Wide receiver Rashad Ross put out his best effort so far to state his case that he should make the Washington Redskins' final 53 man roster.
Ross, cut by the franchise twice before, by the Bears twice, and by the Titans and Chiefs, caught a touchdown from quarterback Colt McCoy in the Redskins' exhibition finale, finishing with 10 receptions for 103 yards against Jacksonville.
But now his fate is out of his control.
"It's really not that nerve racking to me because, at the end of the day, I gave it my all," he said Thursday night. "Whatever happens, happens, so I'll just leave that up to God."
And to head coach Jay Gruden, who said Ross "might be our best kick returner," though added that young receiving talents Andre Roberts and rookie Jamison Crowder could easily handle that work.
"We'd like to have our fifth receiver be a special team demon, like somebody who can run down on kicks," Gruden said. Right now, the duel for that spot is between Ross and Evan Spencer, a rookie from Ohio State.
Ross sees himself as the best man for the job.
"The work in the return game, that's something else I can do," he said. "I'm not the star receiver, I'm not the No. 1 or No. 2, I'm at the bottom of the list, so special teams is really big for a guy in my position. I've got to work on things like that, that's something I have to do."
The Redskins are likely fielding Jamison Crowder as the No. 5 wide receiver on their depth chart, and will employ him on special teams duties, so Ross' chance of making the cut were slim to begin with. His effort in Thursday's game could make coaches look a second time, but the crowded field ahead of him may preclude his name from the final list.
The Titans dealt offensive offensive guard Andy Levitre to the Falcons in exchange for a sixth-round pick on Friday, the Titans announced.
A conditional pick in a future draft year is also part of the trade.
The Titans handed the veteran a six-year, $46.8 million deal two years ago and he started all 96 games in his six year NFL career.
The emergence of Byron Bell in his place, however, during the team's last three exhibition games made him an expensive reserve player. He would have been due $6.5 million this year, the second-highest paid man on their roster.
Atlanta needed a veteran boost on the interior of their front protection as they look to protect quarterback Matt Ryan, who they expect to have a breakout campaign in 2015. Ryan was the fifth-most productive quarterback in the NFL last season.
That reunion IK Enemkpali was set to have with head coach Rex Ryan didn't last nearly as long as he thought it would.
The linebacker was released by the Buffalo Bills on Friday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, less than a month after the team claimed him off waivers.
Enemkpali was promptly released by the New York Jets in August after a fight in the team's locker room where he sucker punched quarterback Geno Smith because of a financial dispute, setting him aside for the next 6 to 10 weeks with a broken jaw.
For the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers, the resolution of Tom Brady's DeflateGate conundrum could be the difference between a win and a loss in the NFL's regular season opener Sept. 10.
Oddly enough, having Brady on the field that night was the outcome they wanted.
At least for one of them.
"It wouldn't be better if you beat him," Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward said when asked if he preferred suiting up against non-four-time Super Bowl winner Jimmy Garoppolo.
"Our best against their best. 7's [Ben Roethlisberger] gonna be there -- 12's [Brady] gonna be there. So let's join the party."
Without judging too much, it may be safe to presume a party isn't what first-year Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler is expecting. The Pittsburgh defense is not what it has been in recent years, a composite of youth and injury that could use Garoppolo as a punching bag to get themselves confident for the fall.
But now they'll face not merely Tom Brady, but Tom Brady in a considerably vengeful mood.
Whether that anger bodes well for Heyward and the Steelers, the entire nation will find out together as the Patriots mount their title defense in pursuit of their fifth Super Bowl in six days.
The fourth exhibition game is mostly about sitting starters and giving those fringe guys one last major audition before teams make their decisions on their 53 man roster.
Facing the Jets on Thursday night in their exhibition finale, the Eagles had one very important contest still to judge: their third-string quarterback.
Judging by the efforts put forth by Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow, it wasn't even close.
Tebow threw two touchdowns and an interception and Barkley threw just the interception as the two alternated quarters.
"I think I'm getting more and more comfortable," Tebow said afterwards, via Reuben Frank of CSN Philadelphia. "More and more comfortable with the offense. Getting into more of a rhythm, especially on first down, kind of getting things going, getting the first down, which is big in this offense, and trying to get it rolling a little bit."
Tebow got it rolling on two scoring drives, dropping an 18 yard bomb in Rasheed Bailey's lap and driving left, firing a dart for Freddie Martino along the sideline. He went 11-of-17 for 189 yards, showing some mobility inside and out of the pocket, and carried four times for 32 more yards in an overall positive effort.
With his future in the NFL on the line after two years away, the former Heisman winner said he wasn't going to worry about the decision that will change his future this season.
"That's not up to me," he said. "I just try to go out there and do what I'm coached and try to improve every day and compete.
"I've said this a lot of times to you guys and I really genuinely mean it: I'm not going to worry about what I can't control. It's a blessing being able to come out here and play the game I love. It was a lot of fun out there tonight. I had a blast."
Not so much for the presumed No. 3 on the Eagles' roster, Matt Barkley. He's looked off for most of the preseason, and threw an interception on his second play from scrimmage, finishing with 45 yards on 4-of-9 passing.
"I don't know if tonight was the deciding factor," Barkley said. "We'll see if that's what it comes down to, but over the course of this camp I've shown that I can play quarterback for this team.
"Over the course of this whole camp, through training camp, practices and preseason, I think it's hard to really say [a decision will be made] out of those preseason games because it's really a small sampling and what I have shown through practices I think I've done a good job and improved in a lot of areas. I'm happy with how I've played throughout camp."
Should he be? Barkley threw seven interceptions during the Eagles' training camp and exhibition this summer. The rest of the roster threw only five between three men. Should Barkley be cut, he would likely find a job somewhere else, but after what he did when it counted the most for him, that job might not be in Philadelphia.
Barkley looks more the "camp arm" Mark Sanchez once thought Tim Tebow was.
The NFL preseason finale is good for one thing and one thing only: trying to judge who will be around when the season starts and who won't.
Judging by the first half of play in New Jersey on Thursday evening, Matt Barkley may find himself in the latter category when the Eagles craft their final 53 man roster.
That other guy, he just might make it after all.
Barkley's second pass attempt was intercepted and Matt Flynn authored two touchdown drives as the Jets lead the Eagles 17-12 following the first half of business in both team's last go-round before it counts in a week's time.
The major theme of the contest through its first thirty minutes was the inability of the Eagles' pass defense to contain both sides of the field effectively.
Flynn, the presumed No. 2 behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, took the Jets (2-1) down the remaining 54 yards over five minutes following Barkley's mistake, connecting with Chris Owusu for an 18 yard touchdown for the game's first points.
Barkley failed to sustain any possession when given a second chance, so Flynn led New York over 90 yards, connecting with Walt Powell for a 28 yard gain and Owusu on an 18 yard play before dumping off to Zac Stacy for the remaining five yards through a vacant midfield defense.
Tim Tebow would lead the Eagles' two-minute offense over 78 yards to close out the first half, finding Rasheed Bailey for an 18 yard touchdown with 23 seconds left.
New York receiver Walt Powell collected another 21 yard catch and run after the Eagles left the right side of their defense open and Zac Stacy added another 25 yarder on a well-designed screen play on a field goal drive late.
Flynn wasn't perfect on the night, eventually handing the Eagles their next three points after being victimized by Jaylen Watkins' interception at the Jets 4. But Philadelphia (3-0) wasn't to cross the goal line from even that far and Kip Smith kicked a second time.
The driving force behind the Eagles' top-five offense these last two seasons has been the play of their offensive line .
Ball carriers get the ball because of good quarterback play, but quarterbacks get good in large part because of their protection.
Strength obviously plays a part, but the style and pace of Chip Kelly's play-calling relies on another important element: athleticism.
"That's the makeup of our offensive line," Eagles center Jason Kelce said. "They're all athletic guys who can block and run. Second level, do screens, do things out in space. That's something that separates our offensive line from other offensive lines."
That spirit Kelce defines was on display in Philadelphia's exhibition victory over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night at Lambeau Field. Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford was able to make his reads consistently as defenders were largely held at a distance. He would go a perfect 10-of-10 for three touchdowns on the evening.
"Any time the quarterback's getting the ball out quickly it's easy for an offensive line," Kelce said. "Depending on the way the defense is playing, sometimes you have to hold onto it a little bit longer, but on Saturday the ball was out really quickly all the time. It's easy to pass block in those situations."
The Eagles' front is anchored by Kelce in the middle and on both sides by Jason Peters (to the left) and Lane Johnson (to the right). The guard positions are still in question, the left less so with Allen Barbre taking the post since Evan Mathis failed to show at voluntary minicamps this spring. Andrew Gardner and Matt Tobin are the favorites to take the spot between Kelce and Johnson.
Slowly but surely, things are starting to come together.
"It's gotten better and better," Kelce said of their chemistry. "It will continue to get better and better throughout the season, but it's certainly not a problem right now."
Ever since Robert Griffin III was demoted to second (or third) on the Redskins' quarterback depth chart on Monday, the critical voices surrounding his NFL future have risen in size and stature.
In times like these, a fella could use a friend. On Wednesday, he found one. Sort of.
Hall of Fame former NFL general manager and current ESPN commentator Bill Polian, speaking with Mike and Mike Radio, said were he still the head of a franchise, he would have his people looking "awfully hard" at acquiring him.
The caveat: keep him out of a West Coast offense.
Polian said the unique style of play in which Griffin excelled at college was bad training for what was to come in the professional ranks, "never having had a playbook, never having had to go through a progression, never having to play in the pocket and go through a third or fourth progression."
Then there were those injuries.
"There was a huge learning curve and that was exacerbated tremendously by the injury," Polian said. "[Former Redskins coach] Mike Shanahan smartly adjusted his offense to that which RGIII could handle in his rookie year. None of that has happened since and therefore he doesn't fit. I would say this: if I were running a club, I'd have my scouts looking awfully hard at what he might be able to do for my club."
Even though Griffin is not a pure pocket passer that likely could not manage a West Coast playbook, Polian seconded the universal consensus that Griffin possesses a rare, natural athletic talent.
"He does still have that unique skill set that's tempered greatly by the injury history," he said. "The injury one has to bother you a great deal, but the bottom line is he's still a supremely talented athlete."
But, as usual, such a deal would come down to money. In particular, the $16.15 million option for next season, fully guaranteed for injury.
"That's a lot of money to gamble [on a player] who has a significant injury history going all the way back to college," Polian said.
The man most pleased by the erasure of Tom Brady's four-game suspension is Tom Brady. The man most displeased by it is Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler.
It'll be his retooled and refigured stoppers that will face not Jimmy Garoppolo on Sept. 10 when the NFL regular season begins, but the four-time Super Bowl champion (and considerably vengeful signal caller) Tom Brady.
Pittsburgh is making a major transition on the defensive side of the football after they parted ways with long-time coach Dick LeBeau this winter, and the results as of yet have not been pleasing to the eye.
A steel curtain, they have yet to be.
In the combined first halves of four exhibition contests, opposing quarterbacks have completed passes at a rate of 80 percent, have thrown four touchdowns, failed to complete even one interception, and compiled a 122.3 quarterback rating in the process.
Buffalo gained 542 yards against this group last weekend while gashing them for 20 or more yards on seven plays from scrimmage.
"After the last performance, I don't feel like we had too much to look at that was encouraging, to be honest with you," linebacker James Harrison said after that showing. "It's still the preseason, but there are still things that we need to fix or adjust."
Whether or not the preseason is or is not an omen of things to come, those numbers are not inspiring. Keith Butler tends to think it does.
"We need the experience together, and even if it is experience of failing, it is better than not being out there," he said this week. "You have to put some stock in the preseason because you have to see who can do what and you evaluate like that."
To be fair, the Steelers haven't been fielding their complete unit. Lawrence Timmons, the leader of their linebacking corps, has missed three weeks with a toe injury. Defensive end Stephon Tuitt twisted his ankle against the Packers and safety Mike Mitchell has been nursing a sore hamstring and twisted ankle that kept him from action.
Still, Pittsburgh was 18th in total defense and 27th against the pass last season. Meanwhile, Brady threw the fifth-most touchdowns (33) and the Patriots were 9th in total offense. But the Steelers have hope in second-year linebacker Ryan Shazier and drafted two promising talents in backer Bud Dupree and corner Senquez Golson. They added corner Brandon Boykin in a trade with the Eagles in August.
The sum of those parts will reveal themselves in due course over their 2015 campaign, and they'll get one of their stiffest tests right away in Foxborough with the nation watching.
When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hired attorney and league confidant Ted Wells to investigate what was alleged to have been a conspiracy in the Patriots organization to deflate footballs running up to January's AFC Championship Game, he proclaimed the integrity of the proceedings as independent.
Seven months hence, United States Federal Judge Richard M. Berman disagreed.
Ruling against the NFL's four-game suspension of quarterback Tom Brady on Thursday, Berman placed the word "independent" in quotation marks in his opinion, clearing placing what he believes a reasonable doubt on that original declaration.
Chief among his reasons for doubting that independence was that NFL general counsel Jeff Pash was permitted (and had been proved to so permit) to edit the official verdict of Wells' report after it was submitted to the league, and that the accused was not entitled to see those edits.
"Denied the opportunity to examine Pash at the arbitral hearing, Brady was prejudiced. He was foreclosed from exploring, among other things, whether the Pash/Wells investigation was truly 'independent,' and how and why the NFL's General Counsel came to edit a supposedly independent investigation report," Berman wrote in his opinion.
Then, of course, there is the fact of to whom Wells really owed his loyalty. The man who his employers were convinced was guilty of the crime they alleged him to have committed, or the league that would, for his services, enrich him by millions of dollars.
The defense rests.
In light of what appears to be a complete victory for their side, the NFL Players Association released an official statement after a federal judge threw out the original four-game suspension of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in a ruling on Thursday.
DeMaurice Smith, the union's executive director, called for a more cooperative approach between labor and management on matters of discipline in the future.
"The rights of Tom Brady and of all NFL players under the collective bargaining agreement were affirmed today by a Federal Judge in a court of the NFL's choosing. We thank Judge Berman for his time, careful consideration of the issue, and fair and just result," Smith said.
"This decision should prove, once and for all, that our Collective Bargaining Agreement does not grant this Commissioner the authority to be unfair, arbitrary, and misleading. While the CBA grants the person who occupies the position of the Commissioner the ability to judiciously and fairly exercise the designated power of that position, the union did not agree to attempts to unfairly, illegally exercise that power, contrary to what the NFL has repeatedly and wrongfully claimed.
"We are happy for the victory of the rule of law for our players and our fans. This court's decision to overturn the NFL Commissioner again should signal to every NFL owner that collective bargaining is better than legal losses. Collective bargaining is a much better process that will lead to far better results."
The process by which Goodell suspended Brady originally was, in fact, an agreed upon deliberation as dictated by the collective bargaining agreement between the union and the NFL.
Brady has been freed.
Per the request of thousands of homemade signs crafted by young and old across New England, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had his four-game suspension dismissed by federal judge Richard Berman on Thursday.
Brady will be immediately eligible to start New England's regular season opener when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10.
"Commissioner Goodell dispensed his own brand of industrial justice," Berman said in a damning sentiment.
The NFL will have the chance to appeal this decision through the second circuit, which they are expected to do. However, they will not stay the decision, all but ensuring Brady will take all the snaps in the first four games of the regular season.
The lynchpin in Berman's ruling was the lack of direct evidence the NFL had employed in rendering the suspension after alleging Brady's masterminding of a scheme to deflate footballs used in January's AFC Championship Game.
"The court finds that no player alleged or found to have had a general awareness of the inappropriate ball deflation activities of others or who allegedly schemed with others to let air out of footballs in a championship game and also had not cooperated in an ensuing investigation, reasonably could be on notice that their discipline would (or should) be the same as applied to a player who violated the NFL policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Subatances."
That comparison Goodell made to the court was one argument Judge Berman disregarded out of hand. There could be no decent and biding connection, he thought, between the severity of competitive advantage gained by ingested chemicals and that gained by a football with one pound per square inch removed in what was not a close contest.
Berman did note in his ruling that he did not believe Goodell was "evidently partial," which could be said to be the single positive outcome for the Commissioner on the day.
One aspect of the entire affair still stands out: the NFL's decision to not pursue a settlement with Brady after he was said to be open to one outside the court is still a confusing choice made by the league's front office.
Not even a home field advantage could help the NFL in this case.
Tom Brady, to the hopes and prayers of Patriots fans, has been "freed."
On Thursday morning, Judge Richard Berman overturned the league's original four-game suspension of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in his alleged involvement in the DeflateGate controversy, according to the Associated Press.
The ruling clears the way for Brady to start New England's regular season opener on Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and cannot help but hand another very large blow to the former credibility of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who finds himself on the losing end of yet another high-profile attempt at punishing his players.
Goodell and the NFL lost their cases with regards to the BountyGate case, the Ray Rice controversy, the Adrian Peterson child abuse case, and the Greg Hardy domestic violence controversy.
The next logical step, as it always has been, is an appeal, so the DeflateGate story is not yet over.
There will be more to come throughout the day.
Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III made his first public comments since being demoted from the starting position in favor of Kirk Cousins this week.
"The one thing you have is your word," Griffin said in a speech after receiving an award for community work in aid of military families on Wednesday.
He received a standing ovation of more than 500 attendees while taking the podium at a team function that commemorated the efforts of members of the team in their charity work in the Washington D.C., area.
Griffin thanked his teammates on that occasion for leading him "in the right direction."
Team owner Daniel Snyder praised Scot McCloughan, his first year general manager, as a man "who bleeds burgundy and gold." In recent days, Snyder has also reportedly given into the repeated demands of those in his front office who handle football operations, including McCloughan and head coach Jay Gruden, that Griffin should start to take a backup role in hopes that the franchise would move on from him altogether.
On Monday, Gruden announced Kirk Cousins would take the starting quarterback position over Robert Griffin III, who the coach said as early as February would hold that job through this coming regular season.
After originally saying that a very controversial tweet from Washington Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan's wife was sent by a fake Twitter feed, the team admitted on Wednesday evening that she did in fact post a derogatory tweet directed to an ESPN journalist.
"I deeply apologize for the disparaging remarks about an ESPN reporter on my personal Twitter account," Jessica McCloughan said in a statment issued by the Redskins to Pro Football Talk.
"The comment was unfounded and inappropriate, and I have the utmost respect for both the reporter and ESPN. I regret that my actions have brought undeserved negative attention to the Redskins organization and its leadership. My comments in no way reflect the opinions or attitudes of the organization and I regret that my behavior has in any way negatively impacted the team and its loyal fan base."
On August 30, Jessica McCloughan posted a tweet to Dianna Russini: "Please tell us how many BJ's you had to give to get this story. And did they laugh at you before or after?"
UPDATE: ESPN released a statement following the team's admission on Wednesday, saying,
"Dianna is an excellent reporter who should never have to be subjected to such vulgar comments. We are obviously extremely disappointed by today's developments."
