Author: nfltalk

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The Atlanta Falcons released their first depth chart of the 2023 regular season this week, and it included something no other depth chart did: The “J” position.

Listed at “J” was Swiss Army knife Cordarrelle Patterson, who is an electric running back, wide receiver and kick returner. The “J” is called the Joker position for the Falcons — which appears to be a perfect fit for Patterson. He’s a seven-time All-Pro, four-time Pro Bowler and has more kickoff return touchdowns than any player in NFL history with nine. 

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said the concept started as a joke, but that there was no way he was going to list Patterson as a third-string running back on his depth chart behind Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. 

“He’s not third-team anything,” Smith said during an interview on 92.9 The Game.  

As you can tell from his social media profile, Patterson is embracing this new position.

Patterson was known primarily as a specialist before Smith unlocked him in his first season as head coach in 2021. That year, Patterson recorded a career-high 1,166 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. In this Joker role, you can expect Patterson to do more of what he’s been doing ever since he joined the Falcons — a little bit of everything. 

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If you thought you were sick of Aaron Rodgers when he played in Green Bay, this NFL season may force you to stock up on Dramamine.

After foisting a typically melodramatic offseason on the football public, Rodgers forced his way out of Green Bay, where he won four MVP awards, and to the New York Jets, where he has become the story of the NFL and the star of the HBO series “Hard Knocks.”

Rodgers has become the dominant figure on ESPN’s many NFL shows, including “Get Up,” which is hosted by frothing Jets fan Mike Greenberg, who has embarrassed himself and his network with his daily homerism.

There is much to dislike about Rodgers as a player and conspiracy-theory-touting human, and there is much to dislike about the giddy coverage of his arrival in — let’s be honest — New Jersey. Get past the many annoying aspects of this marriage, and what you have is something similar to what Minnesotans witnessed in 2009, when Brett Favre left the Jets and signed with the Vikings.

Favre, like Rodgers, is easy to root against, but what he brought to the Vikings in 2009 was something the franchise hadn’t seen since the ’70s — a proven, experienced franchise quarterback.

With apologies to Hall of Fame Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton, no Vikings quarterback had ever thrown a football the way Favre did.

Suddenly, with Favre behind center, defenses were dissected, decisions were made and passes were thrown at previously unfathomable velocities. Linemen didn’t have to hold their blocks as long. Receivers needed to be less open.

Favre briefly transformed the Vikings. Rodgers, whether in Favre’s shadow or casting his own, will try to do the same with the Jets.

On “Hard Knocks,” Rodgers comes across as friendly and charismatic while displaying the kind of genius required to be an all-time great quarterback. He looks like the kind of guy you’d like to have the proverbial beer — or ayahuasca — with.

Rodgers winning a Super Bowl with the long-underachieving Jets would become one of the…

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The 53-man roster deadline has come and gone, and as it stands now, Kansas City Chiefs star defensive lineman Chris Jones is not a part of that roster. Jones was placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list Tuesday, which is another indication he’s taking his holdout very seriously. And things have remained at a standstill with Jones not present for the team’s Sunday practice leading into the regular season opener against Detroit on Thursday, according to NFL Media. The two sides remain apart on a deal, which puts his availability for Week 1 in doubt. 

Jones’ absence from Sunday’s practice — considered a Wednesday practice of a typical game week — comes on the heels of Chiefs general manager Brett Veach remaining optimistic about having him for the Thursday opener. In speaking with reporters last week, Veach said he’s “certainly hopeful” Jones’ contract situation will be settled soon, and that he will be in the lineup when Kansas City hosts the Lions, via NFL Media. Veach noted that there has been more communication between the two sides over the last few days. While that was an encouraging development from Veach last week, Jones remaining away from the team doesn’t exactly instill much faith that this will be resolved in time for him to play Week 1. 

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The New Orleans Saints’ college scouting department got a fast start to their 2024 NFL draft prep. And they were one of many pro teams on hand for one of the week’s most anticipated matchups: North Carolina’s rout of their major rival South Carolina.

The Tar Heel Tribune’s R.L. Bynum reports that the Saints were one of 19 NFL teams credentialed for seats in the press box at Bank of America Stadium. UNC quarterback Drake Maye was the marquee prospect, and there’s a good chance he lands in the NFC South next April. With the Arizona Cardinals going all in to tank for the first overall pick (and USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams), Maye is a more realistic target for needy division rivals like the Atlanta Falcons or Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But Maye had an up-and-down night in the Tar Heels’ big win. He completed 24 of 36 passes for a respectable 269 yards but threw as many interceptions as touchdown passes (2). He’ll need to protect the football more effectively to keep pro coaches off his back, even if he has a talented enough roster around him to get away with it at the college level.

He was hardly the only NFL prospect on the field. North Carolina senior linebacker Cedric Gray led his team with 9 tackles (3 solo, 1.5 tackles for loss) and 1.5 sacks, though junior tight end Bryson Nesbit was limited to 3 catches for just 22 receiving yards.

And let’s not forget the other sideline. Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler didn’t turn the ball over while completing 30 of his 39 pass attempts for 353 yards, but he also didn’t take advantage of scoring opportunities. His favorite target was senior wide receiver Xavier Legette, who broke out with the best game of his career — totaling 9 receptions for 178 yards, more than he’s ever had in an entire season. He’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds and did a great job using his size to fight for contested catches. He might be someone to keep tabs on as the college football season (and the long march…

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“When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.” 

Terry Bradshaw’s above quote in many ways defined his 14-year career as the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. Selected first overall in the 1970 NFL Draft, the former Louisiana Tech standout was tasked with helping bring life into a franchise that had never won a playoff game. Bradshaw initially struggled to live up to massive expectations before helping deliver the Steelers’ long-awaited playoff win at the end of his third season. 

Back-to-back Super Bowl victories shortly followed, but it took a third Super Bowl win for Bradshaw to finally get his due as one of the best quarterbacks of his era. A fourth Super Bowl win a year later not only confirmed that fact, it clinched Bradshaw’s legacy as one of the greats to ever play the sport. 

As Bradshaw celebrates his 75th birthday on Saturday, here are five fast facts about the Steelers’ Hall of Fame QB. 

1. A Super Bowl-winning play-caller 

Bradshaw called the Steelers’ plays throughout his Hall of Fame career, which made him Pittsburgh’s pseudo offensive coordinator during their four Super Bowl wins. Bradshaw is the only quarterback who has won four Super Bowls while calling his own plays. 

Instead of filling the sky with footballs, Bradshaw preferred a balanced offense that included a bevy of handoffs to Franco Harris, a Hall of Fame fullback whose 158 rushing yards against the Vikings in Super Bowl IX keyed the Steelers’ first Super Bowl win. 

“I loved calling a running game,” Bradshaw told CBS Sports in 2021. “I liked to be smart at the line of scrimmage, get us out of this running play, put us in another running play. Run three in a row, run five in a row! I enjoyed that as a quarterback. For me, that was a challenge. I enjoyed studying those fronts and how to go after them.”

2. Playoff legend 

Bradshaw’s 73.7% playoff winning percentage…

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