Jeff Fisher said there were no excuses for the Rams" loss, but he found one anyway

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That was some 7-9 B.S.

Carlos Hyde rumbles, 49ers defense dominates Rams. The second game of the Monday night doubleheader was nothing to see ... unless you"re a 49ers fan. They pitched the only shutout of the week, embarrassing the Rams 28-0.

New city, same Rams. It"s year five for Jeff Fisher at the helm, and the Rams are still bad. They can"t get out of their way when it comes to penalties (10 last night), the offense is putrid and uninspired and the coach says there are "no excuses" in the same sentence he offers up an excuse.

The last team to get shutout in Week 1? The St. Louis Rams.

Blaine Gabbert had nearly as many rushing yards as Todd Gurley. On fewer carries too. At least the Rams had 431 yards of punting!

Rams sticking with Keenum. Jared Goff must be really bad if they"re not willing to try someone else after that performance.

Kevin Harlan had an amazing call on the man running on the field during Monday Night Football. A fan, possibly drunk, ran on the field during the 49ers-Rams season opener. Kevin Harlan offered up spectacular play-by-play.

Rams’ Aaron Donald ejected after scuffling with a 49er and making contact with a ref. It"s got to be frustrating being one of the game"s best players stuck on a team that is never going anywhere near the playoffs.

KAEPERNICK"S RESPONSE

Colin Kaepernick responds to Trent Dilfer comments. Trent Dilfer had pointed comments about Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the National Anthem. Kaepernick responded after the 49ers Week 1 win.

Colin Kaepernick’s protest is working. The ugly internet comments aside, a lot of people are actually thinking about what Kap is saying about how minorities are treated in America.

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STEELERS ROLL OVER WASHINGTON

Washington was a mess, and no match for the Steelers in 38-16 loss. Washington couldn’t get out of its own way, and the Steelers took advantage. For instance, Washington paid big money for Josh Norman, then let Antonio Brown demolish its second-best CB. Part of Washington"s problem was a schematic decision allowed Antonio Brown to feast on Bashaud Breeland while Josh Norman stood on the other side of the field.

Even Jay Gruden acknowledged that he got "outcoached." He added that there "could be merit" to the idea of letting Josh Norman cover a team"s best receiver. YA THINK???

Antonio Brown air thrusted 5 times, which was one too many to not get flagged. Five times was apparently too many.

Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered a knee injury. He says he"s fine, but Steelers fans are watching this situation nervously.

DeAngelo Williams is still a beast. The Steelers leaned on Williams for 26 carries and six receptions, and they got 143 rushing yards, two touchdowns and another 28 yards receiving. Not bad!

DISCIPLINE COMING FOR HEADSHOTS ON CAM

Roger Goodell acknowledged that the refs "missed at least one" illegal hit on Cam Newton. He added that discipline was coming. Oh, but he"s not willing to use replay to review head shots like that.

Panthers defend their handling of Cam Newton after repeated headshots. Of course they did.

FANTASY CORNER -- WAIVER WIRE

Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 quarterbacks to target for Week 2. Alex Smith would"ve given you a lot of points last week.

Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 running backs to look at for Week 2. The Ravens" backfield is still in committee mode, but Terrance West could be emerging as the guy.

Fantasy football waiver wire advice: Wide receiver rankings for Week 2. It"s never a bad idea to grab some receiver help.

Fantasy football waiver wire advice: Tight end rankings for Week 2. Disappointed in your tight end? Get a new one!

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The Saints have a long way to go and a short time to get there

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Drew Brees’ long-awaited contract extension is the first of many steps.

The New Orleans Saints have finally signed Drew Brees to a contract extension –– too bad they didn’t do it when there were still quality free agents available.

The deal is relatively team-friendly: it’s a five-year extension, but only guaranteed for two seasons. The Saints will pay Brees $ 44.25 million through 2017, including $ 24.25 million in new money. It’s a nice payday for the 37-year-old Brees and lowers his cap hit from a whopping $ 30 million down to $ 17.25 million.

But since the Saints didn’t sign Brees to a new contract until Wednesday –– just days before the two parties’ reported Week 1 deadline –– they were financially handicapped during the offseason. And for the second consecutive year, they spent the little money they did have on ancillary offensive pieces instead of addressing one of the worst defenses in the league.

Tight end Coby Fleener will probably post career numbers alongside Brees, after agreeing to a five-year, $ 36 million deal with the Saints in free agency. But New Orleans already had one of the most potent offenses in the NFL last season, finishing eighth in points scored and second in yards. That money would’ve been better spent on upgrading the second-worst pass defense in the league.

With limited funds, the only notable veterans who the Saints added to their defense were tackle Nick Fairley and linebacker James Laurinaitis. They spent three of their five draft picks on defensive players –– including highly touted Louisville DT Sheldon Rankins –– but it’s unrealistic to expect rookies to turn around this porous defense.

Even though Brees’ numbers are still awesome, the realistic window to win with him is diminishing. In order for the Saints to make the most of Brees’ final seasons, they must be one of the most aggressive and prudent front offices in the game over the next couple of years.

How much does Brees have left?

The numbers indicate that Brees isn’t close to being finished. He’s led the league in passing yards in four of the last five seasons, averaging 5,127 yards and 39 touchdowns per year during that time. But he battled injuries throughout the 2015 campaign.

Brees missed Week 3 with a shoulder injury after bruising his rotator cuff during the second game of the season. Though his play didn’t waiver once he returned –– Brees posted a 104.1 QB rating over his final 13 starts –– attention turned to his ailing foot in late December. The perennial Pro Bowler was diagnosed with torn plantar fascia Dec. 23, which he played through until the end of the season.

In isolation, those injuries aren’t a big deal. Brees has been remarkably durable during his career, playing in 15 or more games during all but one of his 15 seasons. But at 37 years old, the significance of each bruise is magnified.

Given that the Saints can void the final three years of the contract for no additional cost, it’s clear this isn’t a long-term play between the two sides. Brees can be expected to put up elite numbers for a couple of more seasons, but anything else should be considered gravy. The Saints must turn attention to their defense, which they’ve woefully ignored in recent years.

Focus on depth rather than stars

Unfortunately, teams that must win now can’t count on draft picks to make an immediate impact. That means the Saints may have no choice but to delve into the free agent market.

They know first-hand how reckless free agent spending sprees can be. Linebacker may be one of the worst singings in recent history, combining poor production with lousy leadership and a domestic violence charge. The Saints released him last summer on terrible terms.

Cornerback Jairus Byrd’s tenure in the Bayou State hasn’t been as colorful, but it’s been nearly as disappointing. He’s failed to live up to his six-year, $ 54 million contract and now holds a $ 10.9 million salary cap hit.

The Saints, who led the league in points allowed last season, have too many holes on defense to spend on just a couple of big-ticket names. They need to almost remake their defensive roster on the fly, which will require judicious spending and keen talent evaluation.

Instability is a reason for pessimism

While owner Tom Benson continues to be involved in a nasty lawsuit involving his daughter and her children over control of the team, general manager Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton appear to have autonomy. Despite two straight 7-9 finishes –– and only one playoff birth since his 2012 Bountygate suspension –– Payton agreed to a massive five-year, $ 45 million extension this offseason.

It’s fine that Payton is sticking around. He remains one of the more innovative offensive minds in the game and is the winningest head coach in franchise history, leading the Saints to their only Super Bowl title in 2009. But in order for New Orleans to return to the postseason, Payton needs worthy defensive-minded sidekick. Rob Ryan certainly didn’t fit that bill, and Dennis Allen’s resume of recent failings doesn’t suggest he is, either.

Over the last two years, Loomis has largely ignored defense to add Mark Ingram, C.J. Spiller and Fleener. Now that he has money to spend, there’s no guarantee his philosophy will shift without anybody steering him in a different direction.

Brees remains one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but the Saints’ recent run of futility shows he can’t lead them back to prominence alone. Time is running out for New Orleans to right the ship.

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There Are Some Seriously Good Players Available After Deadline Day

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The transfer window may have slammed shut at 11pm on Wednesday night, but that doesn’t mean clubs can’t add new faces to their squads.

It does mean that Chelsea can’t pay any more millions for overrated defenders though, so that’s nice, but clubs can scour the dozens of free agents who are currently without a club for reinforcements.

And there are some handy players without employers right now, for one reason or another.

Check them out:

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Mathieu Flamini

Since leaving Arsenal at the end of the season, Flamini hasn’t yet found a new club.

The experienced Frenchman could certainly still do a job at a decent level, with the newly promoted sides springing to mind.

Roma and Torino have been sniffing around him though, so it may not be long before the 32-year-old is back in action.

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Wes Brown

Alright, perhaps it’s no major surprise that Brown is without a club, seeing as he’s been awful for a few years now.

He’s 36, and is currently looking for just his third club in his 18 year career, after leaving Sunderland last year.

I doubt many English clubs will want to take a chance on him recapturing his glory days, but a move to the MLS would surely be a smart move for him.

Portland Timbers currently have Steven Taylor and Liam Ridgewell at the back, so there’s hope for Brown yet.

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Dimitar Berbatov

Without doubt the classiest player on this list, the Bulgarian striker has been without a club since leaving PAOK a few months back.

His work rate leaves a lot to be desired, and at 35 it’s highly likely that a lame goat could out sprint him, but he’s available if anyone wants him.

Egyptian side Al Ahli – who are managed by former Spurs boss Martin Jol – were interested in him, but Berbatov turned them down, leading them to signing Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan instead.

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Emmanuel Adebayor

Former Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester City striker Adebayor has been without a club since leaving Cystal Palace at the end of last season.

He scored one in nine for the Eagles, but Alan Pardew has strengthened his side with Christian Benteke and Loic Remy this summer, leaving Adebayor without a team.

In fairness, the Togo international doesn’t make it easy for himself to find a new club as he still demands big wages for a 32-year-old, but Fulham were interested on deadline day and could still move for him as he looks to complete his quest to play for every club in London.

Chelsea, it’s down to you.

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Marouane Chamakh

Another released by Palace, Chamakh is still training with the club as he looks for a new employer.

Not entirely sure who that’s going to be though, considering he failed to score in 12 games last season and looks as much use as a carpet fitter’s ladder.

Who knows, maybe someone will take a chance on everyone’s favourite Arsenal flop…barring Nicklas Bendtner.

Working hard, morning session done #sprintwork

A video posted by Joseenriquee3 (@joseenriquee3) on Aug 8, 2016 at 1:38am PDT

Jose Enrique

Since leaving Liverpool, no one has offered Enrique another chance.

He released a bizarre video in pre season of him running up and down a Spanish road, but it hasn’t yet convinced anyone to take him on.

Funny that.

A move back to Spain looks the most likely source of income for him, although the £70,000 a week deal he’s had at Liverpool for the last few years should see him through for a while longer.

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Miroslav Klose

Even though he’s now 38, the man who holds the record for the most World Cup goals scored managed to net seven times last season.

It wasn’t enough to persuade Lazio to extend his deal though, so he’s currently a free agent.

He has been linked with a move to Australia, and some of the big money leagues like the MLS or China may also be interested in another marquee name.

So there you go, if you’re short for five-a-side, try and give one of these lot a ring.

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Hue Jackson downplays Josh McCown trade rumors: ‘There is nothing to it’

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The Cleveland Browns aren’t ready to move quarterback Josh McCown, at least if coach Hue Jackson is to be believed.

“I have no thoughts, whatsoever,” Jackson said Thursday when asked for his thoughts on the rumors linking McCown to the Dallas Cowboys, via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. “You said it, it’s rumor. There is nothing to it as far as we’re concerned. I’ve heard about it, obviously I have, but I feel good that he’s here. He’s a Cleveland Brown and I know nothing else about the other part of it.”

Jackson thinks he would know if McCown were being pushed in trade talks.

“I would hope so,” Jackson said. “I would hope so. I would think I would know exactly what’s going on. I feel very good about where we are and what we’re doing, and right now, there’s nothing to report or talk about.”

McCown is said to be a top trade target for this team desperate for a backup. The Browns may just be playing hardball here, but it’s clear that there’s work to do to get a deal done.

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