Flacco will start tomorrow
It’s time to find out how Joe Flacco will respond to taking a hit on his surgically repaired left knee.
Flacco will start at quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens tomorrow night against the Detroit Lions, his first game action since tearing his ACL and MCL nine months ago in a game against the St. Louis Rams. The injury ended Flacco’s run of 137 straight starts. Following surgery and intensive rehabilitation, he returned to the practice field on the first day of training camp.
Wearing a protective brace on his knee and a red jersey that serves as a do-not-touch warning to his teammates, Flacco has fared well this summer — but he hasn’t taken a blow to the knee.
How he holds up in the pocket against Detroit is far more significant than completion percentage or touchdown throws.
“I don’t need to get hit, no,” Flacco said yesterday. “But if I do, it’s not a bad thing either. Hopefully, it’s the same as it’s always been.”
Romo hurts back
Dallas quarterback Tony
Romo appeared to injure his back on the third play of last night’s preseason game at the Seattle Seahawks after getting pulled down from behind by Cliff Avril.
Romo was forced from the pocket by a blitz from
K.J. Wright. As Romo scrambled and was about to begin his slide, he was pulled down by Avril chasing in pursuit. Romo immediately grabbed at his back and was tended to by trainers for a few minutes before popping up and walking off the field without any assistance. Dak Prescott took over and remained in the game, even after Romo threw some passes on the sideline.
Lions cut Ridley
Rookie Dwayne Washington moved a step closer to earning a job with Detroit when the Lions cut former Patriots running back Stevan Ridley.
Ridley ran for 2,907 yards in five seasons, but the Lions braintrust stuck with Washington, a seventhround pick who leads the team in rushing and has returned a kickoff for a touchdown this preseason.
Detroit’s top two running backs are Ameer Abdullah and Theo Ridley. Zach Zenner, an undrafted rookie last year, appears to be in position to earn a spot on the roster again.
Cruz set to return
Barring an injury, Victor
Cruz is going to play for the New York Giants tomorrow in the annual preseason game against the Jets.
Cruz, who has not played in a game since injuring a knee against Philadelphia in his sixth game in 2014, got through a week of practice without aggravating a groin injury that kept him out of preseason games against Miami and Buffalo.
Coach Ben McAdoo said he planned to use Cruz early in the game. McAdoo said Cruz got through a threehour practice on Wednesday in good shape.
“When he first got out here this week, he showed a burst and showed some acceleration, he can put his foot in the ground,” McAdoo said. “He had a really nice release on a slant, which reminded me of the Houston game a few years ago, so it is encouraging.”
In other Giants news, a Miami federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by lineman Jason
Pierre-Paul against ESPN regarding disclosure of his medical records from a 2015 fireworks accident that seriously injured his right hand. Pierre-Paul attorney John
Lukacs said judge Marcia Cooke issued her ruling after a hearing on ESPN’s motion to dismiss. The case is set for an August 2017 trial. . . . Jets right tackle Breno Giacomini is still dealing with a lower-back injury that could keep him out of the team’s regular-season opener — and perhaps longer.
Giacomini, entering his third season with the Jets, was injured during minicamp in June and has not practiced during training camp. Coach
Todd Bowles said that he has “no idea” when Giacomini, who is on the physically unable to perform list, might be ready to play.
Ben Ijalana and Brent Qvale have been splitting snaps at right tackle with the starting offense, but Bowles acknowledged that the Jets could also explore outside options.
Giacomini says he’s at about “80 percent speed” and is progressing. He insists he will play this season but is uncertain when he’ll be completely healthy.
Big names added
Hall of Fame quarterback and Broncos president John Elway, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians and former Giants coach
Tom Coughlin have been added to the NFL’s powerful competition committee, a person familiar with the appointments told The Associated Press.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher has left the committee, and the three new additions would bring the number to 11 members.
Other members are Falcons president Rich McKay, the chairman; Giants owner John Mara; Packers president Mark Murphy; Cowboys executive Stephen Jones; Texans general manager
Rick Smith; Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome; and coaches Marvin Lewis of Cincinnati and Mike Tomlin of Pittsburgh. . . .
Backers of a proposed NFL stadium said they’ve whittled their list to two sites just west of the Las Vegas Strip, and refuse to accept any less than $750 million in public funding toward the project, which they hope will soon be home to the Raiders.
The Raiders have made little progress securing a new stadium in the Oakland area and have committed to lining up $500 million toward building a new one in Las Vegas. Any team relocation needs the blessing of three-quarters of NFL owners, so developers are rushing to prepare their pitch by January, when the owners next meet.