Anyone else get a gut-punch every time you're reminded about this guy or see him on the sidelines, or is it just me?

He's been in the league for a long time, seemingly has played like 3 snaps in a decade, and yet he still pops up every once in awhile, haunting me about what could have been. I'd forgotten he was on the Lions. Seeing him having the time of his life on the broadcast kind of irritated me I can't lie. And there's zero reason it should I was just mad at the world at that point I think!

Are any of you still rooting for him? Rooting against him? Or just like me in this strange twilight zone with him.

Anyways go Vikings lol.

Marc Raimondi
@marcraimondi
Fontenot on Cousins: We're comfortable moving forward with him as a backup. #Falcons

This seems like a long time ago for Korko......

NFL is monitoring the fires and air quality in LA. I would not mind seeing the game get moved. Rams probably don't have a huge home field advantage in LA , but they would also have to travel if the game is moved.

Jalen Hurts injury update

On Monday, head coach Nick Sirianni announced during media availability that Hurts remains in concussion protocol.

The quarterback has not been seen at practice since suffering the concussion in Week 16.

The Eagles rested their starters and played third-string quarterback Tanner McKee in Week 18 after clinching the No. 2 seed the previous week. They defeated the New York Giants 20-13 as they managed to win with most of their backups.
NFL concussion protocol rules

The NFL's concussion protocol is a five-step process that each player diagnosed with a concussion must clear before he can return to action.

Here are the five steps, per the NFL:

Symptom limited activity
Aerobic exercise
Football specific exercise
Club-based non-contact training drills
Full football activity/clearance

Philadelphia has not stated where Hurts is in the protocol. Although it is unclear what stage Hurts is in, Wednesday will be important regarding his availability this weekend. If he can’t get a limited practice by Thursday it won't be easy to clear the protocol in time for Sunday's game.

USA Today

Atta boy JJetta.
News just released.

Ryan Poles record after 3 yrs w/ Da Bears, pretty impressive… 

More prepared for Rams' game-changer


Flores was candid Tuesday that the return of Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua for the Oct. 24 game between the teams caught him and his defense off-guard.

Nacua missed five games with a sprained PCL suffered in Week 1. He’d just made his practice return from injured reserve two days before catching seven passes for 106 yards in the Rams’ 30-20 win against the Vikings.

“Quite honestly, we were a little bit surprised that he was out there,” Flores said. “We found out, let’s call it, four hours before a game. ... 

There was a little bit of scrambling.”

Flores said there’s little a team can do in that situation. They were somewhat familiar with Nacua from his 2023 tape but had virtually nothing on him from the current season.

This time, his defense will be better prepared. Nacua has appeared in every game since for the Rams — save last weekend, when they rested their starters against the Seahawks — and has 79 receptions for 990 yards and three touchdowns.

“They’re a very different team with Puka out there. Very different,” Flores said. “He brings an element in both the run and the pass game. 

That’s why he’s the player that he is. He opens things up for other players. Cooper Kupp is No. 1, certainly, but it’s really two No. 1s you’re dealing with.”

Startribune

Mike Greenberg is a pretty smart guy, but this is not his best moment. I agree that the Vikings should explore the possibility of keeping Darnold, in whatever shape or form that takes. And I don't agree with some of the responses to this thread who think the Detroit game nixed that idea. It really should not have much of an impact on that decision.

I just think a lot of these talking heads have not paid much attention to the cap picture Kwesi has been carefully crafting since he came on board. The Vikings may extend Darnold, they may tag him, but the are absolutely not giving up JJ McCarthy before he's even thrown a pass in an NFL game....even for a top 10 pick. 

And if it comes down to one or the other, and if KOC thinks it's close at all between the two (and I suspect it is), then the Vikings are going to choose the $4M salary over the $40M salary. 

Per Bleacher Report...
Flores is among those potentially willing to become the next head coach of the Patriots.
He was asked if he had interest in the position ahead of this weekend's Wild Card Round matchup and he told reporters "I would say yes, but it's not up to me"