NFL - NEWS & NOTES

I've been an Uncle since I was in first grade. used to babysit my nephew for $5 a night and free pizza. kids today? pass. that's why I have cats. I was too old for kids when I was a kid, let alone now. my 2 college buddie are 45 and 46 years of age and their wives just had babies LAST YEAR. Screw that. Changing diapers in my mid-40's is not for me. Hell, wiping my own ass is a challenge.

 

I've been an Uncle since I was in first grade. used to babysit my nephew for $5 a night and free pizza. kids today? pass. that's why I have cats. I was too old for kids when I was a kid, let alone now. my 2 college buddie are 45 and 46 years of age and their wives just had babies LAST YEAR. Screw that. Changing diapers in my mid-40's is not for me. Hell, wiping my own ass is a challenge.

 

Unnamed AFC team offered a 2nd round pick for Nick Foles.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...m-offered-a-second-round-pick-for-nick-foles/

 

I just read that. It goes along with a report this morning that at least one team gave a "respectable offer".

 

"Respectable"...but not according to Bill Polian!

 

Tag looking more likely for Le’Veon Bell



The Steelers tried to set an artificial deadline for a long-term deal for running back Le'Veon Bell.

An actual deadline tomorrow may force their hand.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Steelers now appear likely to use the franchise tag on Bell by tomorrow’s deadline, marking the second year in a row for him.

That would cost them $14.5 million, and there’s no guarantee he’d be any happier about it this year than last, when he skipped offseason work, training camp and the preseason before showing up and having a good season.

The Steelers talked about trying to finish a deal before Feb. 20 (when teams could begin using the tag), but that came and went because there was no organic urgency.

Rapaport throws in the “barring a dramatic turn in talks” proviso, and there’s still time to negotiate. But it appears that with the clock ticking, Bell could be getting tagged again.

 

Report: Cowboys will use franchise tag on DeMarcus Lawrence



The Cowboys haven’t been coy about their plans regarding defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence this offseason.

Lawrence can become an unrestricted free agent on March 14, but the team has made it clear that he won’t be leaving Dallas. Executive vice president Stephen Jones said last month that the team would prefer to make that happen with a long-term contract rather than by using the franchise tag, but it appears the team will be going through door No. 2 with the deadline to use the tag a day away.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that talks on a long-term deal have not progressed to a point where an agreement is likely before Tuesday’s deadline. As a result, the Cowboys will use the tag on Lawrence and move forward from there.

The franchise tag for defensive ends is projected to come with a salary of around $17.5 million for the 2018 season. The two sides would have until July 16 to work out a multi-year deal and reports have suggested Lawrence is looking for an average of around $17 million a season. (PFT)

 

is "respectable" a 2nd round pick ?

 

If it isn't a late one then yes. Although they'd likely need more if they wouldn't just keep him.

 

Probably looking for a Bradford type deal. Ask big and see what bites... cant hurt to try and he's got decent credentials.

 

a first and 4th would be a steal for Foles. Does Arizona have good draft picks to steal for Foles? haha.

 

Why yes they do. lol

 

Kicker News...

The Falcons announced on Monday that they have signed their longtime kicker to a new deal. Bryant, who expressed a desire to remain in Atlanta after the Falcons were eliminated from the playoffs, agreed to three more years with the team. No financial terms were announced.
___________
________________________

Whoooopeeeee!!!!

JK

 

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross sends clear message on national anthem

According to Christian Red of the New York Daily News, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said that any protests performed by Dolphins players this year won’t be during the national anthem.

“All of our players will be standing,” Ross said.

Interestingly enough, his comments came before an event for the Jackie Robinson Foundation, where he was given their ROBIE lifetime achievement award for being a “longtime champion of equal opportunity.”

And while Ross said he initially sided with players who sat or took a knee during the anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality, he said he was swayed by the fact that President Donald Trump turned the anthem into a political talking point, flipping the protests into something degrading to the military.

“Initially, I totally supported the players in what they were doing. It’s America and people should be able to really speak about their choices,” Ross said. “When that message changed, and everybody was interpreting it as that was the reason, then I was against kneeling,.

“I like Donald (Trump). I don’t support everything that he says. Overall, I think he was trying to make a point, and his message became what kneeling was all about. From that standpoint, that is the way the public is interpreting it. So I think that’s really incumbent upon us to adopt that. That’s how, I think, the country now is interpreting the kneeling issue.”

So because many people have misunderstood (or chosen to not hear) the original intention of the protests, and because one very loud person has capitalized on that misunderstanding (or willful ignorance), the Dolphins will not be sanctioning peaceful protest this year.

Ross discussing his friendship with Trump makes it clear that the NFL’s biggest desire in this situation is for all the noise to go away, and they’re willing to yield to the person who screams the loudest to make that happen.

That will be news to Dolphins players such as Kenny Stills, Michael Thomas, and Julius Thomas, who knelt last year. Then again, Julius Thomas is about to be released, and Michael Thomas is about to be a free agent.

And at a time when the Texans vow they won’t be treating protesting players any differently (though some disagree), it doesn’t paint a very welcoming picture for those who want to use their platform to talk about issues which make their owners uncomfortable. (PFT)
___________
_________________________

And once again i'll express that there are plenty of other platforms and venues and means to express one's self other than making a spectacle of the National Anthem. That's just my opinion, but its a subject that people differ upon in their beliefs.

I still believe its disrespectful and divisive to protest during the Anthem. Besides, it doesn't really address the issue. Stand up and support this great country that gives you the opportunity to make millions and have the freedoms that you have. There's a time and place for everything under the Sun... I think some people could use better discretion.

 

Report: Salary cap set at $177.2 million

NFL teams now know what they have to spend.

The NFL salary cap has been set at $177.2 million, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports. Teams were informed of the number Monday.

The NFL projected a range of $174.2 million to $178.1 million for the cap in December, and recently there were thoughts it would be at least $178 million and could exceed $179 million.

The $177.2 million number still is a healthy increase from the $168 million last season.

The NFL and NFLPA negotiate the salary cap number.

 

Seahawks plan to trade Michael Bennett, keep Thomas

With the NFL's new league year set to dawn in the next two weeks, the potential deconstruction of Seattle's historically great defense threatens to make headlines throughout the offseason.

The careers of strong safety Kam Chancellor and defensive end Cliff Avril are in jeopardy. All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman is recovering from surgeries on both Achilles. Star free safety Earl Thomas and disruptive defensive lineman Michael Bennett have both been the subject of rampant trade rumors.

What will become of Pete Carroll's vaunted defense?

While the Seahawks plan to keep Thomas, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday's edition of NFL Total Access, they hope to trade Bennett before the March 14 onset of free agency.

Seattle has already begun trade talks involving Bennett. It comes as no surprise that one of the teams interested, per Rapoport, is Atlanta, helmed by former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

"From what I understand, (the Seahawks) want this trade to happen sooner rather than later," Rapoport explained. "So maybe the next week or so before Michael Bennett officially leaves the Seahawks."

The same can't be said for Thomas, who is entering the final year of his contract. For all of the Thomas-fueled speculation about a return home to Texas, the Seahawks would prefer to work out a new long-term deal that would keep him in the Emerald City.

Thomas is "firmly in their plans for the 2018 season," Rapoport added.

With the coordinator change from Kris Richard to Ken Norton Jr., this is a defense in transition. It remains to be seen if the once mighty Legion of Boom is in line for a simple touch-up or a major overhaul. (NFL.com)

 

Thought I read 3-year, $10.5 million...?

 

Would have liked it if Thomas was obtainable - he'd be a GREAT fit in Dallas' secondary.

 

That is correct. Not a bad chunk-a-change.

 

Jerry Jones gets his hour in the court of Roger Goodell

When Commissioner Roger Goodell wasn’t running a 40-yard dash in the hallway at 345 Park Avenue (his official time was 5.41 seconds, according to the most important person in the process — the one who starts and stops the clock), Goodell was flying to Palm Beach for a hearing in the effort to recover more than $2 million in legal fees from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

According to Jarrett Bell of USA Today, the session lasted for an hour. The hearing happened in Palm Beach because Goodell and multiple owners will be engaged in meetings in preparation for the NFL’s annual meetings, which start on March 25 in Orlando.

On Monday, NFL Media reported that the appeal included an affidavit and wire transfers from one of Ezekiel Elliott‘s lawyers aimed at proving Jones didn’t pay for any of Elliott’s legal fees. Cowboys general counsel Jason Cohen also filed a declaration (an unsworn affidavit) with testimony that supported Elliott’s effort to block his six-game suspension pending a final court ruling on whether the suspension should be overturned; via NFL Media, Elliott’s legal team downplayed the testimony as not vital to the litigation.

But that’s not the standard. Under Resolution FC-6, the obligation to reimburse the NFL and/or other clubs for legal fees arises when a team provides “substantial assistance” to a third party in litigation against the league. As noted by Bell, the league believes that Jones and the Cowboys crossed the line from “observer” to helper. And it’s for Goodell, the person Jones essentially wanted to oust from his job, to decide whether whatever the Cowboys did constituted substantial assistance.

Goodell also will decide whether threatening litigation over Goodell’s contract extension is the same as “initiating” litigation. Anyone who has any understanding of the legal system knows that the two concepts are vastly different. But Goodell will be making the decision — and as his past rulings have shown, he doesn’t really have any understanding of the legal system.

Maybe Goodell will try to come off as merciful by splitting the baby and making Jones pay only the bill for the Elliott litigation. But since Goodell already has decided to whack Jones for both, a retreat on appeal will make him look wishy-washy. More importantly, it will open him up to gripes and complaints from owners who want to see Jones fully punished for his antics last year. (PFT)