Patriots might give rookie QB his first start
Garoppolo, though, hasn’t been ruled out for tonight’s game vs. Texans
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England coach Bill Belichick has never been one to tip his hand on anything, especially his plans leading into a game.
He was even more coy than usual in this short week as New England prepared to host the Texans (2-0) tonight in the aftermath of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo injuring his throwing shoulder in Sunday’s win over Miami.
With Tom Brady still two weeks shy of the end of his “Deflategate” suspension, rookie Jacoby Brissett is the next healthy man in line. But two things complicate him possibly getting his first start.
First, Belichick has only once started a rookie quarterback — Eric Zeier during his final season as coach of the Browns in 1995. Secondly, there’s the very real question whether Belichick feels comfortable enough throwing Brissett into his first NFL start opposite an active Houston defense that leads the league with nine sacks in two games.
Add to that Garoppolo hasn’t been completely ruled out, after he returned to practice on a limited basis Tuesday.
“Each week it seems like there is always some position that you have to take into consideration what your depth is there,” Belichick said. “Obviously, you take into consideration your opponent and how you want to try and play the game, what you want to try and do against them, and put it all together and do the best you can.”
New England (2-0) will match up with a Houston quarterback with some success against it on his résumé. Brock Osweiler was under center in November in Denver when the Broncos earned a 30-24 overtime win.
Osweiler said Texans coach Bill O’Brien told him that game went a long way in him wanting to bring the 25-yearold to Houston, and that he certainly gained confidence from it.
“I definitely am looking at it as two different football games, but I definitely went back, I looked at last year’s game, I looked at my notes from last year and I can definitely use that as a tool moving forward,” Osweiler said.
NORMAN VS. BECKHAM:
An ESPN report out of Washington said Redskins cornerback Josh Norman had been assigned to play Giant receiver Odell Beckham Jr. one-onone every play except those in which the receiver lines up in the slot.
Norman, who has played primarily on one side of the field in the Redskins’ first two games, said he didn’t get that memo. But he would not mind if that was the case.
“Heck yeah, why not?” Norman said. “Shoot man, that’s the competitor that’s inside of me, man. I don’t shy away from nobody.”
Both were relatively lowkey Wednesday in discussing their upcoming first meeting since December. That was in a game between the Giants and Carolina Panthers, Norman’s team until he signed with Washington as a free agent in the offseason.
The game was an ugly lowlight reel. The two pushed, shoved, took swings, wrestled, had a couple late hits and did a lot of trash talking. The most flagrant action came in the third quarter when Beckham delivered a diving helmet-to-helmet hit on Norman while blocking.
Beckham drew three personal fouls and was suspended one game by the NFL for “multiple violations of safetyrelated playing rules.”
VIKINGS: Adrian Peterson will have surgery on his right knee to repair a torn meniscus, putting his season and perhaps his 10-year run with Minnesota in question.
But the Vikings have held off for now on placing the franchise’s all-time leading rusher on injured reserve.
Peterson was hurt in Sunday night’s victory over Green Bay, needing assistance off the field after his knee twisted while being tackled at the end of a run.
CHIEFS: Coach Andy Reid sounded an optimistic note about running back Jamaal Charles returning to action this weekend.
“Jamaal is improving by the day,” Reid said. “We’ll just keep him going, see how he does this week. He’s chomping at the bit and wants to play, which I love about him.”
Charles hasn’t appeared in a game since tearing an ACL in the fifth game last season.
BROWNS: Cleveland can’t even get through a practice uninjured these days.
Rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman broke his hand during Wednesday’s workout, the latest major blow to a young, struggling team that has lost two starting QBs in the first two weeks of the season.
A first-round draft pick, Coleman had a breakout game Sunday, scoring two touchdowns in a 25-20 loss against the Baltimore Ravens.
LIONS: Detroit placed starting running back Ameer Abdullah on injured reserve Wednesday with a foot injury he suffered in Sunday’s 16-15 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Abdullah leads the Lions with 101 yards rushing on 18 carries through the season’s first two games. With him gone, Theo Riddick takes over as the top running back.
COLTS: Receiver Phillip Dorsett may be about to get his first big opportunity in the NFL. The 2015 first-round draft pick will be asked to play a much bigger role over the next month — and perhaps longer — after learning No. 2 receiver Donte Moncrief will miss four to six weeks with a fractured left shoulder blade.
Moncrief was injured in Sunday’s loss at Denver.
CHARGERS: Joey Bosa practiced in pads for the first time, although he was limited in his work Wednesday. The first-round draft pick said he is day to day.