ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos Coach Vic Fangio said concussed quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was able to lift weights and attend meetings Wednesday and might even be back at practice Thursday.
“He’s getting better,” Fangio said before backup Drew Lock ran the offense at practice.
Lock played the second half Sunday against Baltimore after Bridgewater took a shot to his chin from Ravens rookie linebacker Odafe Oweh just before halftime of the Broncos’ 23-7 loss.
Neither Bridgewater nor Lock had a good game last weekend.
After completing 75% or more of his passes in his first three starts, Bridgewater was just 7 for 16 for 65 yards with two sacks and a touchdown when he got hurt.
Lock was just 12 for 21 for 113 yards with three sacks and an interception in the end zone with 3 seconds left that allowed the Ravens to rub it in and ran the ball one final time to top 100 yards for a record-tying 43rd consecutive game, a move that drew Fangio’s ire.
Fangio said Lock’s poor performance speaks to the difficulty of transitioning from being the starter to backup status like Lock did when he lost his job to Bridgewater during training camp.
“It’s difficult in that he doesn’t get the reps and you’re thrown in there cold,” Fangio said. “But you know I still think his below-average day was just a part of our whole offense. We just weren’t very good offensively last Sunday.”
JAGUARS: Coach Urban Meyer publicly apologized for the third consecutive day and said he never considered resigning after his “inexcusable” behavior at an Ohio bar was caught on camera and released on social media.
Meyer added that several members of the team’s leadership council, a group of players who serve as liaisons between the coach and the locker room, have expressed their support.
“I had at least eight to 10 phone calls where they called me and they were over-the-top supportive and said, `We got you, man. Move forward,”‘ Meyer said. “A common thing was, `Coach, we all did stupid things.’ I’m really impressed with our guys.”
Team owner Shad Khan publicly reprimanded the 57-year-old Meyer on Tuesday for his actions at the bar last weekend.
Meyer said they had three or four conversations in which Khan told Meyer he must regain everyone’s trust and respect. Meyer said “the message is loud and clear.”
Meyer’s troubles started Friday at his restaurant/bar, Urban Meyer’s Pint House, in Dublin, Ohio. Meyer made the odd decision to stay behind in his hometown state following Jacksonville’s 24-21 loss at Cincinnati on Thursday and had dinner with his family the next night.
Meyer said he ended up joining a party next door and was later captured on camera with a young woman. One clip showed the woman dancing close to Meyer’s lap as he sits on a bar stool. A second, more damning video appears to show Meyer touching the woman’s behind.
Meyer apologized to players in respective position groups Monday and said he was sorry again during his weekly radio show Tuesday. He offered another apology during a team meeting Wednesday, saying he let down his family and his players.
JETS: Coach Robert Saleh says safety Marcus Maye has the team’s support as the star player deals with legal issues including drunken driving charges stemming from a February car crash in Florida.
Saleh said he and Maye had “a really good conversation” that was initiated by the safety. He declined to say whether he and the team previously knew – although he implied as much – about the accident and arrest first reported by ESPN on Monday night.
“Obviously, he recognizes he made a mistake and as far as details and all that, I’ll keep it in-house,” Saleh said. “But we support Marcus and hopefully he can get through this.”
Broward County court records show the 28-year-old Maye was charged with three misdemeanors – driving under the influence, DUI/damage to property, and leaving the scene of an accident – on Feb. 22 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Maye has a Zoom hearing scheduled for Oct. 20 in the case.
BEARS: Coach Matt Nagy had a plan to develop Justin Fields and resisted making the rookie his team’s starting quarterback from the start of offseason practices.
Nagy has changed his mind and on Wednesday made Fields the team’s starting quarterback going forward.
“I told you the last couple of weeks we’ve had some good conversations internally,” Nagy said. “It’s helped us in the last couple weeks.
“Continuing that process this week it’s led to making the decision to move with Justin as the starter.”
On Monday, Nagy had said Fields was still the backup and playing only because of Andy Dalton’s knee injury. But on Tuesday he told both quarterbacks of the change and announced it Wednesday. Dalton will return to practice this week after suffering a bone bruise to his left knee and will be the backup.
WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM: Washington put tight end Logan Thomas on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, an absence of at least three games that could open the door for Sammis Reyes to become the first person from Chile to play in an NFL game.
Coach Ron Rivera earlier this week said he expected Reyes to play Sunday against the New Orleans Saints after being inactive the first four games of the season.
RATINGS: NFL and network executives expected ratings to increase this season. But the rate through the first four weeks has still taken many by surprise.
Games are averaging 17.3 million viewers on television and digital, a whopping 17% increase over last season and 3% compared to two years ago.
Whether the league can maintain that level of growth remains to be seen. Last season was played during the pandemic, mostly in empty stadiums. Also, many people’s viewing habits changed in a presidential election year.
The league has had the top 21 rated shows since the start of the season. The top two games have featured Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady’s return to New England last Sunday was the biggest draw, averaging 26.7 million viewers, with the season opener against Dallas second at 24.8 million.
BROWNS: Starting linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. returned to practice only to find a number of his defensive teammates missing.
Walker was designated to return from injured reserve after sitting out the past three games with a hamstring injury. As long as he doesn’t have any setbacks, Walker will likely be activated later this week to play against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Coach Kevin Stefanski said it’s too early to know if Walker can suit up Sunday.
The Browns could use Walker, who calls signals. Their No. 2 overall ranked defense is a little banged up at the moment.
Ends Jadeveon Clowney (elbow) and Takk McKinley (ankle/knee), cornerbacks Denzel Ward (neck) and Greg Newsome II (calf), nickel back Troy Hill (toe), and linebacker Malcolm Smith (abdomen) all missed practice and their status for this week’s game is unclear.
LIONS: The Detroit Lions put standout center Frank Ragnow on injured reserve, another setback for a banged-up winless team.
The Lions made the move along with signing linebacker Jessie Lemonier off the practice squad and activating kicker Austin Seibert from the COVID-19 reserve list.
Detroit was without tight end T.J. Hockenson and offensive tackle Penei Sewell on Wednesday. Hockenson missed the afternoon session because of a knee injury.
Sewell, the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, had an ankle injury during the Lions’ loss at Chicago on Sunday.
COWBOYS: Suspended offensive lineman La’el Collins sued the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell, seeking an injunction to stop the remaining two games of a five-game ban over substance-abuse violations.
Lawyers for Collins filed the lawsuit in Collin County, the location of the team’s headquarters north of Dallas. The suit claims the NFL suspended the seventh-year player for missed tests when the labor agreement reached in 2020 no longer allowed for suspensions over missed tests or positive marijuana tests.
According to the lawsuit, the NFL wrongfully determined that Collins had failed to cooperate with the league, a distinction that allows for suspensions. The league said the lawsuit was “meritless.” It wasn’t immediately clear if the case had been assigned to a judge.
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