LAS VEGAS -- The Las Vegas Raiders have a versatile, experienced running back in Ameer Abdullah.
The veteran is one of the biggest voices in the locker room and the leader of the running back corps. Abdullah recently spoke ahead of a Week 14 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and we have the entire video right here:
Below is a partial transcript from interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner's latest presser:
Q: How important is patience then from an organization, a coaching staff, to understand that there will be that learning curve, and it feels like they shuffle through quarterbacks all the time?
Coach Turner: "Yeah, I think so. I think just understanding that every case is different. Some guys are going to come in, and because of maybe the team around them or just how they're wired, they're going to catch fire. And then there's some other guys that maybe not and it takes them a little longer. And then there's some guys that you can just tell that's probably not for them. And I think, like I said, I think you just have to be honest with your evaluation, and then you’ve got to be willing to kind of change that evaluation as you get more information."
Q: Yesterday we talked to Aidan O'Connell, he spoke about how comfortable and how confiden t he was in you. Can you speak about your confidence in Aidan?
Coach Turner: "Yeah, he's a really smart, focused individual. He makes decisions on time, and for the most part they’re the right decisions. No one's going to be 100%, but I always tell him if the ball is coming out of your hand, then I'm not going to be mad at you. I might coach you up on a different look, but there's always really good communication. He's not afraid to tell me how he feels about a call or a certain way we're doing a play. And then I'll give it right back to him, whether I agree with him or I'll maybe explain to him why we have it a certain way, and then he'll get it. But he loves football, he's all in on it, and I think the more he plays, the more he'll continue to grow. But I wanted to give him a chance to make plays on Friday night, and he did. It was fun to see, obviously not the result we wanted, but there was a lot of really good things that our guys did. I was proud of them."
Q: When you look at the Tampa Bay defense, the head of the snake has kind of been Lavonte David, who has been there for awhile. Can you just talk about why he's been successful in the league for so long? And also, do you believe that the Tampa Bay defense in general really resembles kind of what he brings the field?
Coach Turner: "Yeah, Lavonte David, we've had some matchups with him in the past, different places that I've been. I really got a lot of respect for him as a player, both just the mental side of it, his football knowledge and then just him as an athlete. He's a good tackler, he's been really good in coverage throughout his career. He's just a really, really good player. And then he's got the big guy in front of him that makes it tough. And they’ve got a good defense. Coach Todd Bowles is someone that I've coached against in the past, and he really does a good job of keeping you off balance and bringing different looks. But no, I mentioned Vita Vea and then Lavonte, I mean those are two guys that have been there a decent amount of time and two tough players to go against."
Q: The run game is a function of all 11 guys, but what has Sincere McCormick kind of brought to the run game that kind of jump started things?
Coach Turner: "He's really done a nice job of, I talked about the quarterback, like the quarterbacks, obviously the key decision maker everyone talks about, but like the running back is also a decision maker, because he decides where we're going to run the ball. Obviously we have a plan, but they’ve got to use their vision, and he's done a really nice job. Ameer [Abdullah] as well ran the ball very well. But Sincere [McCormick] has been decisive, he's gotten the ball where it's supposed to be for the most part, and then he's done a really good job of not letting that first guy tackle him. And that might only be a five-yard gain, but if that first guy hit you at two and we get five, now it's second and five, and that makes a big difference for the whole offense. And he's done a nice job of getting those 11-yard gains him and Ameer both, where it's like now you're getting a first down and getting to first and 10 is huge."
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Brian Robinson‘s tenure with the Washington Commanders is coming to an end as expected. The fourth-year running back will spend the coming season in San Francisco. The San Francisco 49ers and Commanders agreed to terms on a Robinson trade Friday, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. A 2026 sixth-round pick will head the other way as a result of the swap. San Francisco had been in the market for a backfield addition, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Efforts to pull off a move have now paid off ahead of roster cutdowns. Washington will retain a portion of Robinson’s 2025 salary ($3.4M), Garafolo adds. It recently became clear Washington was looking to move on from Robinson, who did not dress in the team’s second preseason game, with a trade looming. The team’s Dan Quinn-Adam Peters regime has been open to a trade since last year, and with a swap now agreed to it will proceed with its other in-house RB options. Washington has veteran Austin Ekeler in the fold along with 2023 draftee Chris Rodriguez and seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who has enjoyed a strong training camp. Quarterback Jayden Daniels led the Commanders in rushing last year, and today’s deal indicates he will once again be counted on as a central element of the team’s ground game. Expectations are high after Washington made a surprise run to the NFC title game during Daniels’ rookie campaign. Robinson will not play a role in the team’s efforts to duplicate that success, though. Racking up 570 carries across his three seasons in the nation’s capital, Robinson was a key figure on offense with the Commanders. The former third-rounder saw his touchdown total and yards per attempt figure increase with each passing campaign. That included eight scores and 4.3 yards per carry in 2024. Instead of retaining Robinson on the final year of his rookie pact, however, Washington will proceed with a less expensive backfield. The Commanders will recoup draft capital in this swap, something which is needed given the number of veterans on their roster. For the 49ers, meanwhile, today’s deal marks another addition on offense for the 2025 season. A trade was worked out on Wednesday for Skyy Moore, giving San Francisco a healthy receiver option. Moore, like Robinson, is a pending 2026 free agent. The 49ers have Christian McCaffrey atop the RB depth chart, and all parties involved will aim for a healthier season this time around than 2024. After trading away Jordan Mason, the team was in position to have 2024 fourth-rounder Isaac Guerendo handle backup duties. Now, he and Robinson will compete for playing time in the backfield (although using McCaffrey and Robinson on the field together could be an option, per Garafolo). Robinson’s market will of course be dictated in large part by the level of success he has with his new team. San Francisco entered Friday with nearly $49M in cap space. Taking on Robinson will eat into the figure, and it will be interesting to see how much Washington retained on his pact to finalize the trade. The Commanders, meanwhile, should see partial cap savings and thus add to their roughly $17M in available funds ahead of cutdowns. As both NFC teams prepare for the campaign in the coming days, they will do so with differences in their backfields.
Saturday was not a good day for Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders, two players competing for a spot on the 53-man roster of their respective teams, the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hours after Shedeur took more sacks (five) than completions (three) and had a heated moment with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, Shilo was ejected from the Buccaneers' preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. "Bucs S Shilo Sanders has been ejected from tonight's game following an unnecessary roughness penalty," Scott Smith of the Buccaneers posted on X. Shilo appeared to take exception to Zach Davidson hitting and blocking him after a play had ended before the rookie took a swing at the Bills' tight end. The ejection came at a bad time for Shilo, who was competing with Kaevon Merriweather and Rashad Wisdom for the No. 4 safety spot on the depth chart. Before the game, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that Shilo's output against the Bills would be big in his evaluation before the team has to trim the roster to 53 players by Tuesday. "Shilo's very aggressive, very young, very hungry," Bowles said. "He can make plays in the box and we know he can run down and give us 100% on special teams, so this last week is going to be very important for those guys to show up." Following the ejection, Shilo lost critical playing time to show his strengths on the field. He also showed the coaching staff a short temper and cost Tampa Bay with an unnecessary penalty. Shilo will end his preseason with four total tackles. He has shown he has the talent to be in the league, but Shilo's role will likely be as a practice squad player until his play and mental strength develop.
Former punter Pat McAfee is receiving an honor that is rare for a special teams member. On Friday, West Virginia announced that McAfee was one of six players entering the program's Hall of Fame for the 2025 class. McAfee is thankful for the recognition from his former school. He used some strong language to react to WVU's reveal. "It was nice to have an opportunity to think back and reminisce about a great era of my life," McAfee posted on X. "I am so thankful for the recognition. This is normally something I would try and f------ hate.. I’d say that it’s b------- and they feel obligated to do this but; this call made my soul feel good. Thanks for the opportunity to be a Mountaineer @RealCoachRod.. it was an honor." McAfee was a highly productive specialist at West Virginia, earning First-team All-American honors in 2008. During his time with the Mountaineers, he set the school record for most games played (51), scoring (384) and extra points made (210). He held the Big East record for most extra points made, when he made 210 of 212 attempts. McAfee's success at West Virginia propelled the Indianapolis Colts to select him in the seventh round of the 2009 draft. He earned All-Pro honors in 2014 and made the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2016. He has the highest career net average in punting years with 41.1. McAfee should be proud of his achievements during his days in college and the legacy he is building with the program. The ESPN pundit even used his influence to speak with WVU athletic director Wren Baker to help with the coaching search that ultimately brought back Rich Rodriguez to the school.
With Mitch Trubisky and Mike White seemingly a step ahead in the battle for the Buffalo Bills' backup quarterback role, Shane Buechele was somewhat of an afterthought when looking at the big picture. Being a roster longshot wasn't nearly enough to deter Buechele from letting it rip during the Bills' final preseason game on Saturday night in Tampa. The native Texan earned the starting nod against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he proceeded to quarterback Buffalo to a wire-to-wire exhibition win. “It's my first time ever playing a full game in the NFL, and it was a lot of fun, man. I just thank God for the opportunity," said Buechele. The 27-year-old Buechele went 25-of-30 passing for 278 yards and one touchdown in the 23-19 victory over the Buccaneers. Two of his five incompletions could be considered drops by the intended receiver. He also rushed for 20 yards on five carries. “Great to have Shane out there. I thought he had great command of the game. We moved the ball down the field, and we were able to score points, control clock, play good situational football," said Bills' head coach Sean McDermott. While Buechele has yet to take a regular season snap, he's been in the NFL since signing with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2021. He was on the Chiefs' roster throughout their 2022 Super Bowl season, but was inactive on gamedays. Buechele joined the Bills' practice squad after being released by the Chiefs prior to the 2023 regular season. He suffered an injury last summer, landing on season-ending Injured Reserve. Fighting to remain a member of the Bills' QB room for a third year, Buechele appears in all three preseason games. His 380 yards passing ranked third overall amongst AFC leaders this summer. More Buffalo Bills News: Sean McDermott changes Bills' preseason protocol for 'reigning MVP' Josh Allen Bills' GM offers cautiously worded Tre'Davious White injury update Bills waive rookie safety, sign undrafted CB who was cut by Packers last week Bobby Babich reveals secret that's kept Bills' veterans on roster for so long Bills' QB Josh Allen and familiar free-agent WR 'haven't stopped being in contact'