game," said Walsh, who was supported by coach Mike Zimmer afterward. "They were important kicks. But, man, you want to take the drama out of it, that's for sure."

There was enough kicking drama this week to fill a soap opera. Not all of it involved placekickers, either.

Catanzaro's wide-left boot came after a bad snap from rookie Kameron Canaday. That sparked the usual criticism from afar of the Cardinals for saving money on the position.

Jaguars punter Brad Nortman landed consecutive kicks at the Green Bay 3 that flipped the field and helped Jacksonville take a 10-7 lead. Those punts didn't seem so significant at game's end in Green Bay's 27-23 win, but they helped keep the Jags in it early.

A 17-yarder by Chargers rookie Drew Kaser certainly played a major role in San Diego blowing a 21-point lead at Kansas City and falling in overtime. The Chiefs took over at the San Diego 42 and marched to the tying touchdown.

Chargers coach Mike McCoy didn't exactly distinguish himself by opting to have Josh Lambo try a 54-yard field goal on fourth-and-2 while up 27-10 earlier in the fourth quarter.

No good.

McCoy had been told by special teams coach Craig Aukerman that Lambo "was crushing the ball."

"He had all the confidence in the world before the game," McCoy said of Lambo, "so I had all of the confidence in the world, too."

Saints rookie kicker Wil Lutz, a late signee after spending the preseason in Baltimore, was 2 for 4 on field goals and made his four extra points in a 35-34 loss to Oakland. And it's hard to blame him for missing a desperation 61-yarder on the final play.

Somewhat embarrassingly, though, Lutz and holder Thomas Morstead began hugging in celebration on that last kick before it faded short.

For all of the made and missed field goals, the sublime and sickly punts, possibly the most noteworthy footwork in Week 1 came on kickoffs.

With touchbacks now coming out to the 25-yard line instead of the 20, there is added incentive to "pooch" the kickoffs and have them drop inside the 5.

Naturally, it was 2015 All-Pro Stephen Gostkowski doing the brilliant kicking for the Patriots.

Four of his six kickoffs didn't enter the end zone, and Arizona's final drive started at the 8 (including a Cardinals penalty).

"Our kickoff team, we went into the game feeling like we had to make some field position plays in the kicking game," coach Bill Belichick said. "You don't want to put their offense on a short field. If you can pile a few more yards onto the drive, hopefully it works in your favor. I know there was a lot of sentiment to eliminate that play, but those are the kinds of plays that are good strategy plays in football.

"Certainly, we had an opportunity to kick it out of the end zone on the last kickoff, but with a good field goal kicker, a good offense, good quarterback, we try to put them on as long a field as we could."

Yep, keeping the foot in football.

via Associated Press.

Mariota the answer to the Titans' QB problem?

Marcus Mariota showed in his rookie year as Tennessee Titans quarterback in 2015 that he had the right "stuff," let's say, to be the team's franchise QB.

Mariota threw 2818 yards with 19 TD passes and only 10 interceptions, along with a 62% pass completion.

Mariota would have put up better numbers if knee injuries had not caused him to miss the first four games of the season.

But with the Titans releasing QB Zach Mettenberger earlier this offseason, and bringing in Matt Cassel to be the team's backup QB, it seems like Mariota may officially be the team's new starting QB.

Dolphins Plan An Attacking Defense

As the Dolphins went through their offseason program, there was one word that kept coming back when the discussion turned to the system and philosophy brought in by new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. 

Attack.

“It pretty much sums it up,” Head Coach Adam Gase said. “I mean, I’m sure that we’re making it easy as far as what we’re saying, but for the most part that’s what we want our guys to do.” 

Defensive end Cam Wake had a pretty similar assessment. 

“Attack, that’s one word,” Wake said. “It’s something that I think fits well with a lot of guys that are going to be playing in it. Just getting after it, being aggressive … I think that’s something that a lot of guys really will enjoy. I’m one of those guys and I look forward to it.” 

The other term we heard throughout the spring was “Wide 9 defense,” which actually isn’t so much a scheme as it is an alignment within a scheme. 

The “wide 9” refers to the defensive gap along the line of scrimmage located outside the tight end. A January 2016 article in Philadelphia magazine indicated the idea of using that formation with the defensive ends lined up wide first came from the 1999 Tennessee Titans, whose defensive staff included Jim Schwartz and new Dolphins senior defensive assistant/pass rush specialist Jim Washburn. 

Schwartz used the technique quite a bit during his time as head coach of the Detroit Lions when Washburn was on his staff and some of his players included current Dolphins defensive linemen Ndamukong Suh and Jason Jones. 

“I enjoy it,” Suh said. “I enjoy that attack-style defense. It has suited me well. (I have) broken records with it. If you’ve had success with something, why not go back to it?” 

Said Jones: “To tell you the truth, there are a lot of defenses that work around the league. Being a 9-technique, it does have its advantages in the run game. It’s just about the players you have, how it is coached and how you go out there and play. It could be a 3-4 or it could be a 4-3, it’s just how you go out there and play. To me, it’s all talent. I think any player could probably play (in a Wide 9 defense), it’s just what that player has built inside and what coaches you have.” 

One of the ideas behind the Wide 9 is taking away stretch runs from the opponent and forcing them to run inside, which puts pressure on the defensive tackles and linebackers to fill the gaps and make tackles. 

The Wide 9 also puts an emphasis on speedy pass-rushing defensive ends, which the Dolphins certainly have with Wake and Mario Williams. 

Once training camp starts, the Dolphins’ defensive players will learn more and more about their new scheme, but their early impressions were favorable. 

Asking what has struck him so far about the Wide 9 defense, linebacker Jelani Jenkins said: “That we are just always attacking. I think that’s just the biggest part of it. It’s a very attack-style defense (with) constant pressure and I think that’s how we like it.” 

“It’s fairly easy, but it’s difficult,” Williams said about learning the new defensive scheme. “By that, I mean (Joseph) is really relying on the guys up front to turn it loose and get after it, which is what most of us (are) accustomed to doing. The difficult part is changing old habits in general, especially with the new acquisitions and stuff that we have. We’re players who have done different things in the past as far as schemes and stuff like that, but it’s exciting to cut it loose, turn loose."

(via Miami Dolphins)