BRONCOS
OC Justin Outten responded that teams have been game-planning more effectively at preventing bootlegs and runs outside the pocket since Russell Wilson struggled outside the pocket.
He told KUSA’s Mike Klis about three years ago when the boots, the keeper game, were all over the place. Defenses seem to be doing better at stopping them. You look at the video from week 1 all the way up to now with each opponent, they are doing a great job in removing that issue. You have a lot more stand-up defensive ends than in previous years. With these mammoths on the edge, these defenses can kind of control what happens on that side. That’s the advantage these defenses have.
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Using Wilson, Outten said they must be “more creative”: “You have to be a little bit more creative with sprint outs, with keeper plays.” (Klis) But that is something we are always trying to find, because that’s usually an easy completion, it gets people moving and then it gets people in space.
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According to Rapoport, the Broncos have ruled out CB K’Waun Williams due to several injuries, including a knee injury.
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The Broncos’ Mike Purcell was fined $11,139 for unnecessary roughness against the Panthers. (Mike Klis)
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S Dellarin Turner-Yell was fined $4,379 for wearing a facemask.
CHIEFS
Eric Bieniemy said that RB Isiah Pacheco hasn’t hit a “rookie wall” and has shown a lot of energy in practice.
“I know I hit the rookie wall my first year, OK? However, it doesn’t seem to affect him,” Bieniemy told ProFootballTalk. “I mean, obviously all the energy that you see after a play, he does the same thing in practice. He is very enthusiastic about meetings and walk-throughs. We had to slow him down at times, but when he arrived at practice, he had a lot of energy. In order to lose some weight moving forward, I want what he has bottled up.”
Pacheco is in a “great place” mentally and physically, according to Bieniemy.
“But he’s a heck of a kid, and I hope the rookie wall doesn’t hit him. He seems to be doing well mentally and physically. To add to that, he has some very good guys in that room who are helping him understand what it takes to become a professional at this level, as well as how to take care of his body.”
RAIDERS
Looking back now on the big moves for the Raiders in the offseason, Las Vegas definitely fared better than the Packers with the blockbuster trade for WR Davante Adams. At 4-7, things haven’t gone as planned for the Raiders overall, but the star wideout has been everything the Raiders could have hoped for.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, “Davante is still a win for the Raiders since Adams has held up his end of the bargain. He’s a pro.” “But they have bigger issues than him, including the offensive line.”
“The Raiders probably thought, ‘We made the playoffs last year, let’s up the ante,'” an NFC scouting director explained. “That doesn’t always work. They probably thought they were closer than they were.”