Gruden wants Favre’s scouting report on workout partner
Artesia High alumnus, ex-Steeler Jones signs on with Jacksonville
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Jon Gruden will consult Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre for a scouting report on the 49ers potential starting quarterback tonight, third-stringer Nick Mullens. Favre, a University of Southern Mississippi product, and Mullens, the same, worked closely together when Mullens was in school from 2013-16.
Jalen Richard, the Raiders’ backup running back and Mullens’ teammate at USM for three of those years, observed their partnership from up close.
“Brett would know (about Mullens) because he and Nick were very tight,” Richard said Wednesday. “I know that for a fact.
“Brett’s a different cat. He’s cool, though. He and Nick, he was always helping Nick out with stuff. I think he throws with him. They work out.”
Mullens has yet to play a regular season NFL snap since signing with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent last year. He began this season on the practice squad, but Jimmy Garoppolo’s seasonending ACL tear in Week 3 spurred Mullins’ promotion to the active roster. Now with C.J. Beathard nursing a sore wrist and officially carrying a “questionable” designation ahead of Thursday night’s game at Levi’s Stadium, Mullens might see his first meaningful action in prime time against the Raiders.
Mullens completed 31 of 43 passes in the preseason for 396 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He also ran five times for 20 yards and two scores.
“I’ll get a hold of Brett Favre and learn a little bit more. Jalen Richard has helped us a little bit,” Gruden said of preparing for Mullens if he indeed starts. “He was a good player in the preseason, athletic guy. You never underestimate anybody in this league. He did some really good things as a quarterback in the preseason. We have a lot of respect for whoever is under center.”
Gruden and Favre go back to when Gruden was an offensive assistant with the Packers during Favre’s sophomore season in 1992. Gruden then coached Packers wide receivers the following two years.
If Mullens beats the Raiders, that would stoop Oakland’s season to an unimaginable new low. Gruden and Co. hope the sage advice from one of the all-time greats, along with a defensive showing resembling that of a competitive NFL team, help prevent a bad season from getting even worse.
JAGUARS: Free-agent quarterback and Artesia High alumnus Landry Jones has signed with the team to take some repetitions during the bye week.
Jacksonville (3-5) worked out Jones before its loss over the weekend to Philadelphia in London. Quarterback Blake Bortles injured his non-throwing shoulder against Philadelphia but is expected to play Nov. 11 at Indianapolis.
Jones fills an open roster spot created when the team traded defensive end Dante Fowler to the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday.
GAMING: The New York Jets and MGM Resorts International have agreed on a multiyear deal that is the first of its kind in the NFL.
With the announcement Wednesday, MGM Resorts is now the official gaming partner of the Jets. The agreement is the most comprehensive and integrated gaming partnership in the league, and the first to go beyond a casino sponsorship.
The NHL announced a multiyear agreement Monday to provide MGM Resorts with data for use in betting. It was the second major U.S. professional sports league to strike a deal with the casino since the Supreme Court opened the way for expanded gambling last spring. Las Vegas-based MGM also is the first official sports betting partner of the NBA and WNBA, a deal that was reached in July.
DOLPHINS: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Jets, meaning Brock Osweiler will start for the fourth game in a row.
BEARS: Chicago right guard Kyle Long has a tendon injury in his right foot, and the team is deciding whether to put him on injured reserve.
BILLS: Buffalo signed QB Matt Barkley to address a banged-up and thinly experienced position ahead of its game Sunday against Chicago.
OBITUARY: Jack Patera, the first head coach in the history of the Seattle Seahawks, has died at age 85.
Patera died Wednesday, the team said. The cause of death was not clear, but he had been battling pancreatic cancer.