Barnett’s crash dive on Williams will be a costly one
PHILADELPHIA >> By the end of the week, the NFL likely will provide Eagles defender Derek Barnett written notice that he’s been fined for using the crown of his helmet to strike defenseless Packers running back Jamaal Williams, who wound up in the hospital last Thursday.
The letter also will inform Barnett of his right to appeal, hard as it is to believe the action justifiable.
Stood up by Eagles linebackers Nigel Bradham and Zach Brown, Williams had no way to protect himself when Barnett smashed into him. It looked like an inattentive driver crashing into a parked car.
All of it is enough to leave an up-and-coming player conflicted.
Barnett wasn’t available after practice Monday. Teammate Malcolm Jenkins hopes the incident doesn’t make Barnett squeamish.
“I tell him not to slow down,” Jenkins said. “I think the one thing that makes Derek special is that he plays every snap at one speed, and that’s full speed, and I think that’s how you’re supposed to play the game. Some things happen in this game. It’s a violent sport. So, I just tell him don’t change anything about his game.”
Another hit or two like that and the NFL will demand Barnett change the way he plays.
Three days after Barnett’s event, Vontaze Burfict of the Raiders delivered a helmet-to-helmet shot on tight end Jack Doyle of the Colts. Burfict was ejected from the game and on Tuesday, suspended for the rest of the season.
League disciplinarian Jon Runyan, who had a reputation as an aggressive player with the Eagles, made more than mere mention of Burfict’s history of cheap shots and disciplinary issues in handing out the unprecedented suspension. The last thing Barnett needs is a reputation.
“Derek is running to the football on a pass play,” Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “We put a lot of emphasis on guys running to the football, and he’s going in trying to get the ball out. He’s trying to get a fumble. He’s not targeting anyone. He’s going in trying to get the football. We want guys hustling. We want guys trying to get that.”
Schwartz also pointed to a face mask by Zach Brown, saying, “if you get on the side of a guy’s helmet and turn it, particularly as sticky as the gloves are, it’s going to look bad and you’re going to get those flags. You don’t want to be undisciplined. You don’t want to play outside the bounds of the game. I don’t think either of those guys would fall into those categories.”
Schwartz, you may recall, defended Ndamukong Suh back in the day. Even Suh has calmed down, though.
The Eagles lost their most reliable cornerback, Avonte Maddox, in that game against the Packers when teammate Andrew Sendejo dove in and accidentally drilled him with a shot, injuring his neck. Maddox is out indefinitely.
“A lot of times some of that is a little bit of friendly fire,” Jenkins said. “But you don’t tell guys to slow down in this game.”
*** The Eagles sent safety Jonathan Cyprien to the Atlanta Falcons late Monday for linebacker Duke Riley. The deal also includes an exchange of third-day draft picks, the Eagles collecting a sixth-round selection in the upcoming lottery, the Falcons a seventh-rounder.
The Falcons took Riley (6-1, 230) off the board in the third round of the 2017 draft. The product of LSU has solid coverage skills but this season played all but one snap of the Falcons’ first four games on special teams.
Cyprien, 29, signed with the Eagles during training camp. He played a dozen snaps against Green Bay but saw action almost exclusively on special teams this season.
*** Sam Darnold, who hasn’t played this season due to mononucleosis, or Luke Falk will start at quarterback for the Jets. Falk replaced the injured Trevor Siemian.
The Eagles are expecting Darnold.
“We’ll prepare for him,” Jenkins said. “We know he’s their guy, we know that’s who they want if they can get him, so we’ll prepare for him. And we’ll see how things change or how different the game plan is between the two quarterbacks.” *** Visiting teams went 11-3 through games of Sunday, with the Bengals hoping to add to that in their Monday night skirmish at Pittsburgh.
The obvious is the home field advantage doesn’t guarantee a victory.
“I think that’s what you saw is just teams that went on the road, executed well and gave themselves a chance to win,” Jenkins said. “I mean, there’s a lot of competitive teams out there. It’s really wide open.”
*** NOTES >> With Dak Prescott the man in Dallas, Daniel Jones starting for the Giants and Dwayne Haskins the guy with the Redskins, Carson Wentz is the oldest starter in the NFC East – at 26 years old. Wentz is 211 days older than Dak. … Don’t be surprised if Jalen Ramsey changes his mind about his trade demand. The Jacksonville owner wants to make him the highest-paid corner in football. Moreover, with quarterback Gardner Minshew and running back Leonard Fournette, the Jaguars have won two straight starts. And Nick Foles is due back from a shoulder injury this season.