Bernard Pollard presses his case that Tom Brady’s slide was dirty

Reuters

Immediately after the Ravens beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, Baltimore safety Bernard Pollard said he thought New England quarterback Tom Brady tried to kick Ravens safety Ed Reed during a feet-first slide. With some time to look at the replays and think about it, Pollard pressed the case on Monday that the NFL should discipline Brady.

“When you slide . . . everything is on the ground. He knew what he was doing,” Pollard said on Monday. “It has to go both ways. Hopefully the NFL will do something about it.”

Realistically, there’s almost no chance that the NFL will do something about it. It’s impossible to know whether Brady was trying to kick Reed or whether his foot just came up awkwardly in his slide, and the NFL isn’t going to fine Brady for something that might have been an accident.

But Pollard will continue to press his case in part to point out a double standard: Quarterbacks get the benefit of the doubt on incidents like this. Defensive players do not.

Getty Images

The Panthers have spent more resources on their defensive tackle position than most, but they’ve found themselves thin at the moment.

According to Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review, the Panthers have brought back defensive tackle Kyle Love to cover the absence of first-round pick Vernon Butler, who suffered a high ankle sprain last week.

Love was in camp with the Panthers this offseason, but was squeezed out of the depth chart that includes first-rounders Butler and Star Lotulelei, second-rounder Kawann Short and veteran Paul Soliai.

No corresponding move has been announced.

Love, who has also spent time with the Patriots, Chiefs, and Jaguars, was a valuable rotation player for the Panthers last year, with 4.0 sacks in 18 regular season and playoff games.

Getty Images

With guard Alex Boone hobbled by a hip injury, the Vikings have called up more help at the position. Specifically, the NFC North leaders have promoted Willie Beavers, a fourth-round pick who didn’t qualify for the team’s 53-man roster.

Beavers has served on the practice squad since being cut and clearing waivers. He could find himself activated if Boone misses time after an injury that happened on Sunday in Charlotte.

The Vikings weren’t required to release a player, due to the availability of a roster spot following the placement of running back Adrian Peterson on injured reserve last week.

Getty Images

The Steelers will have several injured players to monitor as they head toward Sunday night’s matchup with the Chiefs.

During a Tuesday session with the media, coach Mike Tomlin said, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that linebacker Ryan Shazier, guard Ramon Foster and wide receiver Eli Rogers are all “very questionable” for this week’s game.

Shazier aggravated a knee injury that he suffered in the season opener, but he was able to return to last Sunday’s loss to the Eagles. Foster didn’t return after injuring his chest and Rogers’ day came to an early end thanks to a toe injury.

Linebacker Lawrence Timmons left the game with a shin injury and Tomlin said Tuesday that he suffered a puncture wound, although he expects the veteran to be fine for this week’s game. Safeties Sean Davis and Robert Golden will be evaluated over the course of the week, leaving the Steelers with plenty of question marks.

More certain is the return of running back Le’Veon Bell, who has returned from suspension and is expected to resume his leading role on the Pittsburgh offense.

AP

ESPN expected it to be bad. And it was.

Via SportsMediaWatch.com, the overnight rating for Monday’s Falcons-Saints game came in at 5.7. That’s a 36-percent drop over last year’s Chiefs-Packers Week Three Monday game and the lowest rating of any nationally-televised game of the season.

The rating peaked at 6.9 from 8:45 to 9:00 p.m. ET, which is no surprise; as of 9:00 p.m. ET, the presidential debate began, and the channel-changing happened. The Trump-Clinton clash notched a massive 46.2 overnight rating across all broadcast and cable networks.

The next presidential debate happens on October 9, and it conflicts with the Week Five game between the Packers and Giants on Sunday Night Football.

Getty Images

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has devised game plans for two different backup quarterbacks in the first three weeks of the season and the Patriots have won all three of their games, which is the sort of thing that could be appealing to teams looking for a new head coach once the 2016 season comes to an end.

It’s way too early to know which teams may be taking part in those searches, but McDaniels’ previous success putting together the offense in New England only makes it likelier that they’ll be gauging his interest in a second spin as a head coach.

McDaniels has been mentioned as a candidate in the past couple of offseasons without anything developing. He sounds open to the idea while making it clear he’s happy as a member of Bill Belichick’s staff.

“I love where I’m at,” McDaniels said on WEEI. “I’ve said before that I think we all have aspirations to grow and get better and improve and eventually move up and what have you. Who knows? Maybe that day happens, maybe it doesn’t. But I know this, is I’m really thankful I have the opportunity I have to coach the players that we have here, and to work underneath Bill and Robert [Kraft] and the Kraft family. It’s a privilege here. I feel like I have one of the best jobs in the world. I’m just thankful I have an opportunity to come here and do it each week. It’s a great honor to do that. Like I said, I enjoy it so much working with these guys here each week.”

McDaniels’ run as the Broncos head coach wasn’t a great success, but teams need only look to his boss (or the guy who beat his boss in two Super Bowls) for an example of a coach who improved in his second time running the whole show. The questions for McDaniels will likely be whether any of the openings are of interest and whether teams will wait for him if New England takes another deep playoff run.

AP

1. Broncos (3-0; last week No. 1): Maybe they shouldn’t have drafted Paxton Lynch, after all.

2. Patriots (3-0; No. 2): Maybe they should have drafted Paxton Lynch (if they’d had a first-round pick).

3. Vikings (3-0; No. 6): Defense and coaching are great, offense is good enough. But here’s hoping they don’t need a field goal in the playoffs. Or an extra point.

4. Panthers (1-2; No. 3): Sure, no team with a losing record has ever landed this high. But no elite team has faced defenses like Denver’s and Minnesota’s in the first three games of a season.

5. Packers (2-1; No. 8): The offense is fixed. As long as they play the Lions every week.

6. Eagles (3-0; No. 19): That “they haven’t beaten anybody” excuse went out the window on Sunday.

7. Ravens (3-0; No. 11): Winning ugly is always better than losing pretty.

8. Seahawks (2-1; No. 9): With a return to the place where they won a Super Bowl looming, they finally are looking like the team that did.

9. Steelers (2-1; No. 4): The fact that it has been 27 years since the last 31-point loss won’t make Steelers fans feel much better about Sunday’s debacle.

10. Texans (2-1; No. 7):  The good news? The Patriots didn’t score 40 against the Texans this time. The bad news? The Patriots only needed three to win.

11. Chiefs (2-1; No. 12): If they can avoid another slow start, a strong finish could get them a division title and a bye.

12. Cowboys (2-1; No. 14): Once they put Humpty Dumpty back together again and he falls off the wall (again), things won’t may not be as dire.

13. Falcons (2-1; No. 16): Kyle Shanahan may end up being a head coach, after all.

14. Giants (2-1; No. 13): The kicking net was one unsportsmanlike conduct foul away from being ejected.

15. Raiders (2-1; No. 17): The defense showed up in Nashville, even though the offense almost didn’t.

16. Cardinals (1-2; No. 5): Jake Delhomme says, “Wow, that playoff meltdown has really affected Carson Palmer.”

17. Bengals (1-2; No. 10): It’s impossible to lose in the playoffs for the sixth straight year if you don’t qualify.

18. Jets (1-2; No. 15): The Jets had a come-to-Jesus meeting on Monday. On Sunday against Seattle, their fans could be telling the team to go to hell.

19. Rams (2-1; No. 26): Given Jeff Fisher’s mastery of the Buccaneers, maybe his next job should be in the NFC South.

20. Dolphins (1-2; No. 20): The standings should have a separate category for beating the Browns in overtime, because it doesn’t feel like a win.

21. Buccaneers (1-2; No. 18): The first walk-and-chew-gum test for head coach/playcaller Dirk Koetter didn’t go very well.

22. Titans (1-2; No. 21): There’s a fine line between 3-0 and 1-2, and the Titans are on the wrong side of it.

23. Colts (1-2; No. 25): Win notwithstanding, Andrew Luck is still closer to Archie than Peyton on the Manning scale.

24. Washington (1-2; No. 29): The 2015 version of the team returned, thanks to a cameo appearance from the 2015 version of the Giants.

25. Bills (1-2; No. 31): LeSean McCoy’s hard-charging runs made it clear that he was very happy about the change in coordinators.

26. 49ers (1-2; No. 22): The 49ers are unstoppable, when they have seven months to get ready for a game.

27. Lions (1-2; No. 23): No one expected them to win in Green Bay for a second straight year, but that doesn’t make “1-2” look any better.

28. Chargers (1-2; No. 27): Another week, another season-ending injury to a key player.

29. Saints (0-3; No. 24): If 2017 free agency were to begin right now, the Saints possibly would have a chance to turn things around.

30. Jaguars (0-3; No. 28): “Here are the Jaguars, London. Much earlier than usual. Before they have a really, really bad record.”

31. Browns (0-3; No. 32): Maybe Terrelle Pryor should kick field goals, too.

32. Bears (0-3; No. 30): The Bears aren’t who we thought they were. They’re worse.

Getty Images

The Colts have gotten healthier in the secondary of late, but they’ve lost a linebacker for the rest of the season.

The team announced Tuesday that outside linebacker Trent Cole has been placed on injured reserve. Cole has been dealing with a back injury that forced him to miss Indy’s Week Two loss to the Broncos and was listed as questionable for last Sunday’s game, but was able to play in the victory over the Chargers.

Cole assisted on a tackle against San Diego, leaving him with three on the season, and had 32 tackles and three sacks during his first season with the Colts. Cole spent the first 10 years of his career with the Eagles before joining the Colts as a free agent last year.

The Colts are left with Robert Mathis, Erik Walden, Akeem Ayers and Curt Maggitt at outside linebacker. They could add another to fill Cole’s roster spot and they’ll need to find a player with a valid passport if they want to do it for this week’s London game against the Jaguars.

Getty Images

Cowboys left guard La’El Collins is definitely having surgery. Unless he isn’t.

ESPN’s Ed Werder has updated his previous report that Collins would have big toe surgery and go on injured reserve, by now saying that Collins is seeking a second opinion in hopes of avoiding surgery.

While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on his weekly radio spot on 105.3 The Fan that Collins was hoping to avoid surgery and that it was “a pain thing,” a source close to Collins told Werder that wasn’t the case.

“[It] has nothing to do with pain,” the source said. “The kid is tough as hell. It’s dependent on the injury.”

So there you have it. He’s having surgery or not, and it’s a matter of pain tolerance or it isn’t. Got it.

Either way, Collins will be replaced in the starting lineup by Ronald Leary, who started there for two seasons before being replaced by Collins. He wanted to be traded this offseason, but they didn’t want to give him up, presumably in case one of their starters ended up needed surgery or not needing surgery.

Getty Images

Through three games of the season, Vikings receiver Laquon Treadwell is one of this year’s most disappointing first-round rookies: He dressed but didn’t play in Week One, got on the field for only two snaps in Week Two, and was inactive in Week Three.

So what will it take for Treadwell to start playing?

“He has to continue to do better in practice,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “He’s working, just biding his time until he gets an opportunity like how [Stefon] Diggs was last year. I still think he’s thinking about the number of steps to take on each route and things like that, being at the right depth.”

When the Vikings took Treadwell with the 23rd overall pick in the draft, they surely thought he could make an immediate contribution to their offense. Instead, he’s a bench warmer. Zimmer seems confident that Treadwell will eventually prove on the practice field that he belongs on the field on Sundays, but that hasn’t happened yet.

Getty Images

The Bengals got tight end Tyler Eifert back on the practice field last week for the first time since his offseason ankle surgery, which wasn’t enough for him to play against the Broncos in Week Three but it did raise hopes that he’ll be able to play when they host the Dolphins this Thursday night.

Eifert was again listed as a limited participant in Monday’s practice, although that was just an estimation of what he would have done since the Bengals didn’t actually hold a practice. Coach Marvin Lewis deemed Eifert “close” to returning when he spoke to the media, but Thursday may be too close.

Eifert said, via Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, that he is “still working through some things” while stressing the need for “patience” and “trusting the process” that will get him back into the lineup without risking further injury that will keep him from helping the Bengals improve on their 1-2 start.

If the process dictates another week on the sideline for Eifert, he’ll have 10 days before the team heads to Dallas to face the Cowboys in Week Five.

Getty Images

Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant hurt his knee early in Sunday night’s win over the Bears, but returned to the game and caught a touchdown pass from Dak Prescott before the night was out.

After the game, owner Jerry Jones said that the team felt Bryant was OK, but that they would “give it another look-see with the MRI.” That MRI apparently didn’t take place on Monday, however.

During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan Tuesday, Jones said that “to my knowledge” Bryant didn’t have the test and that he may have one on Tuesday. Jones added that he’s “assuming” Bryant will be able to play in Santa Clara against the 49ers this weekend, although that could obviously change when and if Bryant has an MRI to provide further information about the injury.

Jones also said that left guard La’El Collins has not had surgery on his injured big toe and will “see if he can work through this” without having an operation. Ronald Leary will take over for Collins in the starting lineup.

Getty Images

The Redskins know that safety DeAngelo Hall won’t be back in the lineup this season due to the torn ACL he suffered against the Giants and they may be without one of their other starters in the secondary for a bit.

Cornerback Bashaud Breeland went for an MRI on the ankle he hurt in Sunday’s victory and coach Jay Gruden said Monday, via the Washington Post, that Breeland is dealing with a “moderate” high-ankle strain. The plan is for Breeland to be evaluated on a week-to-week basis, which suggests that he’ll likely miss Week Four’s game against the Browns.

Breeland was replaced by Dashaun Phillips against the Giants, but Phillips tweaked his hamstring during the game. That could open the door for third-round pick Kendall Fuller.

The Redskins also lost a pair of offensive linemen during the game. Gruden used “moderate” to describe center Kory Lichtensteiger’s calf strain and left guard Shawn Lauvao’s ankle sprain as well. Left tackle Trent Williams moved to guard to replace Lauvao, but Gruden said the team hasn’t decided how they’d proceed without the two players this week.

AP

Dolphins coach Adam Gase is demanding accountability, and he is more than prepared to bench guys to prove his point.

The latest was right tackle Ja’Wuan James, who was pulled after allowing a strip-sack fumble near the end of regulation, which would have been costly if the Browns could hit field goals.

“I’m over discussing any of this stuff with players,” Gase said, via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. “We’re either going to start getting the job done, or we’re going to make changes.”

Gase didn’t promise that James would return to the starting lineup Thursday night against the Bengals, and was generally displeased with the protection being offered to quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has been hit 19 times in 132 dropbacks.

“We just want guys to do it right,” Gase said. “Whoever wants to do it right, those are the guys that we’re going to put out there. Talent’s irrelevant at this point. . . .

”It’s hard to throw a ball with any kind of timing where they pressure and we get it picked up, but we get beat so fast that the quarterback doesn’t even have a chance.”

Gase is clearly protective of Tannehill, knowing that’s his best chance to be successful in the short term there. But if he’s not upright, he can’t do that.

AP

Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford has made a great impact on his teammates, and not just because of his ability to throw a football. On Monday, tight end Kyle Rudolph became the most recent Vikings to praise Bradford’s ability to take a hit.

“I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned about Sam is just how tough he is,” Rudolph said on PFT Live. “The way that he stood in there not only yesterday but also last week taking hit after hit after hit and still making throws downfield. A couple throws come to mind against Green Bay last week to [Stephon] Diggs and you don’t really see it until you go back and watch the tape. He’s got a lot of guts and a lot of grit and he stands in there and throws the ball downfield knowing he’s gonna take a hit.”

The passing game has become more important given the knee injury suffered by running back Adrian Peterson.

“Anytime you lose a player of that magnitude it has an effect,” Rudolph said of Peterson. “We kind of went through it with Teddy [Bridgewater] a little under a month ago and you can never replace a player of that caliber. They’re just irreplaceable but it was kind of the message when Teddy went down and it’s been the message unfortunately throughout the early part of our season. Each guy on the team has to do one more thing better and get a little better each day and try to make up that ground that we’re missing when you lose a great player.”

Even without a couple of great players, the Vikings could be on the verge of becoming great.

“For us it’s about getting better each and every week,” Rudolph said. “Obviously, we think we have a ton of talent. We wouldn’t have traded a first-round pick for a quarterback at the beginning of the season if our organization didn’t believe that we can win now and believe in the talent that we have in that locker room but for us it’s about sticking to what we do. Playing complimentary football, playing smart football and winning the game in the fourth quarter.”

They’ve done it for three straight Sundays, getting better as the game unfolds. The next chance comes Monday night, against the Giants.

AP

Matt Ryan was able to flash a thumb’s up last night, and said any issue with his thumb during the game was not a problem moving forward.

According to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, Ryan appeared to hurt his left (non-throwing) thumb during last night’s win over the Saints.

After being sacked by Nick Fairley in the fourth quarter, he went to the sideline and was getting checked by athletic trainers. When he returned to the game, he was wearing a glove on his left hand.

“I took a hit on it in the game, but I’m fine,” Ryan said. “Put a glove on just to make sure I’d get a good grip afterwards. But I’m fine. I feel pretty good.”

Whatever degree of issue it was, Falcons coach Dan Quinn wasn’t even aware of it after the game, so it’s reasonable to think it’s no big deal.

Ryan’s been among the most durable quarterbacks in the league, not missing a game since 2009 when a turf toe injury sidelined him.