RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks expect to have linebackers Bobby Wagner and Mychal Kendricks available for Sunday’s home opener against the Dallas Cowboys, coach Pete Carroll said.
Wagner, Seattle’s All-Pro middle linebacker, is practicing Wednesday after missing the team’s Monday night loss to the Chicago Bears with a groin injury. K.J. Wright, who has missed the first two games following arthroscopic knee surgery, is not practicing.
Kendricks is appealing an NFL suspension that was handed down for his involvement in insider trading. He pleaded guilty to charges two weeks ago and was signed by Seattle (0-2) last Friday as a reinforcement with Wagner and Wright injured.
The NFL typically informs teams early in the week if a player is going to be suspended.
“He’s playing this week,” Carroll said of Kendricks. “That’s what I know.”
Asked if he expects Kendricks to be suspended soon, Carroll said: “I don’t know. I don’t know what to tell you on that one. Really, we haven’t been in a back-and-forth conversation about that yet.”
Center Justin Britt’s status is uncertain due to what Carroll called a sore shoulder that he suffered late in the Bears game while diving for a loose ball. Carroll was hopeful that right guard D.J. Fluker (hamstring) and cornerback Tre Flowers (hamstring) will be available against Dallas (1-1).
He had no update on when receiver Doug Baldwin might be back from the MCL injury that kept him out Monday night and the second half of the opener in Denver.
“Doug had a good weekend,” Carroll said. “He’s real positive about it, but there’s nothing to say about when he’s returning at this point.”
Kendricks started at weakside linebacker for Wright on Monday night and finished with three tackles, a sack and a pass breakup in Seattle’s 24-17 loss. He played 54 of 66 defensive snaps as the Seahawks spelled him on occasion with a three-safety look given that he had so little time — only practicing twice with the team last week — to learn their defense.
“He did a really nice job,” Carroll said. “He missed one huge opportunity on the sideline when he went for an interception on the flat route, but other than that he did a good job. He blitzed well, he covered well, he ran to the football well. Coming brand new into our game [last week], he did a great job. I was really pleased.”
Asked if the Seahawks feel a sense of urgency heading into Sunday’s game at CenturyLink Field, Carroll said “heck yeah,” but added that they feel that way every week.
“It’s obvious that we need to get kick-started,” Carroll said, “and this is the best place to do that.”
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady felt trapped in the offseason and was not sure he wanted to play anymore for the only NFL coach he has ever had, Bill Belichick, according to a new book on Belichick’s life.
“If you’re married 18 years to a grouchy person who gets under your skin and never compliments you, after a while you want to divorce him,” a source with knowledge of the Brady-Belichick relationship told ESPN’s Ian O’Connor, author of “Belichick: The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of All Time,” after the 2017 season.
“Tom knows Bill is the best coach in the league, but he’s had enough of him. If Tom could, I think he would divorce him.”
Based on interviews with 350 people (Belichick did not cooperate), the book, due out Sept. 25, reports Brady was so upset with his coach that he still wasn’t certain in late March if he would return to the Patriots. “But in the end, even if he wanted to, Brady could not walk away from the game, and he could not ask for a trade,” O’Connor wrote. “The moment Belichick moved [Jimmy] Garoppolo to San Francisco, and banked on Brady’s oft-stated desire to play at least into his mid-forties, was the moment Brady was virtually locked into suiting up next season and beyond. Had he retired or requested a trade, he would have risked turning an adoring New England public into an angry mob.”
ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and several Boston outlets had reported on the escalating tension between Brady and Belichick during last season, much of it revolving around the coach’s decision to reduce the team access that had been granted to Alex Guerrero, Brady’s business partner and fitness coach. Belichick was no longer giving his quarterback the most-favored-nation status he’d enjoyed in the past. New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman recalled in the book that Belichick told him years earlier about a disagreement Brady had with a Patriots strength coach over equipment. “Belichick said, ‘If Tom Brady wants it, Tom Brady gets it,'” Cashman said. “If you get a player at that level, you get him what he needs, even if the strength coach says otherwise.”
Brady was the league’s only starting quarterback who didn’t attend voluntary OTAs in the spring; he was also angered by the Malcolm Butler benching in the Super Bowl LII loss to Philadelphia. Asked by broadcaster Jim Gray in late April if he felt appreciated by Belichick and owner Robert Kraft (the quarterback maintains a close relationship with Kraft), Brady responded, “I plead the Fifth! … Man, that is a tough question.”
The transactional relationship between the five-time champs, Brady and Belichick, had been reduced to a staredown that didn’t surprise those in the quarterback’s camp. According to the book, Brady’s family long felt Belichick would push out his longtime franchise player before he was ready to retire. Brady’s sister Nancy is quoted telling people that her brother believed “Belichick will definitely do to him someday what the Colts did to Peyton [Manning].”
According to a new book on Bill Belichick’s life, Tom Brady was so upset with the Patriots coach that he still wasn’t certain in late March if he would return to the team. Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire
Brady started worrying for his job almost immediately after Belichick cited his age and contract status — and the coach’s own desire to be “early rather than late at that position” — when the Patriots drafted Garoppolo in 2014. One New England assistant said the general feeling among staff members around that time wasn’t that Belichick’s system could make Super Bowl quarterbacks out of all 32 NFL starters. “But if you gave us any of the top 15, we could do it,” the assistant said. “I don’t think the coaches view Tom as special as everyone else in football does. Mr. Kraft thinks Tom is the greatest gift ever, but the coaches don’t.”
Other notable material in the book includes:
Deflategate
In the early days of the case, Belichick was among the Patriots officials who had “serious doubts” about Brady’s claim he had no involvement in the potential deflation of footballs used in the January 2015 AFC Championship Game victory over the Colts.
One person close to Brady said his entire family was “miffed” at Belichick for telling reporters to ask the quarterback about his preferences on game balls, and “very miffed” at Kraft for reluctantly announcing in 2015 that he wouldn’t fight Brady’s four-game ban. Of the notion Belichick had initially dumped Deflategate in his quarterback’s lap, one close friend of Brady’s said, “I thought Bill handled it terribly, especially when it involved a guy who’d done everything to help your career as a coach, and you hung him out to dry.”
Brady told friends that his weak answer to the press conference question about whether he was a cheater — “I don’t believe so” — didn’t betray a consciousness of Deflategate guilt, but rather thoughts of the earlier Spygate conviction and his belief that at least some of the suspicions over the years about alleged Patriots black-ops tactics were likely true.
While coaching the University of Florida, Urban Meyer warned at least one NFL team that it should not draft his talented but troubled tight end, Aaron Hernandez. Meyer told that team, “Look, this guy’s a hell of a football player, but he f—ing lies to beat the system and teaches all our other guys to beat the system. With the marijuana stuff, we’ve never caught this guy, but we know he’s doing it. … Don’t f—ing touch that guy.” An official with that NFL team said he was taken aback when Meyer’s friend, Belichick, drafted Hernandez in the fourth round. “I never understood that,” the official said.
Bill Parcells
Parcells and Belichick had repaired much of the damage to their relationship caused by Belichick’s stormy departure from the Jets after 1999, but Parcells is quoted in the book questioning why his former defensive coordinator’s game plan in the Giants’ Super Bowl XXV upset of Buffalo ended up in Canton. “I don’t know whose idea that was to put it in the Hall of Fame,” Parcells said. “If anything should be in the Hall of Fame, it should be [offensive coordinator] Ron Erhardt’s game plan. We had the ball for 40 minutes and some seconds. That takes work, consistent play. We were only on defense for 19 minutes. To me, we had a good game plan against them. It was well thought out, a couple of things we did, the two-man lines in that game. But I’m not diminishing anything. I’m just telling you. I don’t know how that happened. I’m not knocking anyone here.”
Nick Saban
Though the longtime friends formed a devastating tandem in 1994, when their Browns’ defense allowed a league-low 204 points, Belichick and Saban had their moments in Cleveland. Saban had little use for Belichick’s restrictions on his assistants’ access to reporters, and for Belichick’s conservative philosophy on defense. “Nick was so pissed with Bill,” recalled Pro Bowl defensive end Rob Burnett. “He wanted to do so many things and he was hamstrung by Bill. I used to meet with Nick all the time, and Bill would not bend as far as changing defenses. He stayed as vanilla as ice cream. … To Nick I was like ‘Oh, man, remember in training camp when they couldn’t block us on this blitz?’ He goes, ‘I know, I know. But sometimes I put it in the game plan and Bill won’t run it on Sundays.’ … At the end, it wasn’t the best relationship.”
Giants
George Young, longtime Giants general manager, made it clear the team’s defensive coordinator, Belichick, would never succeed Parcells. “I was there when [Young] said it,” recalled personnel man Chris Mara. “He said, ‘He’ll never become the Giants’ head coach.’ … George, like others, said, ‘This is an ex-lacrosse player. He’s a disheveled-looking mess most of the time.’ George was big on that other stuff as far as appearance, which is why he was so high on Ray Perkins, who took command of everyone around him and was a born leader. I just don’t think he saw that in Bill Belichick.”
Belichick’s father
Steve Belichick was ahead of his time on race relations. While serving in the Navy during World War II, Belichick’s father was the only white man who didn’t walk out of the officers’ club on Okinawa when one of the Navy’s first black officers, Samuel Barnes, walked in. Belichick instead befriended Barnes, who often faced racism during his service. Barnes’ daughter Olga likened their friendship to the cross-racial bond between former Chicago Bears running backs Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo depicted in the 1971 film “Brian’s Song.”
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THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Kevin Durant, your spot on the next championship-caliber team is waiting.
Welcome to Los Angeles.
No, not the Lakers.
We’re talking about the Rams.
On Monday, a day after Durant expressed admiration in an Instagram Stories video for defensive tackle Aaron Donald and a desire to join the Los Angeles Rams, coach Sean McVay said he certainly had a role in mind for the 6-foot-9, 240-pound two-time NBA champion.
Todd Gurley ran for three touchdowns, Jared Goff threw for 354 yards and a touchdown and the Los Angeles Rams dominated the Arizona Cardinals 34-0 on Sunday.
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“I bet he’d be pretty dangerous in the red zone on some of those jump balls,” McVay said, smiling.
The Rams are coming off a 34-0 shutout of the Arizona Cardinals and are 2-0, as talk of a Super Bowl continues to grow louder.
The Rams feature one of the most dominant defenses in the NFL, with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Donald and All-Pro’s Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters and Ndamukong Suh. The unit has already posted six consecutive shutout quarters this season.
As for the offense, reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley is tied for first in the league with four touchdowns, and the offense is averaging 33.5 points per game behind third-year quarterback Jared Goff (a lifelong Warriors fan).
But still, McVay said there’s room for one more superstar: Durant.
“If he thinks about wanting to do that, we’ll welcome him,” McVay said, chuckling. “He can come kick it with us anytime he wants.”
Concern grew for a few teams with Super Bowl hopes in the second week of the 2018 NFL season. The Patriots, Eagles and Steelers all fell, the Vikings and Packers settled for a tie (yes, another one!) and the Saints just slipped by for a close win.
Here are all of the biggest takeaways from Week 2 (through Sunday’s afternoon games).
The Bengals are 2-0 for the first time since 2015 and have all the confidence in the world as they head into a two-game road stretch against the Panthers and Falcons. Andy Dalton and A.J. Green proved their connection is alive and well with three touchdowns in the first half, which bodes well for the future of the team’s offense. — Katherine Terrell
Joe Flacco goes from the place where he struggles the most (Cincinnati) to his comfort zone, back home next week at M&T Bank Stadium to face the Broncos. When playing at home in September, Flacco is 16-2 with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His passer rating is 99.5. — Jamison Hensley
The most frustrating aspect of Sunday’s tie relayed by Vikings players and coach Mike Zimmer was how many chances they had to put the Packers away. The Vikings settled for field goals, which rookie kicker Daniel Carlson missed. “Guys are supposed to do their jobs,” Zimmer said. “Maybe we should’ve thrown a ball into the end zone a couple of times at the end, but I believed that the guy was going to make the kick.” The Vikings have a good chance to improve to 2-0-1 when they host the winless Bills in Week 3. — Courtney Cronin
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Daniel Carlson misses a 35-yard field goal attempt in overtime as time expires, giving the Vikings a 29-29 tie with the Packers.
The most talked about subject after the Packers’ tie wasn’t how Aaron Rodgers valiantly played with an injured left knee. Rather, it was the questionable roughing-the-passer call on Clay Matthews that wiped out a late fourth-quarter interception that might have clinched the win. And you can bet it will be a point of discussion right up until next Sunday’s game at Washington, which became even more critical after the tie. — Rob Demovsky
Matt Ryan made plays with his arm and his feet, accounting for four TDs and igniting his teammates with some Cam Newton-like scrambles. With Ryan playing at a high level, rookie Calvin Ridley scoring a TD and the Falcons establishing a running game behind Tevin Coleman (16 rushes, 107 rushing yards) — not to mention creative playcalling and an admirable job by a banged-up offensive line — the Falcons go into next week’s showdown with the Saints confident in their ability to put up points. — Vaughn McClure
The run defense, in the word of Panthers coach Ron Rivera, was “terrible” and the number of dropped passes was “disappointing.” Throw in a makeshift offensive line because of injuries, and it was almost a miracle Carolina had a chance to tie Atlanta on the last play. Nevertheless, it put more emphasis on the need to win the next two games at home against Cincinnati and the New York Giants. Win those to get to 3-1 with outside linebacker Thomas Davis returning from a four-game suspension, and the sting from Sunday’s loss won’t feel so bad. — David Newton
The Chiefs have reason to believe they can outscore the 49ers next Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium — and any of their other opponents down the line. They started strong offensively last year before hitting a midseason slump, but they also didn’t have Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. His presence, plus an improved collection of skill players that includes Sammy Watkins, makes them more difficult to defend this season. — Adam Teicher
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Patrick Mahomes carves up Pittsburgh with six touchdown passes and now has an NFL-record 10 TD passes his first two weeks of the season.
The Steelers’ offense still has its fastball and looks ready to win shootouts after Ben Roethlisberger’s 452-yard performance, but why should it have to? The team has spent significant draft capital on a defense that looked confused and overmatched against the Chiefs. Players admitted communication breakdowns dug them a 21-0 deficit, and that shouldn’t happen on a team stocked with veterans. Monday Night Football will be a gut-check for a 0-1-1 team with Super Bowl hopes. — Jeremy Fowler
This “Fitz-Magic” thing is real. Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for eight touchdowns and has a rushing TD and the Bucs are 2-0 for the first time since 2010. But credit also goes to the defense for getting more pressure on Nick Foles than they did Drew Brees last week. Rookie defensive backs Carlton Davis, M.J. Stewart and Jordan Whitehead looked fine stepping into big roles because of injuries. — Jenna Laine
The Eagles have some issues to deal with coming out of their loss to the Bucs. Jason Peters, Mike Wallace got banged up, and there was a lack of discipline and execution on both sides of the ball. But the winds are about to shift. Carson Wentz is expected to make his return next week at home against the Colts, which will likely invigorate this team and keep the sting of this loss from lingering. — Tim McManus
Two weeks and two wake-up calls for the Saints, but at least they got a victory this time. The Saints’ offense flopped for most of the day while the defense actually kept them afloat (the exact opposite of Week 1’s 48-40 loss to Tampa Bay). Drew Brees said they might have left more “points out there” than he could ever remember. The good news: New Orleans goes into this week’s game at Atlanta with a “huge sense of urgency for our improvement,” according to Brees. — Mike Triplett
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Wil Lutz hits a 44-yard field goal to put the Saints up 21-18 against the Browns and win the game.
A quick turnaround for Thursday night’s game against the Jets awaits, so the Browns can’t wallow after another brutal loss. The team that can’t seem to get things right may face the Jets with a new place-kicker after Zane Gonzalez missed two field goals and two extra points in a three-point loss to the Saints. — Pat McManamon
Andrew Luck’s play may no longer dictate whether the Colts win or lose, if Sunday was any indication. Luck hurt the Colts with two interceptions on their side of the field, only to be bailed out by the defense. The D, which has finished 20th or worse in five of the past six seasons, held Washington to nine points. Second-round pick Darius Leonard was the best player on the field this week with 18 tackles, a sack and an interception. Indy faces the defending champion Eagles in Week 3. — Mike Wells
The Redskins’ offense can’t just sling the ball around and win without a consistent run game. Against the Colts, they rushed for only 65 yards — 117 fewer than a week ago. The offensive line did not handle the Colts’ movement up front, so they can expect to see more of this style moving forward. Considering they play high-powered Green Bay next week, the Redskins can’t afford another bad day in the ground game. — John Keim
In Mike Vrabel’s first victory as an NFL coach, creativity and tempo help generate a spark without quarterback Marcus Mariota and top offensive tackles Taylor Lewan and Dennis Kelly. Safety Kevin Byard had a 66-yard touchdown pass on a fake punt, and Tennessee mixed in Derrick Henry in a Wildcat look. Vrabel said Mariota will be further evaluated after not playing on Sunday, as the Titans hope to have their QB back for next week’s road trip to Jacksonville. — Turron Davenport
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Titans’ Kevin Byard takes the direct snap in punt formation and tosses to a wide open Dane Cruikshank for a 66-yard touchdown vs. the Texans.
The Texans need better pass protection for Deshaun Watson, who was hit nine times and sacked four Sunday. Watson constantly faced pressure and didn’t have time to throw, especially early. Julie’n Davenport, who started at right tackle after Seantrel Henderson was put on IR last week, said the offensive line “has to be better” starting next week when the Texans play host to the Giants. — Sarah Barshop
The Dolphins are 2-0 for the first time since 2013, and coach Adam Gase said they plan to “keep surprising people.” An efficient Ryan Tannehill and attacking defense led the way for a team that is riding an early-season high and feels like they can be a surprise playoff contender. The field is open for them in a weak AFC. — Cameron Wolfe
Memo to those who believe Sam Darnold had arrived after his big debut: He’s a rookie. He will make mistakes. He threw two interceptions as the Jets dropped their home opener, and now he has only three days to prepare for the Browns’ blitz-heavy defense on Thursday night. This is the growing-pain phase. — Rich Cimini
The Chargers earned their first victory without the services of defensive end Joey Bosa. Melvin Ingram and Derwin James filled the void, helping the Chargers to five sacks against rookie Josh Allen. The Chargers face another tough task against the Rams — a Week 3 battle for Los Angeles at the Coliseum — which will be a barometer on if the Bolts remain favorites to reach the postseason for the first time since 2013. — Eric D. Williams
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Philip Rivers passes to Melvin Gordon, who glides in for a 9-yard score to put the Chargers up 21-3 over the Bills.
Allen’s NFL starting debut was overshadowed by another poor defensive performance, at least in the first half. After allowing 47 points to the Ravens in the opener, Buffalo trailed the Chargers, 28-6, at halftime. When it returned for the second half, cornerback Vontae Davis had abruptly retired and coach Sean McDermott had taken over playcalling duties from defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. The Bills have four of their next five games on the road, including the next two at Minnesota and Green Bay. — Mike Rodak
It may be only Week 2, but the Jaguars’ victory over the Patriots should send a message to the rest of the NFL that their success in 2017 wasn’t a fluke. The franchise had been 0-8 against Tom Brady and had beaten the Patriots once in 12 previous meetings. The Jags can’t dwell on this victory too much, though, because they play host division-rival Tennessee on Sunday. Tennessee swept the Jaguars last season, and a victory on Sunday would give them a 2.5-game lead in the AFC South. — Michael DiRocco
The Patriots’ defense was the biggest disappointment as Blake Bortles finished with 377 yards and four scores. The Pats didn’t follow through on one of their key game-plan points of keeping Bortles in the pocket. A trip to Detroit is on deck, where the Patriots would like to show former New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia that they’re better than they played against the Jaguars. — Mike Reiss
The Rams’ defense has posted six consecutive scoreless quarters, and while Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh aren’t filling up the stat sheet, their presence certainly has been felt by opposing quarterbacks. The challenge next week against the Chargers and Philip Rivers will be to force turnovers, which they were unable to do Sunday. — Lindsey Thiry
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Todd Gurley carries the Rams with a three-touchdown day in their home opener at LA Coliseum.
There is a lot of work to be done for the Cardinals, especially on offense. Arizona has scored only six points in eight quarters, struggling to run or pass the ball. In fact, the Cardinals are 4-of-20 on third downs this season, so unless the offense can figure something out soon, the Cardinals’ season could be lost before it really gets going. — Josh Weinfuss
The Niners couldn’t afford a loss to Detroit, especially with difficult road games against the Chiefs and Chargers up next. With a 66-yard jolt of lightning from running back Matt Breida and a fortunate defensive holding call on the Lions, the 49ers got the job done. “A win is a win, but it felt like a loss,” cornerback Richard Sherman said after the game. They must be better in all phases if they’re going to slow down the Patrick Mahomes train next week in Kansas City. — Nick Wagoner
There are signs of life for the Lions, and that’s encouraging for a team that looked in real trouble after the first seven quarters of the season. Multiple players even admitted Sunday was “progress” after 31-point loss to the Jets on Monday. Detroit gave itself a shot to win at the end, so, at least in theory, the Lions have something to build on heading into Week 3 against New England. — Michael Rothstein
Two games, two fourth-quarter comebacks and two wins for the Broncos. “We showed a lot of character and fight, and that’s good, but we can’t keep waiting like that,” cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. With games coming up against the Ravens, Rams and Chiefs, Denver can’t keep racing the clock in the fourth quarter to try to clean up early mistakes. The Broncos had one first down in the first half Sunday and didn’t have an offensive touchdown drive until their first possession of the third quarter. — Jeff Legwold
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Brandon McManus hits a 36-yard field goal with under 10 seconds to play to put the Broncos up 20-19.
Yes, 0-2 is ugly, but as down as the locker room was after the loss, there was also a strange sense of optimism because if the Raiders make one of at least 10 plays, they win the game. “We’re this close,” Derek Carr said. But offensive tackle Donald Penn pointed out, “That’s the difference between good teams and mediocre teams. Right now, we’re a mediocre team.” — Paul Gutierrez
