Quinnen Williams Sideline Flareup Draws Attention to Jets Loss: Bama in the NFL Week 4

Amari Cooper is still one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, which 3-0 starting quarterback will take a loss first, and a Derrick Henry video that you need to see.

Author:
Christopher Walsh
Publish date:
Sep 28, 2022 10:00 AM EDT

In this story:

Alabama Crimson Tide

Anyone who's been around former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle Quinnen Williams knows that he's a pretty emotional person. Off the field, he can usually be found with a smile. On it, he can be like a man possessed.

The two extremes came together last week.

During Sunday's 27-12 loss for the Jets against the Bengals, TV cameras caught Williams surprisingly springing up from the bench and confronting defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton. The two eventually had to be separated by teammates and others on the sideline.

After the game, both downplayed it, saying they just wanted to win the game.

Per Jets Country, Williams walked reporters through the situation following Cincinnati's 54-yard touchdown from quarterback Joe Burrow to wideout Tyler Boyd for a 14-6 lead. New York sent seven defenders on a third-down blitz, the first time this season that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has called for it according to NFL's Next Gen Stats.

The pressure got to Burrow, but he still found Boyd, who bounced off safety Jordan Whitehead and eventually scored.

Williams said that he was telling Whitecotton in the moment that he wanted a call for a four-man rush in that situation, trusting that the defensive line can bring enough pressure to disrupt the quarterback without a blitz.

"It wasn't really a shouting match like everyone is making it seem," Williams said. "I just trust my D-line so much. Put it on our back to win this game. It came out of me to just challenge our D-line coach like, 'put it on our back, coach. You know what we got in this room. Four-man rush, we don't need all these extra blitzes and stuff like that. Put it on our back and let's go out there and rush.'"

The two eventually talked it out, and Williams said it was a turning point for the defense as it played better the rest of the game. But the Bengals still won 27-12.

"Quinnen is a competitor, he was challenging for a four-man rush," Jets head coach Robert Saleh said. "He just wanted to rush four so he would have an opportunity to win his one on one. I love the fire, I love all of it. Obviously we don't need them to go jawing at each other, but he's being competitive so he's fine."

But what happens if the Jets continue to struggle?

Cooper Off And Running

Dallas owner Jerry Jones always seems to have an opinion on everything, and he offered this about former Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper while speaking to 105.3 The Fan:

“The issue with Amari Cooper was how much we were paying him and what we could do with that money, completely. Amari Cooper is a real good player. Top player, Should be able to be on any team in the NFL. But do you want to allocate that much money to it, or… would you rather have a better offensive line? Would you rather have a better pass rush? You can’t have it all, men. You can’t have it all.”

Can't have it all? The man who built Jerry World said that?

In March 2020, Cooper signed a five-year, $100 million contract extension with the Cowboys. His $20 million salary for 2022 had been scheduled to become guaranteed when the team traded him to the Browns for just a fifth-round draft pick.

Granted, that's a sizable contract, and Jones said they needed the salary to try and help the offensive line and pass rushers. But Cooper isn't among the top 12 highest-paid wide receivers any more.

The Cowboys' loss has been Cleveland's gain as Cooper re-established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the league with back-to-back 101-yard performances with a touchdown. His 19 games with 100-plus yards and a receiving touchdown since 2015 are tied for the third most in the NFL.

"I'm trying to find new ways to tell you guys how impressed I am with [jersey] No. 2," Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "He's really, really smart, he's a great teammate, runs every route imaginable ... he's so versatile, he's such a big, physical receiver, he's trustworthy. I really enjoy No. 2."

The Elephant(s) in the League

Crimson Tide fans are rejoicing over the last two undefeated teams in the NFL both have former Alabama quarterbacks as starters.

So who will take a loss first between Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa?

Tagovailoa is up first this week on Thursday night, assuming he is able to play with a back injury suffered Sunday against the Bills.

The Eagles have an interesting matchup against another early-season surprise, the 2-1 Jaguars, with Doug Pederson facing the team he formerly coached.

Hurts, who has 167 rushing yards and 916 passing yards, is the first player in NFL annals to average at least 50 rushing yards per game and 300-or-more passing yards per game over his team’s first three contests of a season.

The Dolphins last had a 4-0 start back in 1995, when Don Shula was the coach and Dan Marino was behind center. The Eagles haven't been 4-0 since 2004, when they reached the Super Bowl.

Game of the Week

Dolphins at Bengals: Assuming Tagovailoa (back) plays, it'll be the first time he and Joe Burrow square off in the NFL after two meetings in college between Alabama and LSU. Burrow won the last meeting in 2019 when the Tigers and Crimson Tide were ranked 1-2. LSU won the shootout, 46-41.

Burrow went 31-for-39, passing for 393 yards and three touchdowns, with future Bengals teammate Ja'Marr Chase making six catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. He carried the ball 14 times for 64 yards, but was sacked five times. Tagovailoa was 21-for-40 for 418 yards and four touchdowns.

Matchup of the Week

Jets at Steelers: Both teams will be desperately trying to avoid falling to 1-3. New York linebacker C.J. Mosley will be the primary defender against Pittsburgh running back Najee Harris. Mosley led the Jets defense with a season-high 12 tackles and also had a fumble recovery last week. He's notched 10-plus tackles in eight of his last nine games.

How to Watch NFL Week 4

Take note the Vikings vs. the Saints is being played in London.

Thursday's Game

Miami at Cincinnati, Prime Video, 7:15 p.m. CT

Sunday's Games

Minnesota vs. New Orleans, NFLN, 8:30 a.m.
Cleveland at Atlanta, CBS, noon
Buffalo at Baltimore, CBS, noon
Washington at Dallas, Fox, noon
Seattle at Detroit, Fox, noon
Los Angeles Chargers at Houston, CBS, noon
Tennessee at Indianapolis, Fox, noon
Chicago at New York Giants, Fox, noon
Jacksonville at Philadelphia, CBS, noon
New York Jets at Pittsburgh, CBS, noon
Arizona at Carolina, Fox, 3:05 p.m.
New England at Green Bay, CBS, 3:25 p.m.
Denver at Las Vegas, CBS, 3:25 p.m.
Kansas City at Tampa Bay, NBC, 7:20 p.m.

Mondays Game

Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco, ESPN, 7:15 p.m.

Could You Tackle Derrick Henry?

Kudos to the Tennessee Titans for doing this:

Tide-Bits

• Defensive back Deionte Thompson was waived by the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday.

• Per league rules, beginning on the day after a club’s fourth regular season game (including any bye week), it is permitted to begin practicing players on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform and Reserve/Non-Football Injury or Illness (if the player failed his preseason physical. Among former Crimson Tide players this includes running back Brian Robinson Jr. and wide receiver Jameson Williams.

• Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich about Quinnen DWilliams last week: "I just see a guy that’s just dominant. He is virtually, in my opinion, impossible to block in the run game, one on one, and in the pass game, one on one. He is a guy that, he’s got game-wrecker written all over him. I really believe the only way you can handle him is if you double him. Commit two, sometimes they’re committing two or three, so he just has to stay on course."

• Running back Damien Harris on quarterback Mac Jones suffering a high-ankle sprain that will sideline him for a while: "It’s tough. You never want to see your quarterback go down like that. Everyone knows how tight me and Mac are, so it’s definitely not something any of us want to see. But Mac’s a tough kid. We all know whatever’s going on, he’s going to do his best to get back on the field." Jones was in obvious pain after his final pass attempt in the fourth quarter of last week's 37-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

• Safety Xavier McKinney went from seeing Trevon Diggs last week, to Eddie Jackson this week as the Giants host the Bears. We love the jersey exchanges, but where do they put them all?