Lions QB Goff misses practices, doubtful to play against Browns
ALLEN PARK, MICH. » Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff missed a third straight practice with an oblique injury and is listed as doubtful to play against the Cleveland Browns.
Tim Boyle is expected to make his first career start Sunday in Cleveland.
“Opportunities, especially in the NFL, come very few times unfortunately, but that’s the beauty of the NFL,” Boyle said Friday. “It’s so competitive. It’s been a long journey, just kind of reminiscing on my story of starting football when I was 6 years old and here I am as a 27-year-old still blessed to have this opportunity, it really is.
“It’s about preparation and always staying ready. I’ll be ready to go.”
Goff was hurt in the winless Lions’ tie last Sunday at Pittsburgh.
The Lions signed Boyle to a one-year contract in free agency to back up Goff. Boyle, who spent the previous three years behind Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, went on injured reserve after breaking a thumb in the preseason. He returned to practice last week.
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett acknowledged he did not know much about Boyle.
“I have to do my research,” Garrett said. “I wasn’t sure if Goff was going to play, so now get to it. Still got a lot of time for film study.”
The Lions will likely ask Boyle to hand the ball off many times to running back D’Andre Swift.
“They’re not going to try and let (Boyle) put the game in his hands,” Garrett said. “They’ll try and run the ball. They had success with that last week. So we’ve got to force their hand, where if they can’t run the ball well, he’s got to make plays and then see what we can do.”
Detroit’s backup quarterback becomes David
Blough. His NFL career began in Cleveland when the Browns signed him as an undrafted rookie out of Purdue. The Lions acquired Blough in a trade at the conclusion of his rookie training camp. He has started five games for the Lions over the past two seasons, going 0-5 as Blough completed 54% of his passes for four touchdowns and six interceptions.
EX-NFL PLAYER STACY ARRESTED AT ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT » Ex-NFL player Zac Stacy appeared before a judge after he was arrested at Orlando International Airport on charges he beat the mother of his infant son at her home in Oakland, Fla., last weekend.
Video showing the former running back attacking the woman went viral in recent days after the victim shared it online. Orlando police arrested Stacy after he exited an inbound flight from Nashville, Tenn., and took him to Orange County Jail, said OPD’s Heidi Rodríguez.
In court, his defense attorney said Stacy had flown back to Florida immediately after learning that Oakland police had issued a warrant for his arrest “with the intention of turning himself in.”
However, prosecutors noted that Stacy had left the state “immediately” after
the alleged attack. They asked County Judge Andrew Bain to order Stacy to surrender his passport if granted release.
Bain agreed. He set Stacy’s bond at $10,150 on felony charges of aggravated battery and criminal mischief and also ordered him to have no contact with the victim if released and not possess any weapons or firearms.
Stacy spoke only briefly, to confirm he intended to return to Tennessee.
The Oakland Police Department said its officers responded to an emergency call Saturday around 2:30 p.m. and determined “a domestic violence battery had taken place and that the suspect, Zackary Stacy, had fled the scene,” the agency said in a statement.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office also tried to locate Stacy, a 30-year-old former running back for Vanderbilt University and later the St. Louis Rams and New York Jets, but “learned he had fled the state,” according to Oakland PD. COWBOYS WR COOPER GOES ON COVID-19 LIST » Dallas receiver Amari Cooper has been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list and will miss the Cowboys’ game Sunday at Kansas City.
The timing of the move raises questions about Cooper’s availability for the Thanksgiving game against his former team, the Las Vegas Raiders.
Cooper is second to CeeDee Lamb in catches, yards and touchdowns. Cooper has 44 catches for 583 yards and five touchdowns.
The seventh-year pro’s absence comes in the second game back for receiver Michael Gallup, who missed seven games after straining a calf in the opener.
The Cowboys have the depth to absorb the loss of the player considered their No. 1 receiver since he was acquired him from the Raiders in a midseason trade in 2018.
SOURCE: BRONCOS WR PATRICK
AGREES TO $30M EXTENSION » A person with knowledge of the negotiations tells The Associated Press that wide receiver Tim Patrick and the Denver Broncos have agreed to a three-year extension worth $30 million with $18.5 million in guarantees.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal won’t be signed until Saturday.
Patrick went undrafted out of Utah and was cut by the Ravens, 49ers and Broncos before catching on in Denver in 2018.
Last year, he really began making his mark as the team’s most dependable receiver, shining on a roster that includes high draft picks Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler and Courtland Sutton at wide receiver and Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam at tight end.
Over the last two seasons, Patrick has caught 88 passes for 1,265 yards and 10 touchdowns in 25 games with no drops and no fumbles.
BROWNS’ STAR CHUBB BACK FROM COVID LIST » Cleveland running back Nick Chubb was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list, clearing the way for him to play Sunday when the Browns host the winless Detroit Lions to begin a crucial threegame stretch.