their pursuit of Patriots executive Nick Caserio for their vacant general manager’s
job
Damien Harris Jersey Draft , and New England has withdrawn the grievance it filed against Houston.Texans owner Cal McNair released a statement Friday saying the
Texans would no longer seek interviews with Caserio.“When we started the process
to interview Nick Caserio for our EVP/GM position, we consulted the league
office on numerous occasions, followed the procedures outlined in the league’s
rules and believed we were in full compliance,” McNair said in the statement.
“We have now been made aware of certain terms in Nick’s contract with the
Patriots. Once we were made aware of these contract terms, I informed Mr.
(Robert) Kraft that we would stop pursuing Nick.”Brian Gaine was abruptly fired
by the Texans last week. Subsequently, an 11-page complaint by former security
coordinator Jeff Pope filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
alleged his firing by the team was racially motivated.Pope alleged that Gaine
unjustly initiated the firing of Pope and eight other black employees during his
17 months on the job. CINCINNATI (AP) — The first month shaped up as the
Bengals‘ most daunting, with three road games in the first four. The offense and
defense were getting accustomed to new systems. And then the injuries
began.Running back Joe Mixon tore knee cartilage. Center Billy Price tore a foot
ligament. Linebacker Preston Brown sprained an ankle. Linebacker Vontaze Burfict
was suspended all month for another NFL policy violation.Cincinnati (3-1) came
through it successfully with a handful of big plays and a resurgent Andy Dalton
. Now the Bengals are getting some of those important players back as they
settle into a more cushy part of the schedule — four home games in the next
five, starting with the Miami Dolphins (3-1) on Sunday at Paul Brown
Stadium.Things are looking up in Cincinnati
Damien Harris NFL Jersey , off to its best start since it won the AFC North in 2015.“It’s a new team, a new energy around here,” cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick
said.The Dolphins are trying to regroup from their first loss, a 38-7 drubbing
by the Patriots that highlighted their flaws. Both lines got pushed around , and
injuries forced adjustments that didn’t turn out so well.“It was a humbling
experience,” defensive tackle Davon Godchaux said.The Bengals want to keep their
momentum going during home games against the Dolphins and against the rival
Pittsburgh Steelers the following week. The Dolphins need to pull out of their
one-week funk and not allow it to turn into a downward trend.Some things to
watch Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium:DALTON’S RESURGENCE: The Bengals’ eighth-year
quarterback has been a key to their turnaround, getting off to his best start
since 2015 in a redesigned offense. He’s thrown 11 touchdown passes, his best
total for an opening four-game stretch.During a 37-36 win at Atlanta on
Sunday
Damien Harris NFL Draft , he had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in the first half, when he missed on only two passes. He led a winning 16-play drive, culminating
in a touchdown pass to A.J. Green with 7 seconds left.“We have to keep playing
the way we have been and keep the confidence level high, because we’ve shown we
can do it,” Dalton said. “We just have to keep it going.”HUMBLE PIE?Godchaux
hinted that the Dolphins lost a little motivation by winning their first three
games, so the drubbing by the Patriots could provide a correction. The Dolphins
lead the AFC East despite ranking in the bottom half of the league in many
offensive and defensive categories.“Believe it or not, we needed that loss to
get back on track,” Godchaux said. “As a team we just needed that. We were 3-0.
We got a wakeup call.”ON THE LINEThe Dolphins’ lines have been depleted and got
pushed around against the Patriots
Damien Harris Buffalo Bills Jersey , who rushed for 175 yards while the Dolphins were held to 172 total yards.Center Daniel Kilgore suffered a season-ending
triceps injury, and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips was released after another
poor game punctuated by a sideline outburst. Veteran Travis Swanson replaces
Kilgore. The Dolphins earlier lost guard Josh Sitton with a season-ending
shoulder injury.“We just got crushed,” coach Adam Gase said.NOT MOVING THE
CHAINSThe Dolphins have converted 31 percent of their third downs, which ranks
third-worst in the NFL. They were 3 for 11 against New England and had the ball
for less than 24 minutes.“We were bad on third, we were bad on second, and we
were bad on first,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “It’s all tied together.
When you’re in third-and-long situations, which we were
Youth Drew Bledsoe Jerseys , you’re not going to be in good situations. It really comes down to first and second down, being efficient and keeping it
third-and-manageable.”Tannehill has often been knocked for his play on third
down. This year his quarterback rating is 72.8 in those situations, compared
with 106.1 overall.LETTING THEM MOVE THE CHAINSThe Dolphins will be going
against a defense that’s last in the league by far on third down, allowing
opponents to convert 57 percent of the time. It’s the biggest problem with a
defense that’s ranked 29th overall and has allowed the 10th-most points in the
league.Cincinnati hopes that getting Burfict back from his four-game suspension
for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers will help fix the
problems.“I feel like he balances everything out,” Kirkpatrick said.
