Jets miffed Darnold’s ‘seeing ghosts’ comment aired
Denver sends Sanders to San Francisco
NEW YORK — The New York Jets are disappointed and angry quarterback Sam Darnold’s comment about him “seeing ghosts” made it on air during the “Monday Night Football” game.
Darnold was wearing a microphone for ESPN’s broadcast of New York’s 33-0 loss to New England. After the third of his five turnovers in the game, the Jets’ frustrated quarterback was sitting on the sideline in the second quarter when he made his comment that quickly went viral on social media after it aired.
“That was one of those things that was really disappointing to hear about after the game,” coach Adam Gase said Tuesday. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that where somebody that was mic’d up, that a comment like that was allowed to be aired. It bothers me. It bothers the organization.”
Gase added that the Jets will be “looking hard into our cooperation” with the networks going forward.
BRONCOS DEAL SANDERS:
Emmanuel Sanders arrived in what he called “wide receiver heaven” in 2014 and with Peyton Manning throwing him passes. He certainly found bliss in Denver, where he became a champion and a bona fide NFL star.
On Tuesday, he escaped what had become wide receiver purgatory when the Broncos (2-5) granted his trade request and sent him to the unbeaten San Francisco 49ers (6-0).
Now he’ll team up with QB Jimmy Garoppolo and play at Levi’s Stadium, site of the Broncos’ Super Bowl triumph over the Carolina Panthers.
Broncos GM John Elway intimated that he soured on Sanders “with what happened after the Tennessee game” Oct. 13 when Sanders left at halftime of a 16-0 Denver victory with what was described as a knee injury.
HALL OF FAMER BROWN DIES:
Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown has died at the age of 78.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Brown’s death on
Tuesday. There was no cause of death released but Brown had been dealing with cancer.
Al Davis acquired Brown for the Raiders in a trade from Denver in 1967 in one of the best moves he made during his Hall of Fame career running the Raiders.
Brown went on to have a standout career over 12 years with Oakland, highlighted by his 75-yard interception return for a TD against Minnesota that helped the Raiders win their first Super Bowl following the 1976 season.
SANU TO PATRIOTS: The Patriots have done a lot of shuffling at receiver this season. They are hoping Mohamed Sanu can provide some stability as they try to solidify their offense heading into a difficult part of their schedule.
The Patriots traded a secondround draft pick in 2020 to Atlanta for the eight-year veteran, the teams announced Tuesday.
For New England, Sanu represents its latest attempt to give Brady another versatile receiver to throw to following the shortlived tenure of Antonio Brown.
The 30-year-old Sanu has 33 receptions for 313 yards, but only one touchdown this season. His opportunities to be more involved will almost certainly increase as he heads to the reigning Super Bowl champion Patriots (7-0).
JAGS SIGN SMITH: Jacksonville signed former Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith to help fill holes at linebacker.
Smith played 12 games for San Francisco last season. He’s best known for his MVP performance in the 2014 Super Bowl, when he had 10 tackles and returned an interception 69 yards for a TD in Seattle’s 43-8 win over Denver.
SEAHAWKS-LIONS: Seattle addressed depth concerns in its secondary by acquiring Quandre Diggs from Detroit for a 2020 fifthround pick.
Seattle has major depth worries at safety after Bradley McDougald and Lano Hill missed Sunday’s loss to Baltimore with injuries. Hill is expected to be out a few weeks with an elbow injury, while Seattle is hoping McDougald will return soon after being sidelined by back spasms.