mercurynews--2020-10-26--What the 49ers’ Shanahan, Garoppolo are saying after dominant win over the Patriots

The 49ers crushed the Patriots Sunday afternoon , controlling the game on both sides of the ball and forcing Bill Belichick to bench former MVP quarterback Cam Newton .
Kyle Shanahan ’ s offense allowed the 49ers ( 4-3 ) to work the edges of the Patriots defense , stretching the field horizontally with outside runs and quick passes that resulted a time-of-possession ratio of nearly 2-to-1 .
Fourth-string running back Jeff Wilson set a career high in rushing yards and scored three touchdowns before suffering an ankle injury .
Jimmy Garoppolo , in his return to New England , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those incompletions were interceptions — one on an end-of-half Hail Mary .
CLICK HERE if you ’ re having a problem viewing the photos on a mobile device .
Here ’ s what the 49ers had to say about their win : On Fred Warner ’ s interception : It was a very impressive catch .
Any time the ball is low like that and you get fingers under it and not trapping it , it was a heck of a deal , a very impressive play .
The D played unbelievable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : It was an extremely physical game by our team in all three phases .
It was fun to watch .
On the team ’ s identity in its last two wins : How it ’ s been the last two weeks is how we ’ d hope every week is , obviously .
But when you play defense the way our guys have been playing , to run the way we have been , and just how physical all our guys have been playing … Every play , it seems like the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m just very impressed with the character of our guys individually , which adds up collectively .
On defensive backups playing well : Extremely impressed .
Both those safeties to come in and have the game they did , and Jamar Taylor who wasn ’ t here until a couple weeks ago … since he ’ s come in , he ’ s played unbelievable .
On Jeff Wilson ’ s ankle injury : I know he ’ s hurting .
Hopefully we ’ ll get better news tomorrow but it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Deebo Samuel ’ s injury : Those ( hamstring injuries ) take time .
Hopefully the severity won ’ t be too bad and he won ’ t miss too much time .
On facing the Patriots : Going against a good defense is always a challenge and I always enjoy going against Bill and his team .
Anytime you play well against a team coached by him , it means a lot .
On his running backs : We knew on Monday if Jeff was healthy , he ’ d be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until he got a lot of practice on Thursday .
Otherwise we would have gone with Hasty .
We were able to rest Jet , play him only on third down and that will help him going forward .
On Kyle Juszczyk : He made some huge blocks like he always does .
Kyle is the best fullback in the game .
He ’ s been huge for our team since he ’ s been here .
One of the best leaders and best blockers .
On returning to New England : Yeah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Just a lot of emotions , a lot of memories .
Especially coming back here , seeing the same stadium , hearing the same songs they used to play , a lot of memories came back .
A lot of emotions out there .
But it was a fun night .
On finishing off games with the lead : That ’ s always in our mindset , especially offensively .
When we got them down , we got to keep them down , don ’ t want to give them any chance to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tonight .
The O-line set the tempo up front .
The backs ran hard .
Started from the first snap and carried its way throughout the whole game .
On the Patriots defense : They were mixing it up a lot .
They mixed in the zone , they mixed in the man , gave us some different fronts we weren ’ t expecting .
I thought our guys handled it really well .
The coaches on the sideline , the adjustments we had to make , whatever it was , the communication @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it transferred down the field .
It showed .
On the 49ers defense : Yeah , that group , you can ’ t say enough about them .
It starts with the D-line .
Those guys get after the quarterback , especially when we get them a little lead like that .
Just let the dogs loose .
It just carries out .
Guys making plays .
Four turnovers today .
Whenever you can do something like that as a defense , it helps the whole team .
I think we played great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a great recipe for a win .
On delivering Belichick his biggest home loss in New England : It really was never in my mind .
I obviously wanted to come here and get a win .
To me it didn ’ t matter if we won by 1 or 100 .
It was go and get the win .
That was the mindset we had this week .
Same mindset we had last week .
Just got to keep that mindset the rest of the season .
How the team feels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re in a good spot right now .
We ’ re playing well , all three phases .
We ’ re playing together .
I think it ’ s just a mindset that we have as a group .
You could feel it , felt it in the locker room today from the guys , felt it all week in practice .
It ’ s a good feeling when you ’ re in that groove .
We just got to keep this thing going , keep stacking ‘ em .
On his missing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chain to the running backs .
Those guys earned it tonight .
All of them .
They were playing their ass off , running hard , getting those extra dirty yards .
Kind of the staple of our team .
It was an exciting night , a lot of emotions .
Couldn ’ t imagine it going any better than this .
On Hroniss Grasu ’ s second start of the year : Hroniss did a great job .
He really did .
Like I said before , they gave us some looks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , expecting .
The communication between all those guys up front with the tight ends getting it all figured out .
Thought he did a great job .
When those guys play that well up front , it sets the tone for everyone offensively and defensively for the rest of the game .
That ’ s where it starts .
That ’ s our team .
On the 49ers ’ offense : We have complex offense so we ’ re figuring stuff out and learning how to play together .
This was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s another step On Kyle Shanahan : He was on a hot streak tonight , calling play after play after play that they couldn ’ t stop .
I love seeing that and being a part of that .
On National Tight End Day : National Tight End Day is good for the Niners because our whole team embodies it : have fun , play fast , be physical .
On Jeff Wilson : Jeff Wilson goes to a dark place before every game .
It ’ s different than it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s angry .
He attacks it .
He wants contact , he delivers contact .
It ’ s crazy .
On what he means by a dark place : Football is a violent sport and if you don ’ t kind of go to that dark place and be violent and be physical , you ’ re not gon na last very long .
Coach Shanahan always talks about you know kind of find a dark place .
I ’ ll never forget the first person I saw like go into a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mindset when he went into a game , it was incredible .
He ’ d punch himself in the head after first downs and stuff .
That was the first look I got .
The longer I ’ ve been here and the more Kyle has talked about it , everybody kind of goes in that dark place .
It ’ s a violent game .
It ’ s fun to be a part of a team with a bunch of psychopaths , because I fit in really well here .
On defensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all that noise outside the building is irrelevant .
We know what we ’ re capable of and we ’ ll work every week to get better .
On how they ’ re doing it : Obviously it starts with Saleh ’ s play calls and how he and coaches get us ready .
You have to give credit to guys stepping up .
They play big roles and ball out .
Guys who ’ ve still been in the lineup , we take great pride being out there .
On rebounding since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve talked about it a little bit .
We needed that wake-up call to spark a fire underneath us .
That wasn ’ t who we were .
We ’ ve put back-to-back performances with dominant defense .
We have to stay humble and put our nose to the grindstone .
On 49ers offense : We ’ re on the sideline and you ’ ve got guys like Jeff Wilson with his mindset and the way he runs .
We ’ ve got the best back in the league and we use all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t get talked about enough .
As a defense we feed off that so we get extra rest .
On his interception : We just came out and they ran a drift by the receiver .
It turned to an over route .
Cam made a bad throw where I obviously came up with it .
That ’ s a total defensive effort .
The entire team as a whole getting turnovers was huge for us today .
On 49ers being psychopaths , as Kittle said : “ Psychopaths ” is a great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something off .
Kyle says when you have something off and impose your will on your opponent , you see the result .
On the game : We were clearly out-coached , outplayed .
Just out-everything .
So we need to just keep working here and find a way to just do everything better .
We ’ re just not performing at a good level right now in any area .
So that ’ s across the board .
We just got to get back to work and keep working and find a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tonight and coach better than we coached tonight .
So really there ’ s not much else to say about it .
The 49ers are a good team .
Kyle did a good job , like he always does .
And but we just , we just didn ’ t do enough and look at what the results were .
Asked for his assessment of the game : I just did that .
I think I just assessed that .
We got better last week .
We needed to get back on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We improved in some areas .
It didn ’ t show up on the score .
We still have a lot of work to do , but some of the things that we worked on were better .
But we ’ re still a long way from where we need to be .
That ’ s obvious .
On planning to play Cam Newton : Yeah , absolutely .
Just wanted to give Stid [ Jarrett Stidham ] a little experience here .
On disappointment in the offense : Yeah , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I said that we didn ’ t perform well enough in any area , offense , defense , special teams , running , passing , defending the run , defend being the pass , ball security , tackling , blocking , none of it was good enough .
Maybe I left something out , but we just got to do a better job all the way across the board .
I don ’ t think everything was bad , but there was enough bad for the results to be bad , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On whether he ’ s surprised : I don ’ t know .
On Cam Newton ’ s struggles : I think I already covered that .
I think we need to do better job in all areas .
I don ’ t think there ’ s anything you could say that we don ’ t need work on .
So they all work together .
Obviously we weren ’ t good on third down on either side of the ball .
We weren ’ t good in the red area .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t , weren ’ t able to capitalize on .
We turned the ball over .
One takeaway , basically .
So we just , just need to be better everywhere .
On his team ’ s effort level : I thought we competed hard .
We just didn ’ t do things well enough .
On defensive breakdowns : As I ’ ve already said several times , that was a part of it , for sure .
Fundamentals , some scheme , coaching , playing .
Everybody contributed to it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Very disappointing , but we just got to be better .
On if he ’ s physically OK : Yes , sir .
On his mindset : I can ’ t allow myself to feel sorry for myself .
I know what the issue is and you just have to attack it and do better .
Summing up what went wrong : I can ’ t speak for everybody .
I just stick to the man in the mirror and I wasn ’ t good enough .
I didn ’ t — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I put this team in a position to compete , and that ’ s inexcusable .
This is the National Football League where a lot is put on the quarterback and I have to deliver and I haven ’ t done that .
Quite frankly , it ’ s evident .
So here moving forward I know what the issue is , like I just said , and I just have to be better .
On getting through rough times with the offense as a quarterback : It ’ s a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to point fingers at nobody else being the fact that I just didn ’ t get the job done .
And when you have a performance like that going against a team like this , what happened tonight will happen again .
So like I said , it ’ s a distasteful taste and feeling , but yet here moving forward you just got to get on a roll .
We just got to get one .
Once that happens — we just got to start with tomorrow , come back , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t put too much into understanding life ’ s lesson .
So with that being said , I understand what ’ s expected , and only thing that I can control is putting a good body of practice in a week and put myself in the best situation .
On confidence he is “ the guy ” : Without a doubt .
On his interception thrown to Warner : That ’ s sad when you have to think about it .
Yeah , I just lost him .
I lost him and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much .
I should have just threw it away , got down .
The decision-making is inexcusable and I think that ’ s the most frustrating thing , being that once you pride yourself on certain things , that — facing — and you ’ re doing or doing things that you ’ re doing , it even makes matters worse .
So the point of emphasis all year has been protecting the football and you know you have to protect the football .
And when you do not protect the football , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question a lot of things .
But yet at the end of the day , we ’ re just going to come back to the drawing board starting tomorrow and I have full faith in the coaching staff and to be prepared .
So it ’ s just about player production .
On the health of his right shoulder : It ’ s fine .
On his mechanics : Well , I ’ ve just been pressing .
I don ’ t think it ’ s anything with mechanics .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caught myself just pressing too much .
The energy is definitely been off for me and at times it ’ s not rewarding when you ’ re just going out there with this aura about yourself that ’ s not you .
I love playing this football game .
I have fun playing this football game , but the performances here hasn ’ t been somewhat delightful for me to have fun in doing so .
So I just got to be better .
And a lot of things starts and stops at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And I have put this team in a rut with the performances here , and yet just start over with Monday and see where it goes .

The 49ers crushed the Patriots Sunday afternoon, controlling the game on both sides of the ball and forcing Bill Belichick to bench former MVP quarterback Cam Newton.
Kyle Shanahan’s offense allowed the 49ers (4-3) to work the edges of the Patriots defense, stretching the field horizontally with outside runs and quick passes that resulted a time-of-possession ratio of nearly 2-to-1.
Fourth-string running back Jeff Wilson set a career high in rushing yards and scored three touchdowns before suffering an ankle injury. Jimmy Garoppolo, in his return to New England, completed 20 of 25 attempts but two of those incompletions were interceptions — one on an end-of-half Hail Mary.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, center, watches from the sideline in the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Lawrence Guy #93 of the New England Patriots tackles Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson #30 of the San Francisco 49ers dives with the ball during a game against the New England Patriots on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Brandon Aiyuk #11 of the San Francisco 49ers is tackled by Jonathan Jones #31 and Devin McCourty #32 of the New England Patriots during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after defeating the New England Patriots 33-6 in their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - OCTOBER 25: Kyle Juszczyk #44 of the San Francisco 49ers is tackled by members of the New England Patriots in the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers hands the ball off to Jeff Wilson Jr. #30 during their NFL game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Cam Newton #1 of the New England Patriots looks to pass against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson Jr. #30 of the San Francisco 49ers grabs his left leg after scoring on a seven-yard touchdown against the New England Patriots in the third quarter of their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) eludes New England Patriots defensive back J.C. Jackson (27) after catching a pass in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Lawrence Guy #93 of the New England Patriots tackles Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson #30 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball during a game against the New England Patriots on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - OCTOBER 25: Fred Warner #54 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with teammates after an interception against the New England Patriots in the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo passes against the New England Patriots in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson Jr. #30 of the San Francisco 49ers runs for a seven-yard touchdown against the New England Patriots in the third quarter of their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers is tackled with the ball during a game against the New England Patriots on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson Jr. #30 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates his 16-yard touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second quarter of their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jakob Johnson #47 of the New England Patriots fumbles against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - OCTOBER 25: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers escapes the tackle of Ja'Whaun Bentley #51 of the New England Patriots in the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson Jr. #30 of the San Francisco 49ers runs for a seven-yard touchdown against the New England Patriots in the third quarter of their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Kyle Juszczyk #44 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes with the ball for a four-yard touchdown against the New England Patriots during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - OCTOBER 25: Gunner Olszewski #80 of the New England Patriots is tackled by Joe Walker #59 of the San Francisco 49ers in the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson Jr. #30 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes with the ball against the New England Patriots during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo passes against the New England Patriots in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jakob Johnson #47 of the New England Patriots fumbles the ball as he is hit by Azeez Al-Shaair #51 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers dives with the ball during a game against the New England Patriots on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - OCTOBER 25: Fred Warner #54 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after an interception against the New England Patriots in the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, rear, passes under pressure from San Francisco 49ers defenders Fred Warner (54) and Kerry Hyder Jr. (92) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. gains yardage against the New England Patriots in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Kendrick Bourne #84 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after a touchdown during a game against the New England Patriots on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo passes against the New England Patriots in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson #30 of the San Francisco 49ers scores a touchdown in the third quarter of a game against the New England Patriots on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
New England Patriots linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley (51) tackles San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (30) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (30) walks off the field after an injury while scoring a touchdown in the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson #30 of the San Francisco 49ers is tackled during a game against the San Francisco 49ers on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr., left, celebrates his touchdown with George Kittle, right, in the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
CLICK HERE if you’re having a problem viewing the photos on a mobile device.
Here’s what the 49ers had to say about their win:
Head coach Kyle Shanahan
On Fred Warner’s interception: It was a very impressive catch. Any time the ball is low like that and you get fingers under it and not trapping it, it was a heck of a deal, a very impressive play. The D played unbelievable the whole day.
On the defense: It was an extremely physical game by our team in all three phases. It was fun to watch.
On the team’s identity in its last two wins: How it’s been the last two weeks is how we’d hope every week is, obviously. But when you play defense the way our guys have been playing, to run the way we have been, and just how physical all our guys have been playing … Every play, it seems like the last play for our guys. I’m just very impressed with the character of our guys individually, which adds up collectively.
On defensive backups playing well: Extremely impressed. Both those safeties to come in and have the game they did, and Jamar Taylor who wasn’t here until a couple weeks ago … since he’s come in, he’s played unbelievable.
On Jeff Wilson’s ankle injury: I know he’s hurting. Hopefully we’ll get better news tomorrow but it’s not looking great right now.
On Deebo Samuel’s injury: Those (hamstring injuries) take time. Hopefully the severity won’t be too bad and he won’t miss too much time.
On facing the Patriots: Going against a good defense is always a challenge and I always enjoy going against Bill and his team. Anytime you play well against a team coached by him, it means a lot.
On his running backs: We knew on Monday if Jeff was healthy, he’d be starting. We weren’t sure until he got a lot of practice on Thursday. Otherwise we would have gone with Hasty. We were able to rest Jet, play him only on third down and that will help him going forward.
On Kyle Juszczyk: He made some huge blocks like he always does. Kyle is the best fullback in the game. He’s been huge for our team since he’s been here. One of the best leaders and best blockers.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo
On returning to New England: Yeah, it was a cool week. Just a lot of emotions, a lot of memories. Especially coming back here, seeing the same stadium, hearing the same songs they used to play, a lot of memories came back. A lot of emotions out there. But it was a fun night.
On finishing off games with the lead: That’s always in our mindset, especially offensively. When we got them down, we got to keep them down, don’t want to give them any chance to breathe. I thought we did that tonight.
The O-line set the tempo up front. The backs ran hard. Started from the first snap and carried its way throughout the whole game.
On the Patriots defense: They were mixing it up a lot. They mixed in the zone, they mixed in the man, gave us some different fronts we weren’t expecting. I thought our guys handled it really well. The coaches on the sideline, the adjustments we had to make, whatever it was, the communication was real clean tonight. I think it transferred down the field. It showed.
On the 49ers defense: Yeah, that group, you can’t say enough about them. It starts with the D-line. Those guys get after the quarterback, especially when we get them a little lead like that. Just let the dogs loose. It just carries out. Guys making plays. Four turnovers today. Whenever you can do something like that as a defense, it helps the whole team. I think we played great complementary football. Yeah, that’s a great recipe for a win.
On delivering Belichick his biggest home loss in New England: It really was never in my mind. I obviously wanted to come here and get a win. To me it didn’t matter if we won by 1 or 100. It was go and get the win. That was the mindset we had this week. Same mindset we had last week. Just got to keep that mindset the rest of the season.
How the team feels looking forward to Seattle: We’re in a good spot right now. We’re playing well, all three phases. We’re playing together. I think it’s just a mindset that we have as a group. You could feel it, felt it in the locker room today from the guys, felt it all week in practice.
It’s a good feeling when you’re in that groove. We just got to keep this thing going, keep stacking ‘em.
On his missing victory chain: I gave the victory chain to the running backs. Those guys earned it tonight. All of them. They were playing their ass off, running hard, getting those extra dirty yards. Kind of the staple of our team.
It was an exciting night, a lot of emotions. Couldn’t imagine it going any better than this.
On Hroniss Grasu’s second start of the year: Hroniss did a great job. He really did. Like I said before, they gave us some looks we weren’t really planning for, expecting. The communication between all those guys up front with the tight ends getting it all figured out.
Thought he did a great job. When those guys play that well up front, it sets the tone for everyone offensively and defensively for the rest of the game.
That’s where it starts. That’s our team.
Tight end George Kittle
On the 49ers’ offense: We have complex offense so we’re figuring stuff out and learning how to play together. This was a step in the right direction and tomorrow’s another step
On Kyle Shanahan: He was on a hot streak tonight, calling play after play after play that they couldn’t stop. I love seeing that and being a part of that.
On National Tight End Day: National Tight End Day is good for the Niners because our whole team embodies it: have fun, play fast, be physical.
On Jeff Wilson: Jeff Wilson goes to a dark place before every game. It’s different than it is in practice, You can tell he’s angry. He attacks it. He wants contact, he delivers contact. It’s crazy.
On what he means by a dark place: Football is a violent sport and if you don’t kind of go to that dark place and be violent and be physical, you’re not gonna last very long. Coach Shanahan always talks about you know kind of find a dark place. I’ll never forget the first person I saw like go into a dark place, Pierre Garcon; his mindset when he went into a game, it was incredible. He’d punch himself in the head after first downs and stuff. That was the first look I got. The longer I’ve been here and the more Kyle has talked about it, everybody kind of goes in that dark place. It’s a violent game. It’s fun to be a part of a team with a bunch of psychopaths, because I fit in really well here.
Linebacker Fred Warner
On defensive disrespect because of injuries: I feel all that noise outside the building is irrelevant. We know what we’re capable of and we’ll work every week to get better.
On how they’re doing it: Obviously it starts with Saleh’s play calls and how he and coaches get us ready. You have to give credit to guys stepping up. They play big roles and ball out. Guys who’ve still been in the lineup, we take great pride being out there.
On rebounding since the loss to Miami: We’ve talked about it a little bit. We needed that wake-up call to spark a fire underneath us. That wasn’t who we were. We’ve put back-to-back performances with dominant defense. We have to stay humble and put our nose to the grindstone.
On 49ers offense: We’re on the sideline and you’ve got guys like Jeff Wilson with his mindset and the way he runs. We’ve got the best back in the league and we use all of them. That O-line doesn’t get talked about enough. As a defense we feed off that so we get extra rest.
On his interception: We just came out and they ran a drift by the receiver. It turned to an over route. Cam made a bad throw where I obviously came up with it. That’s a total defensive effort.
The entire team as a whole getting turnovers was huge for us today.
On 49ers being psychopaths, as Kittle said: “Psychopaths” is a great word to use. We all have something off. Kyle says when you have something off and impose your will on your opponent, you see the result.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick
On the game: We were clearly out-coached, outplayed. Just out-everything. So we need to just keep working here and find a way to just do everything better. We’re just not performing at a good level right now in any area. So that’s across the board. We just got to get back to work and keep working and find a way to play better than we played tonight and coach better than we coached tonight. So really there’s not much else to say about it. The 49ers are a good team. Kyle did a good job, like he always does. And but we just, we just didn’t do enough and look at what the results were.
Asked for his assessment of the game: I just did that. I think I just assessed that. We got better last week. We needed to get back on the practice field. We definitely got better. We improved in some areas. It didn’t show up on the score. We still have a lot of work to do, but some of the things that we worked on were better. But we’re still a long way from where we
need to be. That’s obvious.
On planning to play Cam Newton: Yeah, absolutely. Just wanted to give Stid [Jarrett Stidham] a little experience here.
On disappointment in the offense: Yeah, I just said that in the opening statement. I said that we didn’t perform well enough in any area, offense, defense, special teams, running, passing, defending the run, defend being the pass, ball security, tackling, blocking, none of it was good enough. Maybe I left something out, but we just got to do a better job all
the way across the board. I don’t think everything was bad, but there was enough bad for the results to be bad, so we need to improve in all areas.
On whether he’s surprised: I don’t know.
On Cam Newton’s struggles: I think I already covered that. I think we need to do better job in all areas. I don’t think there’s anything you could say that we don’t need work on. So they all work together. Obviously we weren’t good on third down on either side of the ball. We weren’t good in the red area. The opportunities that we had we didn’t, weren’t able to capitalize on. We turned the ball over. One takeaway, basically. So we just, just need to be better everywhere.
On his team’s effort level: I thought we competed hard. We just didn’t do things well enough.
On defensive breakdowns: As I’ve already said several times, that was a part of it, for sure. Fundamentals, some scheme, coaching, playing. Everybody contributed to it.
Patriots quarterback Cam Newton
On the team’s performance: Very disappointing, but we just got to be better.
On if he’s physically OK: Yes, sir.
On his mindset: I can’t allow myself to feel sorry for myself. I know what the issue is and you just have to attack it and do better.
(You know what the issue is? What is the issue?)
Me not playing good.
(Is there something leading to that?)
It’s simple. Play better.
Summing up what went wrong: I can’t speak for everybody. I just stick to the man in the mirror and I wasn’t good enough. I didn’t — in no way shape or form did I put this team in a position to compete, and that’s inexcusable. This is the National Football League where a lot is put on the quarterback and I have to deliver and I haven’t done that. Quite frankly, it’s evident. So here moving forward I know what the issue is, like I just said, and I just have to be better.
On getting through rough times with the offense as a quarterback: It’s a lot of it mental. I’m not going to point fingers at nobody else being the fact that I just didn’t get the job done. And when you have a performance like that going against a team like this, what happened tonight will happen again. So like I said, it’s a distasteful taste and feeling, but yet here moving forward you just got to get on a roll. We just got to get one. Once that happens — we just got to start with tomorrow, come back, review the film, and don’t put too much into understanding life’s lesson. So with that being said, I understand what’s expected, and only thing that I can control is putting a good body of practice in a week and put myself in the best situation.
On confidence he is “the guy”: Without a doubt.
On his interception thrown to Warner: That’s sad when you have to think about it. Yeah, I just lost him. I lost him and I seen — I just eyed Jakobi too much. I should have just threw it away, got down. The decision-making is inexcusable and I think that’s the most frustrating thing, being that once you pride yourself on certain things, that — facing — and you’re doing or doing things that you’re doing, it even makes matters worse. So the point of emphasis all year has been protecting the football and you know you have to protect the football. And when you do not protect the football, that’s when you kind of question a lot of things. But yet at the end of the day, we’re just going to come back to the drawing board starting tomorrow and I have full faith in the coaching staff and to be prepared. So it’s just about player production.
On the health of his right shoulder: It’s fine.
On his mechanics: Well, I’ve just been pressing. I don’t think it’s anything with mechanics. It’s seeing the situation at hand and I caught myself just pressing too much. The energy is definitely been off for me and at times it’s not rewarding when you’re just going out there with this aura about yourself that’s not you. I love playing this football game. I have fun playing this football game, but the performances here hasn’t been somewhat delightful for me to have fun in doing so. So I just got to be better. And a lot of things starts and stops at that position and I understand that. And I have put this team in a rut with the performances here, and yet just start over with Monday and see where it goes.


mercurynews--2020-10-25--An all-Black group is arming itself and demanding change. They are the NFAC

When two loud bangs rang out on the streets of Lafayette , Louisiana , no one knew where the gunshots came from as protesters gathered to demand justice for another Black man killed by police .
Among the crowd was a group of armed Black men and women who call themselves the “ Not F**king Around Coalition ” or NFAC .
The group did not run toward the gunshots or break formation .
Instead , they kneeled on the ground amid the confusion , and then walked away after their leader shouted , “ Fall back !
fall back !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ grown in size out of frustration during a summer of protests against questionable policing and the deaths of countless Black people at the hands of police , said their founder John Fitzgerald Johnson .
Their presence has caused a stir in the cities they ’ ve visited and the group has drawn some criticism after people accidentally fired a weapon during two of their rallies , including the one in Lafayette .
Started in 2017 , the group has marched in Stone Mountain , Georgia , calling for the removal of the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Georgia , for Ahmaud Arbery ; Louisville , Kentucky , demanding more transparency in the Breonna Taylor case ; and most recently Lafayette , Louisiana , in the name of Trayford Pellerin .
Along with protesters rallying in multiple US cities , largely White groups have also shown up and asserted their Second Amendment right to bear arms .
Unlike many of those groups , Johnson says his group emerged as a response to enduring racial inequality and police brutality .
“ We ’ re not ‘ effing ’ around anymore with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lack of respect for our men , women and children , ” Johnson told CNN .
The all-Black group , Johnson said , intends to protect , self-police and educate Black communities on firearms and their constitutional rights .
“ We are not against anyone , ” said Johnson , who is also known as Grand Master Jay .
Group is exercising its constitutional rights , founder says Large Black armed-groups aren ’ t something often seen in the US .
The most well-known was the Black Panther Party established in 1966 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Black teenager killed by police .
The group has since mostly disappeared .
NFAC already stands apart from other groups across the country , Thomas Mockaitis , a professor of history at DePaul University and author of “ Violent Extremists : Understanding the Domestic and International Terrorist Threat , ” told CNN .
“ In one sense it ( NFAC ) echoes the Black Panthers but they are more heavily armed and more disciplined… So far , they ’ ve coordinated with police and avoided engaging with violence , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up of “ US citizens exercising our constitutional rights and the color of our skin shouldn ’ t make any difference.
” “ Nobody says anything when other demographics pick up weapons , decide to arm themselves and confront the government over anything from wearing a mask to being cooped up in the house , but when certain demographics arm themselves all of a sudden people tend to act as if the Constitution doesn ’ t matter , ” Johnson said .
There ’ s no moral equivalency when comparing NFAC to White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The White militia movement is older , larger , probably more heavily armed , certainly more pervasive , it has many more people and it has been violent.
” And while Mockaitis said NFAC has made some questionable comments , including challenging White armed groups during a Georgia rally , he does not believe the NFAC has an overtly racist ideology .
Black and armed in Kentucky , Georgia and Louisiana NFAC ’ s members clad in black have raised their fists and shouted “ Black power ” in at least three cities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have preceded their rallies .
“ Black boots , black pants , black button-down shirt , black mask , shotgun , semi-automatic or rifle , ” Johnson said in a social media video announcing the group ’ s plans to “ descend ” on Louisville for a July 25 rally , CNN affiliate WDRB reported .
The NFAC ’ s arrival quickly became a concern among city officials .
At the time , the city had seen more than a month of protests centered on the death of Breonna Taylor and some had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Louisville Metro Council said officials simply didn ’ t want people marching on city streets with guns .
Per state law , no one other than the Kentucky National Guard or Kentucky active militia “ shall associate together as an armed company or drill or parade with arms ” without the governor ’ s permission .
City officials still decided not to invoke that rule , James said .
A spokeswoman for Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement that city officials have worked hard to communicate with all groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largely peaceful protests .
“ Balancing protesters ’ First Amendment rights with our duty — and our practical ability — to protect public safety requires flexibility and communication , ” said Jean Porter , the mayor ’ s deputy director of communications .
The possibility of having an armed Black group clashing with an armed White group was also a factor .
A few weeks before , the NFAC had marched on a Confederate memorial in Stone Mountain , Georgia , and one of its members called for a showdown with White vigilante @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by CNN , Johnson said the NFAC was exercising free speech rights .
They knew White armed groups usually gathered at that location , Johnson said , and the NFAC was responding to “ that threat.
” Police told the Louisville Courier-Journal in July that it was investigating the incident as a negligent shooting and could result in criminal charges .
The outcome of the investigation is unclear .
CNN has reached out to the Louisville Police Department for comment .
When the NFAC marched in Louisville , they were met by an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ Three Percenters.
” The two groups yelled at one another but were kept apart by riot police .
Shots were fired at the event when a NFAC member dropped his weapon and injured three other NFAC members with buckshot .
Johnson has said it was an accident .
The group returned to Louisville on September 5 — the day of the Kentucky Derby — and marched to Churchill Downs but they dispersed earlier than planned when another group showed up .
Johnson said he didn ’ t want the NFAC getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CNN affiliate WLKY reported .
Earlier this month , the NFAC headed to southern Louisiana after seeing a Facebook post from US Rep. Clay Higgins , who represents the 3rd District .
The September 1 post on Higgins ’ campaign page , which has since been removed , included photos of Black armed demonstrators and warned that if such protesters came to Lafayette he would “ drop 10 of you where you stand , ” according to CNN affiliate KATC .
A Facebook spokesperson told CNN the post was removed because it violated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence .
CNN ’ s attempts to contact Higgins ’ campaign have not been successful .
A spokesperson for his campaign told Fox News at the time that Higgins has a “ history of speaking his mind ” and he ’ s “ very candid and direct.
” Earlier this month , Higgins said in a statement to KATC that he recognizes the NFAC ’ s right to peacefully assemble and doesn ’ t not believe the group “ carries any violent intent.
” Local officials granted NFAC a permit to hold their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ converged there to protest the killing of Trayford Pellerin , a 31-year-old Black man shot by police in August .
“ They ’ re our visitors .
They ’ re our guests and yet we ’ ve rolled out the red carpet for them , ” Carlos Harvin , chief of minority affairs for Lafayette Consolidated Government , said about the group .
“ They want the same thing that we want : a safe community , ” Harvin said .
The protest ended peacefully despite the arrest of a person who police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event .
The NFAC said the person was not part of their group .
A counterpoint to other groups , some experts say There isn ’ t one way to police armed groups because every state and city has its own rules but authorities tend to take a “ very cautious , almost kid glove approach ” with them , said Carolyn Gallaher , a professor and senior associate dean in the School of International Service at American University .
They are walking a fine line between preventing a gun battle on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sanctioning armed groups , said Gallaher , author of “ On the Fault Line : Race , Class , and the American Patriot Movement.
” For Judson L. Jeffries , a professor of African American and African Studies at Ohio State University , the NFAC ’ s priority so far has been stopping police brutality and it would be interesting to see how the group ’ s behavior and ideology evolves going forward .
The group could follow Martin Luther King Jr ’ s train of thought , he says , showing “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for those who were oppressing him ” or align more with Malcolm X who favored self-defense against White violence .
“ I hope we don ’ t get to the point where we witness shootout , open warfare between police departments and these ( armed ) groups , ” Jeffries said .
“ I can ’ t help but wonder if we are nearing that point because there ’ s only so much punishment you can clip on a group of people before they respond likewise.
” Johnson has said on multiple occasions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with no record of violent incidents .
Authorities in Louisville and Lafayette told CNN no major incidents were reported during NFAC ’ s events in their cities .
Several militia experts also described the group as a counterpoint to some of the largely White armed groups in the United States , especially those that have been associated with White supremacist and neo-Confederate ideologies .
What we know about the founder Years before Johnson led the NFAC and called on his social media followers to stand up for the Black community , he served @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a hip hop DJ and producer .
Johnson declined to discuss his life outside NFAC , but records show he served in the Virginia National Guard and the Army from 1989 to 2006 .
He was a private when he left the military , according to the Army .
More recently , Johnson unsuccessfully campaigned for the 2016 presidential election as an Independent , according to the Federal Election Commission .
Though the NFAC has clearly drawn several hundred people to their rallies , the membership size just like much of Johnson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won ’ t disclose the membership numbers but said his group grew “ exponentially ” after the Louisville march and after they dropped the age limit from 21 to 18 years old .
And for some people like Kristen “ K.C.
” Colemon and her 9-year-old daughter , the group is seen as a symbol of empowerment rather than fear .
“ It was beautiful to have a group showing America and White groups that we are not backing down , ” Colemon , a hairstylist from Knoxville , told CNN .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s October 3 rally in Lafayette .
• Blogger links SJPD officers to more bigoted social media a day after DA moves to dismiss tainted cases • Santa Clara County DA looks to dismiss select cases involving SJPD officers linked to bigoted Facebook posts • Judge drops third-degree murder charge against former officer Derek Chauvin in George Floyd ’ s death “ She knew those guns were there to protect her not to hurt her , ” Colemon said .
Her daughter anticipated being nervous around so many guns , the mother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more proud to be Black .

When two loud bangs rang out on the streets of Lafayette, Louisiana, no one knew where the gunshots came from as protesters gathered to demand justice for another Black man killed by police.
Among the crowd was a group of armed Black men and women who call themselves the “Not F**king Around Coalition” or NFAC. The group did not run toward the gunshots or break formation. Instead, they kneeled on the ground amid the confusion, and then walked away after their leader shouted, “Fall back! fall back!”
The all-Black, Atlanta-based group has grown in size out of frustration during a summer of protests against questionable policing and the deaths of countless Black people at the hands of police, said their founder John Fitzgerald Johnson.
Their presence has caused a stir in the cities they’ve visited and the group has drawn some criticism after people accidentally fired a weapon during two of their rallies, including the one in Lafayette.
Started in 2017, the group has marched in Stone Mountain, Georgia, calling for the removal of the nation’s largest Confederate monument; Brunswick, Georgia, for Ahmaud Arbery; Louisville, Kentucky, demanding more transparency in the Breonna Taylor case; and most recently Lafayette, Louisiana, in the name of Trayford Pellerin.
[vemba-video id=”us/2020/10/23/nfac-black-coalition-grand-master-jay-orig-dp.cnn”]
Along with protesters rallying in multiple US cities, largely White groups have also shown up and asserted their Second Amendment right to bear arms. Unlike many of those groups, Johnson says his group emerged as a response to enduring racial inequality and police brutality.
“We’re not ‘effing’ around anymore with the continued abuses within our community and the lack of respect for our men, women and children,” Johnson told CNN.
The all-Black group, Johnson said, intends to protect, self-police and educate Black communities on firearms and their constitutional rights.
“We are not against anyone,” said Johnson, who is also known as Grand Master Jay.
Group is exercising its constitutional rights, founder says
Large Black armed-groups aren’t something often seen in the US. The most well-known was the Black Panther Party established in 1966 after the shooting of Matthew Johnson, a Black teenager killed by police. The group has since mostly disappeared.
NFAC already stands apart from other groups across the country, Thomas Mockaitis, a professor of history at DePaul University and author of “Violent Extremists: Understanding the Domestic and International Terrorist Threat,” told CNN.
“In one sense it (NFAC) echoes the Black Panthers but they are more heavily armed and more disciplined… So far, they’ve coordinated with police and avoided engaging with violence,” he said.
Johnson said the group is made up of “US citizens exercising our constitutional rights and the color of our skin shouldn’t make any difference.”
“Nobody says anything when other demographics pick up weapons, decide to arm themselves and confront the government over anything from wearing a mask to being cooped up in the house, but when certain demographics arm themselves all of a sudden people tend to act as if the Constitution doesn’t matter,” Johnson said.
There’s no moral equivalency when comparing NFAC to White armed groups, Mockaitis said.
“The White militia movement is older, larger, probably more heavily armed, certainly more pervasive, it has many more people and it has been violent.”
And while Mockaitis said NFAC has made some questionable comments, including challenging White armed groups during a Georgia rally, he does not believe the NFAC has an overtly racist ideology.
Black and armed in Kentucky, Georgia and Louisiana
NFAC’s members clad in black have raised their fists and shouted “Black power” in at least three cities without major incidents but days of tensions have preceded their rallies.
“Black boots, black pants, black button-down shirt, black mask, shotgun, semi-automatic or rifle,” Johnson said in a social media video announcing the group’s plans to “descend” on Louisville for a July 25 rally, CNN affiliate WDRB reported.
The NFAC’s arrival quickly became a concern among city officials. At the time, the city had seen more than a month of protests centered on the death of Breonna Taylor and some had turned violent.
David James, president of the Louisville Metro Council said officials simply didn’t want people marching on city streets with guns.
Per state law, no one other than the Kentucky National Guard or Kentucky active militia “shall associate together as an armed company or drill or parade with arms” without the governor’s permission. City officials still decided not to invoke that rule, James said.
A spokeswoman for Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement that city officials have worked hard to communicate with all groups, including NFAC, and have seen largely peaceful protests.
“Balancing protesters’ First Amendment rights with our duty — and our practical ability — to protect public safety requires flexibility and communication,” said Jean Porter, the mayor’s deputy director of communications.
The possibility of having an armed Black group clashing with an armed White group was also a factor. A few weeks before, the NFAC had marched on a Confederate memorial in Stone Mountain, Georgia, and one of its members called for a showdown with White vigilante groups.
When asked about that incident by CNN, Johnson said the NFAC was exercising free speech rights. They knew White armed groups usually gathered at that location, Johnson said, and the NFAC was responding to “that threat.”
Police told the Louisville Courier-Journal in July that it was investigating the incident as a negligent shooting and could result in criminal charges. The outcome of the investigation is unclear. CNN has reached out to the Louisville Police Department for comment.
When the NFAC marched in Louisville, they were met by an armed, largely White extremist group called the “Three Percenters.” The two groups yelled at one another but were kept apart by riot police. Shots were fired at the event when a NFAC member dropped his weapon and injured three other NFAC members with buckshot. Johnson has said it was an accident.
The group returned to Louisville on September 5 — the day of the Kentucky Derby — and marched to Churchill Downs but they dispersed earlier than planned when another group showed up. Johnson said he didn’t want the NFAC getting blamed if there were any clashes, CNN affiliate WLKY reported.
Earlier this month, the NFAC headed to southern Louisiana after seeing a Facebook post from US Rep. Clay Higgins, who represents the 3rd District. The September 1 post on Higgins’ campaign page, which has since been removed, included photos of Black armed demonstrators and warned that if such protesters came to Lafayette he would “drop 10 of you where you stand,” according to CNN affiliate KATC.
A Facebook spokesperson told CNN the post was removed because it violated the platform’s policies against inciting violence.
CNN’s attempts to contact Higgins’ campaign have not been successful. A spokesperson for his campaign told Fox News at the time that Higgins has a “history of speaking his mind” and he’s “very candid and direct.”
Earlier this month, Higgins said in a statement to KATC that he recognizes the NFAC’s right to peacefully assemble and doesn’t not believe the group “carries any violent intent.”
Local officials granted NFAC a permit to hold their event on October 3. The group converged there to protest the killing of Trayford Pellerin, a 31-year-old Black man shot by police in August.
“They’re our visitors. They’re our guests and yet we’ve rolled out the red carpet for them,” Carlos Harvin, chief of minority affairs for Lafayette Consolidated Government, said about the group.
“They want the same thing that we want: a safe community,” Harvin said.
The protest ended peacefully despite the arrest of a person who police say accidentally fired a weapon at the event. The NFAC said the person was not part of their group.
A counterpoint to other groups, some experts say
There isn’t one way to police armed groups because every state and city has its own rules but authorities tend to take a “very cautious, almost kid glove approach” with them, said Carolyn Gallaher, a professor and senior associate dean in the School of International Service at American University.
They are walking a fine line between preventing a gun battle on the streets and not appearing like they are sanctioning armed groups, said Gallaher, author of “On the Fault Line: Race, Class, and the American Patriot Movement.”
For Judson L. Jeffries, a professor of African American and African Studies at Ohio State University, the NFAC’s priority so far has been stopping police brutality and it would be interesting to see how the group’s behavior and ideology evolves going forward.
The group could follow Martin Luther King Jr’s train of thought, he says, showing “a great deal of patience and love for those who were oppressing him” or align more with Malcolm X who favored self-defense against White violence.
“I hope we don’t get to the point where we witness shootout, open warfare between police departments and these (armed) groups,” Jeffries said. “I can’t help but wonder if we are nearing that point because there’s only so much punishment you can clip on a group of people before they respond likewise.”
Johnson has said on multiple occasions that the NFAC is a peaceful group with no record of violent incidents. Authorities in Louisville and Lafayette told CNN no major incidents were reported during NFAC’s events in their cities.
Several militia experts also described the group as a counterpoint to some of the largely White armed groups in the United States, especially those that have been associated with White supremacist and neo-Confederate ideologies.
What we know about the founder
Years before Johnson led the NFAC and called on his social media followers to stand up for the Black community, he served in the military and some knew him as a hip hop DJ and producer.
Johnson declined to discuss his life outside NFAC, but records show he served in the Virginia National Guard and the Army from 1989 to 2006. He was a private when he left the military, according to the Army.
More recently, Johnson unsuccessfully campaigned for the 2016 presidential election as an Independent, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Though the NFAC has clearly drawn several hundred people to their rallies, the membership size just like much of Johnson’s life remains unknown.
Johnson won’t disclose the membership numbers but said his group grew “exponentially” after the Louisville march and after they dropped the age limit from 21 to 18 years old.
And for some people like Kristen “K.C.” Colemon and her 9-year-old daughter, the group is seen as a symbol of empowerment rather than fear.
“It was beautiful to have a group showing America and White groups that we are not backing down,” Colemon, a hairstylist from Knoxville, told CNN.
The 31-year-old and her daughter went to NFAC’s October 3 rally in Lafayette.
Related Articles National News | California AG Rob Bonta apologizes for his office’s past role in Japanese American internment during WWII
California AG Rob Bonta apologizes for his office’s past role in Japanese American internment during WWII National News | Letters: Keep rail | Tech’s limitations | Unworkable ballots | Moderate America | National issue | Driving fear
Letters: Keep rail | Tech’s limitations | Unworkable ballots | Moderate America | National issue | Driving fear National News | Opinion: School choice was doomed when it became a cover for segregation
Opinion: School choice was doomed when it became a cover for segregation National News | Biotech firm settles with family over cells for research
Biotech firm settles with family over cells for research National News | Opinion: Reparations to Black Californians is now up to Newsom “She knew those guns were there to protect her not to hurt her,” Colemon said.
Her daughter anticipated being nervous around so many guns, the mother said, but went home feeling even more proud to be Black.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.


mercurynews--2020-10-25--Senate votes to advance Barrett; confirmation expected Monday

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — Senate Republicans voted overwhelmingly Sunday to advance Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett toward final confirmation despite Democratic objections , just over a week before the presidential election .
Barrett ’ s confirmation on Monday was hardly in doubt , with majority Republicans mostly united in support behind President Donald Trump ’ s pick .
But Democrats were poised to keep the Senate in session into the night in attempts to stall , arguing that the Nov. 3 election winner should choose the nominee to fill the vacancy left by the late Justice Ruth Bader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chance to install a third Trump justice on the court , locking in a conservative majority for years to come .
Barrett ’ s ascent opens up a potential new era of rulings on abortion , gay marriage and the Affordable Care Act .
A case against the Obama-era health law scheduled to be heard Nov. 10 .
“ The Senate is doing the right thing , ” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , vowing to install Barrett to the court by Monday .
The 51-48 vote launched 30 hours of Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine , voted against advancing the nominee , and all Democrats who voted were opposed .
California Sen. Kamala Harris , the vice presidential nominee , missed the vote while campaigning in Michigan .
Vice President Mike Pence would typically preside over the coming votes , but after a close aide tested positive for the COVID-19 , it was unclear whether he will fulfill his role for the landmark vote .
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the Trump administration ’ s drive to install Barrett during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Party is willing to ignore the pandemic in order to rush this nominee forward.
” The conservative judge picked up the crucial backing Saturday from Murkowski , one of the last GOP holdouts against filling the seat in the midst of a White House election and with more than 50 million people already having voted .
Murkowski said she disliked the rush toward confirmation , but supported Trump ’ s choice of Barrett for the high court .
She said would vote against the procedural steps , but ultimately join GOP colleagues in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the process that has led us to this point , I do not hold it against her , ” Murkowski said .
Now the only Republican expected to vote against Barrett is Collins , who faces a tight reelection in Maine .
She has said she won ’ t vote for the nominee so close to the election .
McConnell , R-Ky. , noted the political rancor , but defended his handling of the process .
He scoffed at the Democrats ’ “ horror stories ” about the judge ’ s conservative qualifications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in public testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee as a neutral arbiter and at one point suggested , “ It ’ s not the law of Amy.
” But Barrett ’ s past writings against abortion and a ruling on “ Obamacare ” show a deeply conservative thinker .
“ She ’ s a conservative woman who embraces her faith , she ’ s unabashedly pro-life but she ’ s not going to apply ‘ the law of Amy ’ to all of us , ” said the committee chairman , Sen. Lindsey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Fox .
At the start of Trump ’ s presidency , McConnell engineered a Senate rules change to allow confirmation by a majority of the 100 senators , rather than the 60-vote threshold traditionally needed to advance high court nominees over objections .
With a 53-47 GOP majority , Barrett ’ s confirmation is almost certain .
By pushing for Barrett ’ s ascension so close to the Nov. 3 election , Trump and his Republican allies are counting on a campaign boost , in much the way they believe McConnell ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consider President Barack Obama ’ s nominee in February 2016 created excitement for Trump among conservatives and evangelical Christians eager for the Republican president to make that nomination after Justice Antonin Scalia ’ s death .
Barrett was a professor at Notre Dame Law School when she was tapped by Trump in 2017 for an appeals court opening .
Two Democrats joined at that time to confirm her , but none is expected to vote for her in the days ahead .
Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington , Meg Kinnard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Becky Bohrer in Juneau , Alaska contributed to this report .

By LISA MASCARO
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans voted overwhelmingly Sunday to advance Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett toward final confirmation despite Democratic objections, just over a week before the presidential election.
Barrett’s confirmation on Monday was hardly in doubt, with majority Republicans mostly united in support behind President Donald Trump’s pick. But Democrats were poised to keep the Senate in session into the night in attempts to stall, arguing that the Nov. 3 election winner should choose the nominee to fill the vacancy left by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Republicans are excited by the chance to install a third Trump justice on the court, locking in a conservative majority for years to come. Barrett’s ascent opens up a potential new era of rulings on abortion, gay marriage and the Affordable Care Act. A case against the Obama-era health law scheduled to be heard Nov. 10.
“The Senate is doing the right thing,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, vowing to install Barrett to the court by Monday.
The 51-48 vote launched 30 hours of Senate debate. Two Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, voted against advancing the nominee, and all Democrats who voted were opposed. California Sen. Kamala Harris, the vice presidential nominee, missed the vote while campaigning in Michigan.
Vice President Mike Pence would typically preside over the coming votes, but after a close aide tested positive for the COVID-19, it was unclear whether he will fulfill his role for the landmark vote.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the Trump administration’s drive to install Barrett during the coronavirus crisis shows “the Republican Party is willing to ignore the pandemic in order to rush this nominee forward.”
The conservative judge picked up the crucial backing Saturday from Murkowski, one of the last GOP holdouts against filling the seat in the midst of a White House election and with more than 50 million people already having voted.
Murkowski said she disliked the rush toward confirmation, but supported Trump’s choice of Barrett for the high court. She said would vote against the procedural steps, but ultimately join GOP colleagues in confirming Barrett. “While I oppose the process that has led us to this point, I do not hold it against her,” Murkowski said.
Now the only Republican expected to vote against Barrett is Collins, who faces a tight reelection in Maine. She has said she won’t vote for the nominee so close to the election.
McConnell, R-Ky., noted the political rancor, but defended his handling of the process. He scoffed at the Democrats’ “horror stories” about the judge’s conservative qualifications.
Barrett, 48, presented herself in public testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee as a neutral arbiter and at one point suggested, “It’s not the law of Amy.” But Barrett’s past writings against abortion and a ruling on “Obamacare” show a deeply conservative thinker.
“She’s a conservative woman who embraces her faith, she’s unabashedly pro-life but she’s not going to apply ‘the law of Amy’ to all of us,” said the committee chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said late Saturday on Fox.
At the start of Trump’s presidency, McConnell engineered a Senate rules change to allow confirmation by a majority of the 100 senators, rather than the 60-vote threshold traditionally needed to advance high court nominees over objections. With a 53-47 GOP majority, Barrett’s confirmation is almost certain.
By pushing for Barrett’s ascension so close to the Nov. 3 election, Trump and his Republican allies are counting on a campaign boost, in much the way they believe McConnell’s refusal to allow the Senate to consider President Barack Obama’s nominee in February 2016 created excitement for Trump among conservatives and evangelical Christians eager for the Republican president to make that nomination after Justice Antonin Scalia’s death.
Barrett was a professor at Notre Dame Law School when she was tapped by Trump in 2017 for an appeals court opening. Two Democrats joined at that time to confirm her, but none is expected to vote for her in the days ahead.
___
Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington, Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, and Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska contributed to this report.


mercurynews--2020-10-25--Raiders defense wilts late in loss to Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The circumstances were less than ideal , but the Raiders were within four points in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers .
Then it all came apart .
With quarterback Tom Brady looking as good in pewter as he ever has in the red , white and blue of the New England Patriots , the Raiders went on to lose 45-20 at Allegiant Stadium .
The Raiders had only themselves to blame , although cognizant of the fact that the mission before them was formidable after a strange week .
Tampa Bay improved to 5-2 , looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both sides of the ball .
After the Raiders had crept within 24-20 , Brady threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin and then the Buccaneers turned a Derek Carr interception into a 1-yard , short-field score by Ronald Jones to put the game out of reach .
Brady was 33 of 45 for 369 yards and four touchdowns , also hitting Rob Gronkowski for 5 yards , Scotty Miller on a 33-yard strike just before halftime and a late 1-yard touchdown strike to Tyler Johnson .
The Raiders barely breathed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the time he needed to throw .
CLICK HERE if you ’ re having a problem viewing the photos on a mobile device .
Carr ( 24 of 36 , 284 yards ) threw touchdown passes of 20 yards to Nelson Agholor and 1 yard to Darren Waller .
Daniel Carlson kicked field goals of 42 and 36 yards for the Raiders , who fell to 3-3 in a game in which they didn ’ t learn the fate of their starting offensive line until Sunday morning because of a five-day coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the result , but the Raiders seemed to understand that given the caliber of the opponent , it was closest thing to a dreaded moral victory as exists in the NFL .
“ I ’ m proud of our guys , really proud of our team , ” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said .
“ We had a tough week .
We were in the ballgame , seven , eight minutes left , 24-20 .
It got away from us at the end .
We have to play better .
Obviously on defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We ’ ve got to play better .
We will .
It ’ s disappointing , credit to Tampa Bay .
They ’ re a good team , I think we are too.
” Carr , in his 100th NFL start , talked about the NFL being a “ production-oriented business ” but gushed about the preparation and performance of the offensive line despite missing practice all week and then dealing with the ejection of guard Gabe Jackson late in the third quarter .
Highs , lows and all you need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week : The final blow : Bucs safety Mike Edwards broke up a Carr-to-Agholor attempt with 7:09 to go , and the deflection went directly to Antoine Winfield Jr. for an interception that he returned 16 yards to the Raiders ’ 25-yard line .
Brady made the Raiders pay with a 23-yard strike to Godwin , followed by a 1-yard leap by Jones for a 38-20 lead with 6:40 to play .
Ground to a halt : Running back Josh Jacobs had just 17 yards on 10 carries against the NFL ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just 76 yards rushing , and only got that many because of some late runs by Jalen Richard with the game out of reach .
Tampa Bay came in to the game giving up just 3.0 yards per carry and hasn ’ t given up 100 yards rushing to any team .
The Raiders at their best run it as often as they pass it , but ended with 36 pass attempts and 24 rushes .
Brady ’ s answer : Brady sliced and diced the Raiders en route to an 11-play , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been cut to 24-20 early in the fourth quarter .
A 4-yard pass to Godwin was his third touchdown pass of the day .
The play that broke the Raiders back came on third-and-13 from the Tampa Bay 30-yard line .
Brady threw a checkdown to Leonard Fournette — not a particularly strong receiving threat — for 13 yards and a first down at the 43 .
“ We had ’ em right where we wanted ’ em .
And they convert it on a checkdown , ” Gruden said .
“ Very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help themselves on special teams when they gave up a 35-yard kickoff return following the Carlson field goal that brought them within four points .
Carlson connects : The Raiders got within 24-20 with 12:43 left on Carlson ’ s 36-yard field goal , which capped an 11-play , 54-yard drive .
Gruden opted to take the points rather than go for a first down with fourth-and-1 at the Tampa Bay 17 after Waller was pushed out of bounds a yard shy of the first down on a short pass to the sideline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the decision .
“ It was a long one — more like two ( yards ) , ” Gruden said .
“ We felt at home , with a little momentum , we could hold Tampa to at least get a field goal or get off the field .
.
.
it ’ s easy to second guess now but in hindsight I probably would have done the same thing.
” Big break , then big mistake : Carr ’ s worst pass of the game — an interception into coverage by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shaquil Barrett offsides penalty and the Raiders took advantage to score on Carr ’ s 1-yard pass to Waller with 4:15 left in the third quarter .
The Raiders got into position for the score on a 44-yard Carr-to-Agholor strike to the 3-yard line .
The touchdown put the Raiders within 24-17 .
On the touchdown , however , a scuffle with William Gholston led to the ejection of Jackson for unnecessary roughness .
The starting right guard , Jackson had played every snap this season .
NFL referee Scott Novak issued the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ejection : “ On the play after the touchdown , the down judge throws a flag for number 66 ( Jackson ) stepping on an opponent , right on his shoulder , while he was on the ground , ” Novak said .
Deep too often ?
: On the Raiders ’ opening possession of the second half , Carr threw a couple of deep passes to Henry Ruggs III and Rico Gafford , but came up with neither ( the second would have been negated by a penalty anyway ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 10 plays , culminating in Ryan Succup ’ s 29-yard field goal after Trayvon Mullen broke up what would have been a second touchdown pass to Gronkowski .
Brady ’ s first-half exclamation point : With 17 seconds left in the half , Brady threw a perfect 33-yard touchdown pass to Miller to put the Bucs up 21-10 .
It finished off an 88-yard , 13-play drive .
Lawson had made a nice breakup of a Brady-to-Miller attempt earlier in the drive , but Miller gave the Raiders fits all day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moving at will : Tampa Bay took a 14-10 lead with 4:21 to play in the half after driving 85 yards in eight plays .
Brady ’ s 5-yard strike to Gronkowski against single coverage by Nevin Lawson accounted for the touchdown .
The former New England duo had a 26-yard hookup to get inside the 5 , with Gronkowski getting past Cory Littleton and catching the ball in front of Jeff Heath .
The big running play in the drive was a 24-yard run by Leonard Fournette .
Brady and Gronk : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the union between Brady and Gronkowski , tying Steve Young and Jerry Rice for No 2 on the all-time list .
The top pitch-and-catch touchdown duo in NFL history is Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison with 118 .
Brady ’ s four touchdown passes give him 559 for his career , at least temporarily passing Drew Brees for first place on the all-time list .
Line takes another hit : Already without Trent Brown at right tackle thanks to his placement on the team ’ s COVID list , the Raiders lost backup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a knee injury .
Rather than move Denzelle Good back to right tackle and put rookie John Simpson at guard , the Raiders inserted Brandon Parker .
The Bucs quickly blitzed Devin White on Parker ’ s side , resulting in an 11-yard sack and helping to force a Raiders punt .
Early gamble : After Carr threw incomplete on a third-and-1 from the 34-yard line , the Raiders went in to punt formation and safety Jeff Heath , lined up in the upback position , took the snap and gained the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The drive resulted in a 42-yard Carlson field goal for a 10-7 lead , but not before a bit of nostalgic drama .
On third-and-4 from the Tampa Bay 24 , Carr was hit while throwing , Ndamukong Suh scooped up the loose ball and ran it deep into Raiders territory .
The officials initially ruled it a fumble , but correctly reversed the call and deemed an incomplete pass — but not before forcing Raiders fans to revisit the Tuck Rule misery involving Brady , Charles Woodson and Greg Biekert in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ season .
The big play in the scoring drive was a quick pass to Henry Ruggs III that gained 29 yards .
First strike : When Carr hit Agholor for a 20-yard touchdown on their first possession , it marked the Raiders first opening drive score since Carr threw a 56-yard TD to Hunter Renfrow in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers last season .
• What the Raiders are saying after their loss to Tampa Bay • Raiders face huge fine , possible loss of draft pick for COVID violations • @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Raiders in 45-20 win Carr was 3-for-3 on the drive for 62 yards , Agholor , who finished with five catches for 107 yards , had 48 yards on two catches on the opening drive .
The Patriots answered back immediately , with Brady scoring from the 1-yard on a quarterback sneak on third down to cap a 77-yard , 10-play drive .
Included was a 22-yard pass to Gronkowski .
Irving watches from sideline : Defensive end David Irving , who signed earlier this week after coming off suspension under the NFL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was inactive for the game one day after being promoted from the practice squad .
He will likely revert to the practice squad Monday .
Other inactives for the Raiders were cornerback Keisean Nixon , guard Patrick Omameh , quarterback Marcus Mariota and wide receiver Bryan Edwards .

The circumstances were less than ideal, but the Raiders were within four points in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Then it all came apart. With quarterback Tom Brady looking as good in pewter as he ever has in the red, white and blue of the New England Patriots, the Raiders went on to lose 45-20 at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders had only themselves to blame, although cognizant of the fact that the mission before them was formidable after a strange week.
Tampa Bay improved to 5-2, looking every bit a Super Bowl contender on both sides of the ball.
After the Raiders had crept within 24-20, Brady threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin and then the Buccaneers turned a Derek Carr interception into a 1-yard, short-field score by Ronald Jones to put the game out of reach.
Brady was 33 of 45 for 369 yards and four touchdowns, also hitting Rob Gronkowski for 5 yards, Scotty Miller on a 33-yard strike just before halftime and a late 1-yard touchdown strike to Tyler Johnson. The Raiders barely breathed on Brady, and the 43-year-old quarterback had all the time he needed to throw.
CLICK HERE if you’re having a problem viewing the photos on a mobile device.
AP Photo Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) looks to pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Scotty Miller #10 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers catches a touchdown pass while being guarded by Nevin Lawson #26 of the Las Vegas Raiders in the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Getty Images LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drops back to pass in the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Getty Images LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Scotty Miller #10 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers catches a touchdown pass while being guarded by Nevin Lawson #26 of the Las Vegas Raiders in the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Devin White #45 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sacks Derek Carr #4 of the Las Vegas Raiders in the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
AP Photo Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller (83) runs against Tampa Bay Buccaneers free safety Jordan Whitehead (33) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) celebrates after wide receiver Nelson Agholor (15) scored a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) scores a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
AP Photo Las Vegas Raiders inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski (44) and free safety Erik Harris (25) attempt to tackle Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones (27) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Leonard Fournette #28 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs with the ball while being tackled by Clelin Ferrell #96 of the Las Vegas Raiders in the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Getty Images LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Devin White #45 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sacks Derek Carr #4 of the Las Vegas Raiders in the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Leonard Fournette #28 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs with the ball while being tackled by Erik Harris #25 of the Las Vegas Raiders in the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) celebrates after wide receiver Nelson Agholor (15) scored a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Getty Images LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs with the ball while being tackled by Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Getty Images LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Head coach Jon Gruden of the Las Vegas Raiders looks on from the sideline in the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Derek Carr #4 of the Las Vegas Raiders takes the snap in the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Getty Images LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Henry Ruggs III #11 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs with the ball in the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Derek Carr #4 of the Las Vegas Raiders drops back to pass in the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Nelson Agholor (15) scores a touchdown under Tampa Bay Buccaneers inside linebacker Lavonte David (54) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scores a touchdown on a sneak play in the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Nelson Agholor (15) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
Getty Images LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 25: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs with the ball while being tackled by Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter at Allegiant Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Carr (24 of 36, 284 yards) threw touchdown passes of 20 yards to Nelson Agholor and 1 yard to Darren Waller. Daniel Carlson kicked field goals of 42 and 36 yards for the Raiders, who fell to 3-3 in a game in which they didn’t learn the fate of their starting offensive line until Sunday morning because of a five-day coronavirus quarantine.
No one was happy with the result, but the Raiders seemed to understand that given the caliber of the opponent, it was the closest thing to a dreaded moral victory as exists in the NFL.
“I’m proud of our guys, really proud of our team,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. “We had a tough week. We were in the ballgame, seven, eight minutes left, 24-20. It got away from us at the end. We have to play better. Obviously on defense, we’ve got better players. We’ve got to play better. We will. It’s disappointing, credit to Tampa Bay. They’re a good team, I think we are too.”
Carr, in his 100th NFL start, talked about the NFL being a “production-oriented business” but gushed about the preparation and performance of the offensive line despite missing practice all week and then dealing with the ejection of guard Gabe Jackson late in the third quarter.
Highs, lows and all you need to know with the Raiders visiting Cleveland next week:
The final blow: Bucs safety Mike Edwards broke up a Carr-to-Agholor attempt with 7:09 to go, and the deflection went directly to Antoine Winfield Jr. for an interception that he returned 16 yards to the Raiders’ 25-yard line. Brady made the Raiders pay with a 23-yard strike to Godwin, followed by a 1-yard leap by Jones for a 38-20 lead with 6:40 to play.
Ground to a halt: Running back Josh Jacobs had just 17 yards on 10 carries against the NFL’s top-rated run defense. The Raiders had just 76 yards rushing, and only got that many because of some late runs by Jalen Richard with the game out of reach.
Tampa Bay came in to the game giving up just 3.0 yards per carry and hasn’t given up 100 yards rushing to any team. The Raiders at their best run it as often as they pass it, but ended with 36 pass attempts and 24 rushes.
Brady’s answer: Brady sliced and diced the Raiders en route to an 11-play, 67-yard drive when the Buccaneers lead had been cut to 24-20 early in the fourth quarter. A 4-yard pass to Godwin was his third touchdown pass of the day.
The play that broke the Raiders back came on third-and-13 from the Tampa Bay 30-yard line. Brady threw a checkdown to Leonard Fournette — not a particularly strong receiving threat — for 13 yards and a first down at the 43.
“We had ’em right where we wanted ’em. And they convert it on a checkdown,” Gruden said. “Very disappointing.”
The Raiders didn’t help themselves on special teams when they gave up a 35-yard kickoff return following a Daniel Carlson field goal that brought them within four points.
Carlson connects: The Raiders got within 24-20 with 12:43 left on Carlson’s 36-yard field goal, which capped an 11-play, 54-yard drive.
Gruden opted to take the points rather than go for a first down with fourth-and-1 at the Tampa Bay 17 after Waller was pushed out of bounds a yard shy of the first down on a short pass to the sideline from Carr.
He had no regrets about the decision.
“It was a long one — more like two (yards),” Gruden said. “We felt at home, with a little momentum, we could hold Tampa to at least get a field goal or get off the field. It’s easy to second guess now, but in hindsight I probably would have done the same thing.”
Big break, then big mistake: Carr’s worst pass of the game — an interception into coverage by Mike Edwards — was negated by a Shaquil Barrett offsides penalty and the Raiders took advantage to score on Carr’s 1-yard pass to Waller with 4:15 left in the third quarter.
The Raiders got into position for the score on a 44-yard Carr-to-Agholor strike to the 3-yard line. The touchdown put the Raiders within 24-17.
On the touchdown, however, a scuffle with William Gholston led to the ejection of Gabe Jackson for unnecessary roughness. The starting right guard, Jackson had played every snap this season.
NFL referee Scott Novak issued the following explanation to a pool reporter about the ejection:
“On the play after the touchdown, the down judge throws a flag for number 66 (Jackson) stepping on an opponent, right on his shoulder, while he was on the ground,” Novak said.
Darren Waller reacquaints himself with the end zone.#TBvsLV | #NationalTightEndsDay | FOX pic.twitter.com/fcwJbv34sh — Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 25, 2020
Deep too often?: On the Raiders’ opening possession of the second half, Carr threw a couple of deep passes to Henry Ruggs III and Rico Gafford but connected on neither (the second would have been negated by a penalty anyway).
Brady then took the Bucs 69 yards in 10 plays, culminating in Ryan Succup’s 29-yard field goal after Trayvon Mullen broke up what would have been a second touchdown pass to Gronkowski.
Brady’s first-half exclamation point: With 17 seconds left in the half, Brady threw a perfect 33-yard touchdown pass to Miller to put the Bucs up 21-10. It finished off an 88-yard, 13-play drive. Lawson had made a nice breakup of a Brady-to-Miller attempt earlier in the drive, but Miller gave the Raiders fits all day, catching six passes for 109 yards.
Scooter for 33 yards on his second TD of the season 😎 📺: #TBvsLV on FOX pic.twitter.com/7D0MpqsWRB — Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 25, 2020
Moving at will: Tampa Bay took a 14-10 lead with 4:21 to play in the half after driving 85 yards in eight plays. Brady’s 5-yard strike to Gronkowski against single coverage by Nevin Lawson accounted for the touchdown. The former New England duo had a 26-yard hookup to get inside the 5, with Gronkowski getting past Cory Littleton and catching the ball in front of Jeff Heath.
The big running play in the drive was a 24-yard run by Fournette.
Brady and Gronk: The touchdown hookup was the 92nd in the union between Brady and Gronkowski, tying Steve Young and Jerry Rice for No 2 on the all-time list.
The top pitch-and-catch touchdown duo in NFL history is Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison with 118.
Brady’s four touchdown passes give him 559 for his career, at least temporarily passing Drew Brees for first place on the all-time list.
Line takes another hit: Already without Trent Brown at right tackle thanks to his placement on the team’s COVID list, the Raiders lost backup Sam Young late in the first half to a knee injury. Rather than move Denzelle Good back to right tackle and put rookie John Simpson at guard, the Raiders inserted Brandon Parker.
The Bucs quickly blitzed Devin White on Parker’s side, resulting in an 11-yard sack and helping to force a Raiders punt.
Early gamble: After Carr threw incomplete on a third-and-1 from the 34-yard line, the Raiders went in to punt formation and safety Jeff Heath, lined up in the upback position, took the snap and gained the necessary yard for a first down.
The drive resulted in a 42-yard Carlson field goal for a 10-7 lead, but not before a bit of nostalgic drama. On third-and-4 from the Tampa Bay 24, Carr was hit while throwing, Ndamukong Suh scooped up the loose ball and ran it deep into Raiders territory.
The officials initially ruled it a fumble but correctly reversed the call and deemed an incomplete pass but not before forcing Raiders fans to revisit the Tuck Rule misery involving Brady, Charles Woodson and Greg Biekert in the playoffs at the end of the 2001 season.
The big play in the scoring drive was a quick pass to Henry Ruggs III that gained 29 yards.
First strike: When Carr hit Agholor for a 20-yard touchdown on their first possession, it marked the Raiders first opening drive score since Carr threw a 56-yard TD to Hunter Renfrow in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers last season.
Carr was 3-for-3 on the drive for 62 yards, Agholor, who finished with five catches for 107 yards, had 48 yards on two catches on the opening drive.
The Patriots answered back immediately, with Brady scoring from the 1-yard on a quarterback sneak on third down to cap a 77-yard, 10-play drive. Included was a 22-yard pass to Gronkowski.
Irving watches from sideline: Defensive end David Irving, who signed earlier this week after coming off suspension under the NFL’s policy on substance abuse, was inactive for the game one day after being promoted from the practice squad. He will likely revert to the practice squad Monday.
Other inactives for the Raiders were cornerback Keisean Nixon, guard Patrick Omameh, quarterback Marcus Mariota and wide receiver Bryan Edwards.