Cowboys assistant Paul dies at 54
FRISCO — Dallas Cowboys strength coach Markus Paul died Wednesday, a day after being taken to the hospital after experiencing a medical emergency at the team’s facility. He was 54.
The team said the cause of death was pending.
Paul was in his third season with Dallas after previous being a strength and conditioning coach with the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, New York Jets and 12 seasons with the New York Giants. Paul was part of five Super Bowl titles, three with the Patriots and two with the Giants.
The former NFL safety played for the Chicago Bears (1989-93) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1993). He played in 71 games with 17 starts over those five seasons. He was a fourth-round draft pick out of Syracuse, where he was an AP All-american as a senior in 1998.
“The loss of a family member is a tragedy, and Markus Paul was a loved and valued member of our family,” Dallas owner Jerry Jones said. “He was a pleasant and calming influence in our strength room.”
The Cowboys canceled practice Tuesday after Paul was taken to the hospital. The team practiced Wednesday, a day before its Thanksgiving game against Washington.
Ravens-steelers moved over virus
The Thanksgiving night game between the Ravens and Steelers has been switched to Sunday afternoon because of coronavirus issues with Baltimore.
The NFL announced the move Wednesday, placing the game at 1:15 p.m. EST on NBC. Previously, it was scheduled for NBC’S primetime telecast on Thanksgiving Day.
Baltimore placed outside linebacker Pernell Mcphee on the reserve/covid-19, joining running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins and defensive tackle Brandon Williams. The Ravens also have been doing team work virtually.
The Ravens said later Wednesday they had disciplined a staff member, reportedly a strength coach, for not obeying league protocols.
“We appreciate the NFL for its diligence in working closely with us to ensure the well-being of players, coaches and staff from both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers organizations,” the Ravens said in a statement.
“Protecting the health and safety of each team, in addition to our communities at large, is of utmost importance. We will continue to follow guidance from the NFL and its medical experts, as we focus on safely resuming preparations for Sunday’s game.”
The game — assuming it is played Sunday — means the Ravens will trade one short week for another. They are scheduled to play Dallas on Thursday, Dec. 3.
There will be no fans allowed for the Ravens game.
This isn’t the first time the Steelers have been forced to adjust their schedule because of COVID-19 issues with opponents. Their trip to Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 4 to face the Titans turned into an unexpected bye week when Tennessee was hit
with an outbreak.
The tweak forced the Steelers to play 13 straight weeks to end the regular season. They had hoped for at least a mini-break by playing on Thanksgiving — the franchise’s first-ever home game in Pittsburgh on the holiday — and then getting the weekend off before starting the home stretch.
Jaguars turning to Glennon at QB
The Jacksonville Jaguars are going with quarterback Mike Glennon against Cleveland, giving the NFL journeyman his first start in more than three years.
Coach Doug Marrone made the announcement Wednesday, three days after he considered benching rookie Jake Luton during a 27-3 loss to unbeaten Pittsburgh. Luton completed just 16 of 37 passes for 151 yards and four interceptions against the Steelers.
Luton went winless in three starts for Jacksonville (1-9), which has lost nine in a row. The skid ties the longest single-season losing streak in team history.
Luton replaced Gardner Minshew (thumb) during
the team’s bye week and has completed 54.5 percent of his passes for 624 yards, with two touchdowns and six interceptions. He also was sacked seven times.
Minshew resumed throwing last week, but Marrone hasn’t seen enough to believe he’s ready to return.
Glennon, 30, has started 22 of 29 games over seven NFL seasons with Oakland, Arizona, Chicago and Tampa Bay. Glennon, a thirdround pick by Tampa Bay in 2013, has 36 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions. His last start came in Week 4 in 2017 with the Bears.
Odds and ends
Bengals running back Giovani Bernard was held out of practice with a concussion, the team said. It wasn’t clear if he would be able to play in Sunday’s game against the Giants. … The Chargers demoted special teams coordinator George Stewart. Assistant special teams coach Keith Burns and senior coaching assistant Chris Caminiti will take over, coach Anthony Lynn said.