Chiefs Eric Fisher accused of being scared to play against J.J. Watt:

Eric Fisher, once the first-overall pick in the NFL draft, hasn’t exactly lived up to his draft status for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Brought in to be the team’s franchise left tackle, Fisher struggled on the left side, eventually causing the Chiefs to move him to right tackle in attempt to salvage something out of a player they’ve invested so heavily in.

On Sunday, when former Chiefs defensive tackle Shaun Smith saw that Fischer wasn’t starting, he didn’t react well, sending this tweet accusing Fisher of being out because he was scared of Houston Texans defensive end, J.J. Watt.

“Chiefs fans I love yall & I will always be a chief but when u have chumps like Eric Fisher pulling this crap cause he scared of jj we lose.”

Smith went on to email ESPN’s Bob Holtzman to clarify that he had never actually met Fisher, but he stood by his opinion.

“It’s my opinion and I played with guys that be scared of a challenge in the locker room we call them Jag= just another guy,” Smith told Holtzman via email.

What a load of crap. There’s no other way to put it. Smith hasn’t been in the league, or with the Chiefs since 2012, and has never met, let alone played with Fisher, but he’s somehow qualified to comment on Fisher’s heart?

Fisher hasn’t been anywhere close to the player the Chiefs hoped he’d be since drafting him in 2013, but you’d expect someone to be a little closer to the team if they’re going to make accusations that he’s asking out of football games because he’s scared of another player.

Smith’s comments were unnecessary, and frankly unfair. We can all guess when a guy doesn’t have enough heart, but you better have some evidence before just calling a guy out. Someone who has played the game should know better.

According to Fisher, the decision to be an emergency player was the teams, and head Coach Andy Reid said he could tell there was something wrong with Fisher’s ankle during the week.

“It just looked like it,” Reid explained. “I got to the point where it wasn’t getting better. So from that point, I had to make a decision and there was no time. We are talking Friday, right? I looked at the tape on Thursday … and it wasn’t right. He was trying to push through, but he was having a hard time getting his hips through and … so I said, ‘Hey, listen, we can’t put him in a position like that.’ So we went with Jah.”

The Chiefs take on the Denver Broncos and their ferocious pass rush Thursday night. Something tells us if Fisher is healthy enough to go that he’ll be out there, and unafraid. We’re not promising he’ll be all that good, but we’re confident he’s not scared to play the game. At least we will be until someone a lot closer to the team than a guy who last suited up in 2012 tells us otherwise.

Ravens sign Jason Babin:

The Baltimore Ravens lost more than a football game in Denver on Sunday, they lost defensive end Terrell Suggs for the remainder of the season with a torn Achilles. For an aging player who suffered the same injury to the opposite Achilles a couple of years ago, the injury is devastating.

For the Ravens, the loss is equally as devastating, because even all these years into his career, Suggs was among the Ravens best players and pass rushers.

For Baltimore’s opponents, blocking Elvis Dumervil just got a lot easier, because teams can slide protection to his side.

Baltimore will try to help fill the massive hole left by Suggs’ injury by bringing in veteran defensive end Jason Babin to replace Suggs on the roster.

At this stage of Babin’s career, the Ravens can expect a smart, veteran player who understands what it takes to succeed in the NFL. The question will be if Babin still has enough in the tank physically to still be much of an impact guy on the outside. In a league with several teams starving for pass rushing talent, Babin was still unemployed heading into Week 1.

Babin has played in many schemes while playing for seven teams during his 13-year career, so the veteran defensive end should be able to step right into action for Baltimore when the team takes the field this Sunday in Oakland.

Falcons sign Jake Long:

The Atlanta Falcons surprised many when they beat the Philadelphia Eagles 26-24 Monday night, but that didn’t stop Dan Quinn and company from continuing to look to improve the roster.

Monday the team signed veteran left tackle Jake Long, who was once the first-overall pick in the draft, but has more recently finished each of the last four seasons on injured reserve.

Despite Long’s vast history of injuries, the signing makes all the sense in the world for Atlanta. The former Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams left tackle gives Atlanta a veteran backup for second-year tackle Jake Matthews, and a guy who can kick over and start at right tackle once comfortable.

For Quinn, the opportunity to add another tough football player, and a guy who’s willing to compete for an opportunity, despite once being considered a franchise-level left tackle.

“I am excited to have him compete — his toughness,” Quinn said. “For a guy, ‘Yeah, I just want a chance to compete.’ When a guy talks to you like that, you certainly have a lot of respect for how he goes about his business. So, we’re excited to have him here; get him up to speed as fast as we can. And then we’ll kind of cross that bridge in terms of where and [when] after that.

Long had worked out with the team twice before the signing, but it seemed like it would always get done, and Quinn explained he just wanted to give Long the time to get completely healthy.

“That was part of the process — for him to have as much time as he needed to get healthy and to get ready,” Quinn said. “Just looking forward to him being a part of the group. [General manager Thomas Dimitroff] and I, we love the toughness and the attitude that goes along with that position. He certainly has it.”

Long doesn’t appear to have a whole lot left in the tank, but you have to respect a guy who just wants to keep playing out of love of the game. The Falcons can certainly benefit from having him around, even if ultimately his biggest impact is the wisdom he can impart on the younger members of Atlanta’s offensive line.