The Bills got a revealing update from Spencer Brown, who said he pushed through back pain by taking what he described as a copious amount of drugs, with the NFL signing off on it. Brown said the issue started after the LA game, where he got nicked up, and that he used the treatment to get through the Vegas game before the bye week made things flare up again.
“Just lingering stuff from what’s happened to me the last couple weeks here. And what happened in that LA game just kind of got nicked up and then I took enough drugs to sedate a small elephant when I was in LA,” Brown said, via NBC Sports.
“Everybody’s laughing. It’s protocol.
NFL signed off on it, so it’s OK,” Brown continued. “But yeah, just took care of the body the best way I knew how and got through the Vegas game and played pretty well and got on the bye week and kind of bit me in the butt a little bit.
So, just taking it easy and smart. I do pride myself on being ready every single day.
When I’m out there, I’m out there. There’s not going to be any, ‘He’s nicked up, he’s got this going on, that’s why he’s not playing very well.’
That’s not me at all. If I’m out there in between the lines, I’m good enough to go.”
In Miami, Jeff Hafley said the Dolphins are still moving forward even after letting a lead slip away in their loss to the Patriots last week. He pointed to the game as a lesson in finishing off opponents, especially against experienced teams that know how to hang around.
“Those are the opportunities where you’ve got to learn to put people away,” Hafley said, via ESPN. “When you let really good teams that have experience and have been through big games, when you let them hang around, that’s what happens.
And it’s the first time we’ve been in that situation. So I need to do a really good job of using this as a teaching moment.
As hard as it feels, and as much as it hurts, you’ve got to learn from wins and you’ve got to learn from losses, and we have to grow from that.”
Aaron Glenn, meanwhile, kept the focus on the Jets’ weekly improvement while brushing aside questions about his job security. He said his attention stays on getting the team better, especially in the passing game, and noted that there are still nine games left.
“There’s so much that I think about when it comes to us improving each week that it really doesn’t come across my mind, to be honest with you,” Glenn said, via ESPN. “I understand how this league is, I understand what this business is about, but my first job is each week improving this team and that’s the only thing that I think about.”
“Absolutely. I mean, that’s what this is,” Glenn continued. “It’s a bottom-line business and we have to win, but we still have nine games left, so we still have an opportunity to win nine games.”
In Other News...
Dolphins Trade Deadline Could Force Painful Decisions In Lost Season
With the Dolphins sitting at 1-6, the trade deadline is starting to look less like a chance to patch a playoff run and more like an opportunity to take stock of a season that has already gone sideways. First-year general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan is expected to be active, and the kind of moves under consideration point toward a front office weighing present pain against future flexibility by dealing veterans on expiring contracts for draft capital.
Among the names drawing attention are Jordyn Brooks, Zach Sieler, Austin Jackson, Jaylen Wright and Josh Uche, a group that reflects both the roster's age curve and the reality of where Miami stands right now. The running back situation only adds to the pressure, with the team already thin there after De'Von Achane's season-ending knee injury, making every deadline decision feel like it could reshape more than just the rest of this year. [Read more 🡒]
Lamar Jackson Trade Buzz Reignites A Big Ravens Question
Lamar Jacksons thumb injury only added another layer to the chatter around a quarterback who never seems far from the center of the NFL conversation. Michael Irvin stirred the pot by suggesting Jackson could become an international icon if he landed with the Dolphins, a take that drew plenty of pushback from fans but also underscored how quickly Miami can become part of any big-name quarterback discussion.
For now, the more important detail is what Baltimore believes. Ian Rapoport reported that the Ravens still see Jackson as their franchise quarterback and plan to pick up extension talks again in the offseason, even if the possibility of a trade would have to be considered if no deal gets done. For Dolphins fans, it is the kind of rumor that keeps the imagination running, even if the real decision still sits in Baltimore. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Still Havent Unlocked The Malik Willis Version They Need
The quarterback injuries around the league have only sharpened the focus on Miamis own situation, where Malik Willis remains a work in progress behind a line that has not made life easy for him. Around the NFL, Baltimore had to turn to rookie Joe Fagnano after injuries to Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley, while Philadelphia has been leaning on Tanner McKee as Jalen Hurts deals with medical issues. Those situations are reminders of how quickly depth charts can change, and why the Dolphins are trying to get more out of Willis while the season keeps moving.
For Miami, the challenge is not simply keeping Willis upright, but finding a way to use what he does best in a system that has not fully clicked yet. The Dolphins have been working to better tailor his usage to his skill set, but the results have been uneven and the offense still looks like it is searching for the right balance. Until that happens, the conversation around Willis will keep coming back to the same question: how much more can Miami unlock before the pressure around him starts to define the rest of the year? [Read more 🡒]