Joe Burrow is BACK at Bengals practice + What went wrong for the Bills in Miami? | NFL Live

Joe Burrow is BACK at Bengals practice + What went wrong for the Bills in Miami? | NFL Live

Joe Burrow, who had his return to practice window open and is hoping to play later this month, potentially Thanksgiving night against the Baltimore Ravens. That would give him the next couple of weeks to try to get ready. He still needs to see how he feels physically, how he’s able to avoid the rush or not avoid the rush, the soreness factor after he does practice. But Joe Burrow is intent upon coming back later this month, early December, to try to see if he could help save the Bengals season. It’s going to be really interesting to see if he comes back and what that Bengals team looks like with him back out there. Obviously, some sort of improvement. Speaking of Burrow, he just spoke to the media moments ago. We bring that to you now. Yeah, we’ll just we’ll see how the next couple weeks goes, see how it feels, and and we’ll make we’ll make a decision. Um, you know, there’s, like I said, a lot of variables that are going to go into this, and the number one is is how it’s feeling and in my health. So, we’ll just take it day by day like we have been. You know, we’re still we’re still pretty early postsurgery for this injury. So, we have a couple weeks of practice to to figure that out and see where it goes. Yeah, it just makes me think. I mean, what a bummer that we haven’t been able to see Joe Burrow for the majority of this season. Mina, does it make sense for him to try to come back with the situation the Bengals are in? I mean, I’m a little bit torn on this. My head says no. This is not a playoff team. This is not even close to a playoff defense. Is it worth it? But sometimes with the player, if you do feel you’re capable of playing, you want to be out there. You want to finish the season strong. You want to do it for your teammates. And I can’t argue with that. Listen, unless Joe Burrow could play free safety, it don’t matter if he comes back or not. This is about the individual player. This is about Joe Burrow understanding he’s one of the best in the game and he doesn’t have time to waste. These years don’t just multiply upon themselves. You have to have your opportunity to go out and produce and produce at a high level. He’s watching what Joe Flacco has the ability to do with Jamar Chase and also with T. Higgins and he wants to be a part of it. He wants to fight with his team. This dude’s the ultimate leader and if he can get back out there, he’s going to want to do that. Okay, more on that throughout the show. Yeah, after a 4-0 start to the season, the Bills have now dropped three of their last five games. Through those first four weeks, Buffalo scored a touchdown on an NFL best 37% of their drives and turned the ball over on an NFL best 2% of drives. Both numbers much worse over their last five games. I mean, feels like that’s the big reason why this has gone a certain way. But let’s dive a little deeper here. Mino, why was the Bills offense so ineffective yesterday? I think we saw something we’ve seen over the course of the entire season, which is when Buffalo can’t run the ball and Miami sold out to stop the run, the drop back passing game just isn’t effective enough on its own in large part because they don’t have skilled players who separate and get open. And that’s not to completely exonerate Allen of the decision-m because some of those were clearly on him. But I almost felt like it was born out of frustration. The same way honestly when I watched Patrick Mahomes at times last season and nobody was open downfield. Um, outside of I would say Dalton Con can cade when other teams play man coverage, I do not think there’s anyone on this Bill’s roster and Palmer’s been hurt. We have to acknowledge that, who can consistently get open and defenses recognize that increasingly. Yeah, but here’s my problem. Why is this year so different than last year offensively? It’s mainly the same group outside of no M. Collins obviously watching M Collins. I was thinking they could use Matt Collins. No doubt I No, but that’s where I’m getting to the sticking point of of struggling to figure out exactly why. Cuz they weren’t a great separating team last year. They were great yards after the catch. No question Josh plays frustrated. He’s playing way too fast for me. I’m trying to figure out like what’s the answer? What is going to be the next step? Because I would sit there and go, “All right, let’s get back to some six offensive linemen, maybe more play action.” But then I would sit there and go, “The play action stuff’s not over.” Think about the fourth and one, right? They come out in 22 personnel. Oh my goodness. And it’s a it’s a shot to Jackson Haw downfield. That to me was like the problem in a nutsh and I like Haw. He’s a good player, but that can’t be your answer. And I don’t know. Even their play action stuff. The play actions are one of two things. Like they go out tight end sits over the ball or they go three level. So there definitely needs to be a little bit of growth in that downfield passing game concept stuff that allow maybe lesser players to win versus coverage. As you might imagine, you saw some frustration from Joe Brady even at times in the broadcast. Marcus, it wasn’t just the offense though. Well, the defense gives up nearly 200 yards. What was going on on that side of the ball? Yeah, the explosive plays come to mind. Obviously, Wadd, but on the ground with Devon Aan and everybody’s going to focus on the explosive runs, but this was almost a four to five yard carry game for the Miami Dolphins. And when you listen, I don’t care how much you struggling, this game still go reverts back to this. If we can have success on the ground offensively, we can have success on the day. And that’s what you saw with Tua Tonga. You cannot blitz and pressure him and take away his first read when you have to commit so many people to the box in order to try to stop the run. And that’s what Miami was able to do. And you got to give them credit. You got to give the Miami Dolphins credit for how they came into this game. Tua was still aggressive. They acknowledged that upfront they wanted to kind of deem physicality as the model of this football game. also while getting their speed on edges. I love the plan that they had and we could talk about the Bills and all of the mistakes that they made. The Miami Dolphins whooped the Bills ass yesterday. That’s really what it boils down to. So, everybody got to go back to the drawing board, figure out what they did wrong and get right. But that was a really good win by Miami. And if they can stay in that vein, people going to have problems with them, man. Yeah. For me, it’s about uh Devon Devon Aan, right? 22 carries, 174 yards, and the Bills just didn’t fit the run. They were moved by movement pre- snapped, also by pulls and shifts after the ball was snapped. And then also, they didn’t tackle with one-on-one opportunities. Here, you’re going to see the motion by Washington. And watch how they make the backers plus. And once the backers plus, now it’s Matt Milano in the hole, and he misses the tackle. Here you’re going to see just a short motion and a seal and a pull from the backside tight end. And now you’re one-on-one in the hole with Cam Lewis. You have to make this play. They were finding ways to either put you on one-on-one opportunities or in space if you were the Miami Dolphins. And we talk all the time about not wanting to run from the pistol formation. But Devon Aan was absolutely phenomenal from the pistol. And it was so many variations of the run. And I felt like the Buffalo Bills never got settled on what they were seeing. You know, was crazy too watching that Miami would come out with six offensive linemen. Buffalo still stayed in nickel like that long run that’s the whole time the whole game stay I also think it’s one thing when you have Tyron Johnson on the field it’s a different thing when you’re trying to keep Cam Lewis on the field instead of adding a backer. I mean listen you gave the credit to the Dolphins I don’t know what’s going to happen with Mike McDaniel but really credit to the team for playing hard by the way you see him rolling around trolling some Bills fans at a local bar where they were the game I mean it’s just great. We had seen Minnesota look a little better of late with JJ McCarthy. Well, one thing that you’re starting to see with KOC and JJ McCarthy is early on they seem in sync, right? You have the big play to Naylor down the sideline which eventually leads to a score. But I still love what they’re doing from their pressure packages. If you’re looking at Zack Ore and a place that they’ve taken a step, an opportunity to put pressure on the quarterback. Also Malachi Starks and Marlon Humphrey making plays down the field. But Malachi Stark’s two interceptions in the last two weeks starting to be that ball hawk that they were anticipating in the middle of the field. And I felt like this was young Teddy Buchanan’s best game as a Baltimore Raven. And we’re starting to see Rocoan Smith play at that allp pro level that we have seen in previous years. Ever since Aloe Gilman became a Baltimore Raven, I felt like this team has continued to ascend week after week. And this is four weeks of really excellent play. Yeah, I once again thought Mike Green was really good, but more impressive to me was the run game defense that he had. I think the second thing, this defense had multiple batted balls, four or five batted balls, sometimes in really key situations that were huge. I wanted you to ask you this and touch on a little bit because we’ve been praising Kyle Hamilton rightfully so, but the way that they’re using Marlin and Malachi and just like the the the challenge of of sometimes they’re a nickel, sometimes they’re at the mic run through, sometimes they’re playing on the perimeter, sometimes they’re playing outside of the quarterback position. That’s a really big deal. I love that you bring up the mic run through. Think about the ball that Rocoan Smith intercepted initially and then they ruled that it was incompletion. Kyle Hamilton runs the middle of the field. Rocoan Smith is the apex player and he’s just tracking JJ McCarthy’s eyes. There’s been so much versatility in this defense in the last few weeks. And it all starts with Kyle Hamilton and his ability to play multiple positions along with Marlon Humphrey. You guys look how good this is. is the Ravens defense so improved recently, allowing a league worse 35.4 points per game for the first five weeks of the season. We’re all lamenting that they’re terrible. Baltimore has allowed 20 or fewer points per game since week six. They’ve also done a great job forcing turnovers. Just that versatility that RC and we’re talking about for us as quarterbacks, we we struggle to get tails then coverage wise. We don’t really know who’s playing what and then the ball gets snapped and everybody rotating. I think that force that’s forcing quarterbacks to play kind of slow very much so in dealt with what’s going on. You know who wasn’t playing slow yesterday is Lamar Jackson. So where was he at his best for this Ravens offense? You said it when he was playing fast. It’s funny to watch the Ravens offense and still feel like that was kind of a B game from them. I feel but but it still feels like there’s another level to be unlocked. Um they did some cool things in the run game I think you guys are talking about. I thought Lamar what I liked the most was just how fast he was playing especially against Brian Florence Brian Flores’s exotic blitzes as Marcus hands me a tissue cuz my eyes are watering like because you know I sometimes against those pressures in the past you’ve seen Lamar go big game hunting not the case here I I think about the chunk plays or the first downs they got when Flores sent pressure the out to likely under two two seconds the ball is out the hitch to Baitman near the goal line under two seconds the ball is out the screen to Flowers it was all just very fast and it wasn’t n’t, you know, very high depth of target, but that’s not what was required in this game. He was very in this game, he was very good at attacking the boys and coverage, ball coming out quickly. It was a very mature, controlled performance. Uh, speaking of that, MK, before I get to what what I want to say, also getting him on the perimeter, the touchdown to Mark Andrews on the roll out. Obviously, you had a run. I thought he was going to score. It’s a hell of a play by Isel Ros all that trash. But the the run game and Katon Mitchell adds something to this run game that Baltimore is desperately going to need if they going to try to close this thing out and make a playoff run with his explosiveness mixed with Derrick Henry physicality. And also when you have Lamar Jackson back, it’s always that that that slow play that you have to have because the quarterback may keep the football. So listen, number eight obviously dictates a lot about what goes on with this offense, but in this run game with that one-two punch, and that was mostly Justice Hill last year was the big guy. But Katon Mitchell’s speed changes the dynamic of this offense, especially as they make this run. I want to see how much they get into the screen. The thing about Katon Mitchell is they run the same plays that they run with Derrick Henry. It’s the same personnel. It’s the same formations. It’s not that change up that you, you know, normally get with Justice Hill, but you can tell down there. I think this team’s going to the playoffs. I I think they are in. All right, Drake May was pressured on 47% of his drop backs on Sunday. The highest pressure rate he’s faced in a game this season. However, he didn’t care. He still threw for 167 yards when under duress. His most when pressured in a game in his career and the most by a Patriots quarterback since Tom Brady in 2017. Marcus, what impressed you most about Drake May on Sunday. I got to go to you first because we know Dan’s over here salivating over Drake May. I don’t blame I got I got I know you do. Everything Everything impressed me about him. Even when it wasn’t going great, bad play. He’s one of those guys that get he gets over it real quick. Let’s get to the next play. But that fourminute drive before the half was the one for me where I thought he made significant plays. even sometime got sacked on the play, had some a couple incompletions, but these throws and the rhythm and timing that he’s playing with, the understanding that his receivers as well have with him and the rapport that they built so early and that athleticism is always still in the back of your mind that he can take off and run, stare pressure down, middle of the field throw. We got guys been in the league five, six years, won’t make that throw in that particular situation. And I thought this ball to Stefon Diggs is probably very underrated. It’s going to get overshadowed. He put it the only place Stefon could catch and get down on fourth down. On fourth down. Yeah. And then Mike Vrael, what I love Mike Vrael at at while they were walking into halftime. He said sometimes it becomes about players and not plays and the confidence that he has in his young quarterback to go out and run that fourminute drill, get in the end zone right before half, which I think is huge, which I think led to them winning that game more than anything. I think the the being the little brother is part of the being unfaced. like his older brothers, the athleticism in front. He’s got a couple of them. This ain’t nothing to me. Um wish you would have had a big brother. He needed one. Actually, you know what? He has one now. It’s you. He got me now. Yeah, you a lot tougher than me. 25 years late. Golly. Um the only quarterback that I like watching more right now is Stafford over Drake May. That’s how impressed I am by the way that this young man plays. The one thing, reset and replace. And then also, what coverage are we hunting? Reset and replace. Okay, little ball fake. We’re trying to throw the tight end right now. But watch the safety near the top of the screen. He’s going to drive it. Instead of getting your tight end killed, hey, just replace him. That guy’s driving downhill. Replace him with Stefon Diggs and a crosser and do it now. That’s outstanding for a young quarterback. And the vision that he has in the middle field. Look at this coverage rotation. I’ve never seen this from a defense. They go deep middle, they flip strong side, weak side. He’s going to hold that weak hook defender and then reset to M. Collins on that deep seven stop. Corner stop. Balls on time. And then what coverage are we hunting? Motion goes over. He knows it’s man. Look at him. This is Tom Brady. Alert. Alert. Resets the protection. The safety in the middle of the field is the read. I know I got five guys at the line of scrimmage. They’re all going to be pressure guys. If that safety leans to the bottom of the screen, I’m going to throw it to Kyle Williams on that crosser. He sees that safety lean towards that internal mesh. Look at this placement. That’s the type of throw. If he throws it on the line, it’s going to get undercut and it’s going to get picked. You want to talk about yards after the catch? That’s not a cheap stat when you have a perfectly placed ball for yards. This is the one, Mark. Yeah, brother. So, this is 13 personnel. So, there’s only one defensive back on the field. They motion Steph down. So, the corner is going to cover the tight end. They get step on the safety. I love how Steph doesn’t allow Winfield Junior to get his hands on him. And Marcus already talked about this. That ball placement is special because that drive doesn’t matter if he misses that throw. I am so impressed by the way that he is going about operating this offense. Month ago, I was like, I don’t know how real the Patriots are. They are absolute Super Bowl contenders because of them. I’m so happy, too, that they hired Mike Brabel. They’ve got this thing all figured out to really support a young quarterback. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Adam Schefter joins NFL Live to discuss Joe Burrow returning to practice in a limited capacity in hopes of playing for the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving. Laura Rutledge, Ryan Clark, Mina Kimes, Marcus Spears and Dan Orlovsky recap some of Sunday’s biggest games, including the Miami Dolphins’ win over the Buffalo Bills.

0:00 Schefter on Burrow’s return
1:22 Bills vs. Dolphins
7:34 Ravens vs. Vikings
11:29 Patriots vs. Buccaneers

✔️ Subscribe to ESPN+ http://espnplus.com/youtube
✔️ Get the ESPN App: http://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn
✔️ Subscribe to ESPN on YouTube: http://es.pn/SUBSCRIBEtoYOUTUBE
✔️ Subscribe to NBA on ESPN on YouTube: http://bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoNBAonESPN
✔️ Watch ESPN on YouTube TV: http://es.pn/YouTubeTV

#ESPN #NFL