By the time players get to November, practice is tedious. They've been at it since July, and everything hurts. But for Cole Strange, stepping onto the field earlier this week with his teammates was a moment to remember.
Strange blew out his patellar tendon on December 17th of last year in a 27-17 loss to the Chiefs. After surgery, he had a cast that ran from his ankle to his mid-thigh. The work to get from that point to this point has been exhausting, and in the beginning, the former first-round pick wasn't sure he'd get here.
"Early on, I think I started to get doubtful of myself," Strange recalled of that first-month post-injury. "But that was just early on, like, whenever my leg was stuck at 180 degrees. Like, I'm never going to come back. I was just getting down on myself because I couldn't go to the bathroom by myself. So I was like, 'How the hell am I going to go back to playing in the NFL?' But, it's just taking it one day at a time and not getting too bogged down by what's going on in that moment."
That would have been overwhelming. The process was long and tedious, requiring a lot of time working out on his own or with the medical staff but away from his teammates.
"Everything I had to relearn to do – walk even. Squatting, running, jumping," Strange said. "I felt very awkward at first. I just kept hammering away at it. I feel good. I'm confident the same thing will happen with ball."
Excuse me? You had to relearn how to walk?
"It was crazy," he responded, wide-eyed. "I felt like a baby deer. It was awkward as hell. The only thing that goes on with it is just doing it. Walking with crutches and then walking without them. Forcing yourself not to limp – not to go onto the right leg. It's not the same, but it's kind of the same with football. It's just doing it."
Strange's return to the field Wednesday was, in his mind, awkward. The team wasn't in full pads, and he's working his way back slowly, participating only in individual drills. The 26-year-old wasn't all that impressed with how he performed but said that it was better than he thought when he went back and watched it on tape. Cross off another checkmark in a notebook full of them.
After all this time away, being out there also taught Strange something about the game he wasn't completely aware of.
"I guess I'd say I learned that I just need football more than I thought I did. I've always loved it, but not having it, I just did not like that at all."
No one - not Jerod Mayo, Alex Van Pelt, nor Strange himself - knows when he'll be back to game shape. The team has 21 days (back-dated to Wednesday) to elevate him from the PUP, or else he reverts to injured reserve for the remainder of the year.
In the meantime, the Pats are working on a position switch with Strange, or at least adding something to his bag. He's spent plenty of time learning the center position in the film room, meetings, and following around David Andrews, and line coach Scott Peters indicated that center is Strange's primary focus right now. He played the position a bit in college and then again at the Senior Bowl.
"I felt pretty good about it," said Strange of playing center. "But the only way to get better at that is to do it. I can sit in the meetings - I do sit in the meetings - and envision myself making the call as quick as I can, but you have the bird's eye view, so it's different being out there, and it's different whenever you've got the cadence you need to remember, you've got the play and also the check, and you got to remember it all and do it (snaps finger) like that. But I'll figure it out. I just gotta get reps at it."
It would make more sense to me to get Strange back on the field at left guard, the position he settled in as a pro, but this seems more in line with the way they've managed the offensive line the entire season. Regardless, that Strange is closing in on a return is worthy of celebrating, especially in a year like this.
WHAT A MESS
The Jets entered this season believing they were Super Bowl contenders. Instead, they're 3-8, have fired their head coach, demoted their offensive coordinator, and earlier this week, canned general manager Joe Douglas.
The man responsible for all of that carnage? Owner Woody Johnson.
Multiple reports indicate that Johnson fired Robert Saleh without consulting anyone else in the organization, including Douglas, and stripped away the former GM's power dating back to last off-season when the born-on-third-base boss made Douglas fire one of his best friends in the business, assistant GM Rex Hogan.
But that's Johnson, who has gone to great lengths to put his stamp on this football team while blaming everyone else for its failures. He authored the trade for Davante Adams, overpaying for the aging and expensive pass catcher.
"You know, thinking is overrated," said Johnson after the trade. "You have to look forward. We have to look forward to the games we're going to play each and every week and try to win all of them … you just have to go with your instinct and what's the best thing to build a team."
The owner was also responsible for the eventual new contract for holdout Hassan Reddick, demanding safety Tony Adams be benched this past weekend (he was), and, in another bombshell revealed this week, also suggested Aaron Rodgers ride the pine after the 10-9 loss to Broncos in late September. He was talked out of the latter, but the suggestion was apparently so out of left field that one of the coaches in the meeting asked if Johnson was serious (according to The Athletic).
A little over a week later, itchy-trigger finger Johnson fired Saleh with a 2-3 record. When Douglas finally had media availability - it was over a month after Saleh was let go - he was asked how he felt about not being involved in the decision.
"I serve at the pleasure of the owner," he responded.
It's unclear if Douglas had his fingers and toes crossed when he said that, but if you find the film somewhere, I bet you'd see it.
Phil Savage has been named the interim GM, and the Jets are clearly about to hit the reset button again. They need a new head coach and, it seems, a new quarterback, despite Rodgers saying he wants to play another year. They'll also be facing contract questions with Sauce Gardner (he's had a down year) and Garrett Wilson - both will be eligible for big-money extensions - as well as linebacker Quincy Williams (he's headed for a holdout). But other than that, it's going great in Florham Park.
The only potential positive is that Johnson may again be asked to serve overseas for the Trump administration. If so, that would put his brother, Chris, in charge of the day-to-day, and he is considered a more reasonable fellow who knows what he doesn't know. That's something Woody just can't come to grips with. Meanwhile, the Jets playoff drought continues. It's been since the 2010-11 season (a loss in the AFC title game to the Steelers).
NOT ANY BETTER IN THE GIANTS' BUILDING
Coming off a bye, the 2-8 Giants decided to bench starting quarterback Daniel Jones this week, then, after he asked, granted him his release Friday. This was predictable. Jones has an injury guarantee in his contract that would lock in $23 million of the $30 million he's owed next season should he get hurt over these final six weeks. New York will take $47 million in a dead cap this year and another $22.2 million in 2025, but also free up $19 million for next season.
What wasn't expected was Tommy DeVito's elevation from emergency quarterback to the top job, bypassing backup Drew Lock, who will remain in that role.
Speaking at a charity event earlier this week, Dexter Lawrence — the Giants' best player and close friend of Jones — expressed his concern about the move, which was relayed to the team Monday in a team meeting.
“Because you don’t know their full thoughts behind it,” he told reporters at the event. “I think we trust the coaches and where they’re going and where they think we can go. That’s what you have to do. You have to be naïve. You start thinking about the wrong shit, then you start playing like shit, you know what I’m saying? You got to be naïve and trust the process.
“(Brian Daboll) just said it was a hard decision. I’m sure it’s hard. He’s (Jones) the QB1. To me, the best quarterback on the team. But they see things differently. I guess that’s all that matters.”
Daboll's response:
“I got a lot of respect for Dex," he said. “Dex has been a teammate of Daniel for a while, pretty good relationship there. Look, everybody’s not going to agree with the decision, and I understand that.’’
The Giants inked Jones to a highly debated 4-year, $160 million extension after the 2022-23 season upon completion of Daboll and GM Joe Schoen's first year with the club. They went 9-6-1 and won a playoff game in Minnesota. Since then, they're 3-13 in games Jones starts, and he's missed time with a neck injury and a torn ACL. The losses don't all fall on his shoulders - the Giants have regressed in years two and three of this regime- but Jones' play has been odorous. Out of 35 qualifying quarterbacks over the last two years, the former first-round pick ranks 31st in passing yards per attempt (5.9), 34th in TD/INT ratio (10 TDs, 13 picks), 33rd in passer rating (76.6) and 33rd in sacks per game (3.7).
With the deck cleared of Jones, the next question is whether Daboll (and Schoen) survive? A month ago, owner John Mara insisted they were safe, but there has been a growing sentiment in league circles that Mara's mind may be changing. It's a massive decision because the Giants will undoubtedly be in the market for a new quarterback, and are they willing to let this regime make that decision despite being on thin ice - or is the wiser choice to start anew?
SLOW, SLOWER, SLOWEST
The Chiefs lost their first game of the season, falling 30-21 at Buffalo on Sunday. What showed up in the defeat - and has since Rashee Rice went down with a knee injury - is that this offense is slow — like, stunningly slow, even after drafting Xavier Worthy in the first round.
Think about rolling out three wide receiver sets that feature DeAndre Hopkins (still a baller, but never a burner), Justin Watson, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Yes, that JuJu, with the bad knee and zero burst. Do you want to know why Patrick Mahomes' is statistically having this kind of year? Start there, then sprinkle in an aging Travis Kelce, who can't consistently supply the run-after-the-catch that made him Mahomes' top target for all these years.
Sean McDermott and his defensive coordinator, Bobby Babich, saw this reveal itself on tape and abandoned their usually heavy-zone coverage schemes for significantly more man-to-man defense. Except for Worthy, who matched his career high with four catches, the wide receivers were snuffed out like cigarettes in an ashtray. Perhaps Worthy, at 170 pounds, can find a way to become more of a force, or maybe he's just a part-time player capable of making a big play here or there (more Mecole Hardman than Tyreek Hill).
This has placed an even greater burden on Mahomes. However, despite his league-leading 11 interceptions, the Chiefs star has still problem-solved enough, especially in big moments, to breathe life into an offense that is averaging its lowest totals in yards per game (337.9) and passing yards per game (226.5) in the Mahomes era. It also doesn't help that the KC tackles have been amongst the league's worst in pass protection (their interior O-line is still elite). Add it all up, and you have a flawed offense that still has cobbled together enough points for nine wins in 10 games and Carolina this weekend.
Help, though, could be on the way.
The Chiefs should be getting running back Isiah Pacheco, perhaps as early as this week. He's been their most offensive player not named Mahomes over the last two seasons, and Marquise "Hollywood" Brown hinted that his sternoclavicular injury might not be season-ending after all. So, while I know those of you tired of the Chiefs might be getting excited that this just isn't their year, Mahomes is the Tom Brady of this era, where I would never count him, and therefore them, out.
NERD NUMBERS
- The Patriots are bottom-3 in scoring (30th) and total offense (31st). It would be 2nd straight season having a bottom-3 scoring and total offense. The Pats didn't have a bottom-3 scoring or total offense in any season from 1993-2022.
- The 2024 Steelers are the first team to start a season 8-2 or better while averaging 2.0 offensive TDs/game or fewer since the 2015 Broncos (started 8-2, 1.8 off. TD/game). Those Broncos went 12-4 and won Super Bowl 50.
- The Browns have allowed the most sacks in the NFL in 2024 (46, 5 more than 2nd). The only teams with more through 10 games since 2010 are the 2023 Giants (54) and 2023 Commanders (47).
- Sam Darnold leads the NFL with 14 giveaways in 2024 (10 INTs and 4 lost fumbles). 6 of Darnold’s 14 giveaways came in Weeks 9-10.
- The Lions have won 8 consecutive games in a season for the first time since 1934.
- Jared Goff leads the NFL in completions of 20+ yds (39) and 50+ yds (6) in 2024.
- Bo Nix last weekend was 28-33 (84.8 pct), 307 yards, 4-0 TD-INT ratio and a 145.0 passer rating in Week 11 vs Falcons (all career-highs). He's the first rookie in NFL history with 80+ comp pct, 300+ pass yds, and 4+ pass TDs in a game.
