NFL - NEWS & NOTES

The nephew of one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history is hoping to create his own NFL legacy.

Ian Seau, nephew of Junior Seau, was invited to the Giants’ rookie minicamp as a tryout player. Ian Seau played defensive end at Nevada and has spent time with the Bills and Rams but has yet to play in an NFL regular-season game.

“It’s hard to live up to,” he told the New York Daily News. “He is my uncle, there is always going to be these expectations but I feel like what I’ve done, when I’ve played snaps in preseason I’ve done some things that Ian Seau has done.”

Ian’s mom (Junior’s sister) has expressed concerns about the possibility that brain damage suffered in football led to Junior Seau’s depression and suicide, and she started the Mary Seau CTE Foundation. Ian says he understands the injury risks and wants to play in the NFL anyway.

“I know [the NFL] is trying to find ways to make it safer. I’m just living out there, not really worried about that. I’m worried about what we’re doing on the next play,” said Ian. “I know my mom has her foundation and she chose to educate me on this. I know the symptoms and the signs.”

Ian Seau says he feels some pressure as the nephew of a legend, but most of the pressure he feels is what he puts on himself, wanting to make it in the sport he loves. (PFT)

 

Youngblood ?

or

 

Supreme Court opens door to state-sanctioned sports betting

Bettors who wanted to gamble on sports legally have long had limited options to do so in the United States, but that is about to change.

The United States Supreme Court has ruled in favor of New Jersey in the state’s challenge to the federal law known as The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. The law barred states from legalizing gambling on sporting events with the notable exception of Nevada and less notable exceptions for sports lotteries in three other states.

The court’s ruling that the law is unconstitutional, which came by a 7-2 vote, sets the stage for states to start allowing gambling on sports. How that will be implemented from state to state remains to be seen, but the amount of money on the table will lead many of them to make risking a few bucks on your favorite team a fairly easy undertaking.

Professional sports leagues have expressed an interest in getting a cut of that action as well, although NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell did not elaborate on the league’s plans for expanded sports betting in the United States when asked about it in March. (PFT)
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Six to 10 states could have sports betting programs by Week One...

 

^^ sanctioned? haha. I know 4 bookies I can call to place a bet if needed.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...ghting-amyloidosis-may-need-heart-transplant/

Matt Millen is serious health trouble. Needs heart transplant. Sad news....

 

I know a lil’ spot in BKLYN

 

I got my own right here outside of Philly.

 

Your neighborhood bookies are about to be a thing of the past.

 

?? I don't know. they've been a bookie for a long ass time. a lot of degenerates in philly.

 

Not sure how reliant I'd want to be on the continued business of those degenerates when they have a perfectly legal option available to them, but I suppose a decent enough number of them might still want to continue betting on credit to make it worth the bookies' while.

 

If it's anything like Canada then don't expect good odds.

 

Marshall Newhouse FTW

Marshall Newhouse‏Verified account @MNewhouse73 3h3 hours ago

Hey, Legalize sports gambling all you want, but there’s no true gamble quite like whether to trust a fart or not.

 

We already have it in DE. Now we can bet college and all bets can be single wagers instead of parlays.

 

FOX confirms Joe Buck, Troy Aikman will call Thursday Night Football

NFL fans will get a double dose of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman this season.

FOX confirmed today that Buck and Aikman, who were already the top Sunday afternoon duo for the network, will also call the new Thursday night package.

That will be a lot of work for the two, who may get some Sundays off. Buck will likely need some NFL games off in the fall when he calls the baseball playoffs for FOX. It is not known yet who will team with Aikman while Buck is focusing on baseball.

In the past the NFL required its Thursday night partners, CBS and NBC, to use the top Sunday team on Thursdays. But this year the league made no such requirement, and FOX first tried to get Peyton Manning to call the games before deciding to go with Buck and Aikman when Manning said no. In the end, FOX decided to go the same route and give Thursday nights to its top Sunday team. (PFT)

 

From the rumor Mill...

Jason Witten thinks Dez Bryant will be a Packer

The most famous catch of Dez Bryant‘s career was a non-catch in Green Bay. Now he may get many more chances to catch passes in Green Bay.

That’s the word from former teammate Jason Witten, who said on Adam Schefter’s podcast that he’s expecting Bryant to end up with the Packers.

“I think he’s going to end up going to the Green Bay Packers,” Witten said, via the Star-Telegram. “I think that’s a great spot for him. Aaron Rodgers, he throws that back-shoulder throw so well, and Dez [can have] great chemistry with a good quarterback that can put the ball wherever he wants.”

The Packers have already made two big changes to their passing game, with the departure of Jordy Nelson and the arrival of Jimmy Graham, and Witten thinks Bryant could be a huge plus.

“I still think Dez can still high-point the football as good as any other wide receiver in the National Football League,” Witten said. “You partner him up with Jimmy Graham and Aaron Rodgers, and I think that offense can put up a lot of points. . . . I think it’s a win-win for the Packers.”

Bryant has not drawn much interest since the Cowboys cut him. Perhaps the Packers are the team to give his career a second act. (PFT)

 

David Tepper expected to become new Panthers owner

The sale of the Carolina Panthers to hedge fund manager David Tepper is expected to be executed soon.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported the sale of the Panthers from Jerry Richardson to Tepper is moving along and a deal could get done Tuesday, per sources informed of the process.

According to Rapoport, an agreement is expected to happen which would allow for a vote on the sale by NFL owners at the Spring League Meeting in Atlanta, May 21-23.

Tepper has long been the favorite to buy the Panthers. The sale is expected to come in at $2.2 billion cash, per Rapoport, with a final sale price between $2.2 to $2.3 billion. As a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2009, league owners are familiar with Tepper. Also key to the purchase is the hedge fund manager's plan to keep the Panthers in Charlotte.

Rapoport adds Tepper does not plan on making major changes to the organization once he becomes owner. General manager Marty Hurney, coach Ron Rivera and quarterback Cam Newton (all signed through 2020) are expected to remain in Charlotte for the long-term.

The next step for the billionaire investor is to sell his minority stake in the Steelers and get approved by NFL owners. After being vetted, however, the sale is assumed to proceed without hitches.

In order for the sale to become official, three-fourths of NFL team owners (24) must approve the team's purchase. (NFL.com)

 

Report: Packers not expected to sign Dez Bryant

Jason Witten thinks Dez Bryant is going to sign with the Packers, but Witten was hired by ESPN to be an analyst, not a reporter.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Packers are not expected to sign Bryant.

The Packers did have some interest in Bryant when he was first released by the Cowboys, according to the report. But after the Packers drafted wide receiver J'Mon Moore in the fourth round, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the fifth round and wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown in the sixth round, that interest waned.

Bryant has had a hard time finding any team willing to sign him. Although he was once among the league’s elite receivers, his production has declined of late, and he hasn’t always been known as the easiest player to get along with, which could scare some teams off. He still has a couple months before training camps open to find a team.

 

Linebacker Rashaan Evans has signed his first NFL contract.

PFT has learned, via a league source, that the Titans’ first-round pick has agreed to his rookie deal with the team. Like all first-round picks, Evans’ contract is for four years with a team option for a fifth season.

Evans was selected with the 22nd overall pick after the Titans moved up three spots in a trade with the Ravens. Evans had 150 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 15 sacks during four years at Alabama and finished his career at as an All-SEC pick.

He projects to early playing time alongside Wesley Woodyard, Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan at linebacker in Nashville and the Titans hope he’ll be an every-down playmaker for years to come. (PFT)

 

Cleveland expects Denzel Ward to be the No. 1 cornerback immediately



When the Browns open the season against the Steelers, look for Denzel Ward to cover Antonio Brown.

That’s the word from Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com who writes that the Browns drafted Ward to be a shutdown corner and are likely to start him Week One and let him learn on the job.

Covering Brown is a tall order for any rookie, but if the Browns didn’t think that Ward was capable of that kind of task, they wouldn’t have used the fourth overall pick in the draft on him. The Browns thought Ward was the best defensive player in this year’s draft, and they want him to show it right away.

Although it was overlooked on an otherwise terrible team, the Browns actually had a pretty good run defense last year. If Ward can shore up the pass defense, it’s easy to see him being one of the key building blocks for a turnaround in Cleveland. (PFT)

 

When the Browns open the season against the Steelers, look for Denzel Ward to cover Antonio Brown.

Correction:
When the Browns open the season against the Steelers, look for Denzel Ward to get burned by Antonio Brown.