NFL - NEWS & NOTES

You might be giving him too much credit Joe

(edit) He will probably assume that the fact he is no longer in the US, and wearing a disguise will keep him from being noticed.

 

It's a place any self-respecting man, at dive stripbar standards, would only go to once.

 

If he went into a nosedive I expect him to hit Niagara or Toronto.

 

just pull a Charlie Sheen and call the Hollywood Madam for some hookers. I'm sure Manziel can get his #.

 

Welp....looks like Tony Romo got to the Super Bowl after all.

https://247sports.com/nfl/dallas-co...5-42-DB-BB-C9-FC-CD180521_111506DallasCowboys

 

awesome and well deserved. after that one sided called SB by Michaels and Collingsworth for NE, I'm HAPPY anyone else got the job. I thought Romo did a fantastic job last season and he did the 1 thing that Aikman never did - be impartial during an Eagles-Cowboys game. He called it fair and down the middle. Aikman likes to drift to the Dallas side from time to time. Well done Tony. Good luck with the Emmys too !

 

Depends on your league of course but in PPR Kamra is likely going to go ahead of Zek. I dont think health is a question with Johnson but how the new coaching staff will use him may be a question.

 

No NFL discipline coming for Matt Patricia, Lions

The NFL will not discipline the Lions nor new head coach Matt Patricia after a sexual assault accusation in Texas from 1996 allegedly involving Patricia and a fellow fraternity member resurfaced earlier this month.

"Our office reviewed the matter with the Lions and Mr. Patricia, and ensured the club engaged in appropriate and thorough hiring practices and that the Coach did not mislead the team during the interview process," league spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in a statement to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

"We determined that the Lions handled the interview process in a thoughtful and comprehensive manner and fully and appropriately complied with all applicable employment laws. As we learned from both Mr. Patricia and the Lions, the matter was not part of his employment interview process for job opportunities outside of or within the NFL. He was under no legal or other requirement to raise this issue.

"This is not subject to the personal conduct policy as the allegations occurred well before his affiliation with the NFL."

According to Cameron County (Texas) Court records, Patricia and Gregory Dietrich were each indicted by a grand jury on one count of felony aggravated sexual assault but the charges were later dismissed when the alleged victim would not testify at trial.

Patricia has maintained his innocence since the accusation came to light and has received support from the Lions organization.

"I was innocent then and I am innocent now," Patricia said during a May 10 news conference. "Let me be clear, my priorities remain the same: To move forward and strive to be the best coach, teacher and man that I can possibly be." (NFL.com)

 

It took a little more than a month, but Richie Incognito got what he wanted from the Bills.

A few days after announcing his intention to retire in April, Incognito was placed on the reserve/retired list in Buffalo. Incognito then reversed course and asked the Bills to release him so that he would be free to continue his career with another team.

The Bills didn’t act on it at the time, but they announced on Monday that Incognito has been released. He immediately becomes a free agent and is eligible to sign with any team that might want to employ him.

Incognito said last month that issues with his liver and kidneys were behind his decision to retire, although the later twists and turns suggest that it may have been more about a lack of desire to play on the reduced salary he agreed to take earlier in the year. We’ll see if he finds a bigger offer somewhere else or if his willingness to play for less increases outside of Buffalo. (PFT)

 

As the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett had a promising rookie season. But he got off to a slow start, missing the first four games, coming in off the bench in the next two, and playing just under 50 percent of the Browns’ defensive snaps for the season.

This year, Garrett wants things to be different.

Garrett says he’s working on his conditioning with the specific goal of being able to remain fresh into the fourth quarter even if he plays every snap on defense.

“I wanted to get in better shape, so I can be out there and make plays, create turnovers,” Garrett told the Akron Beacon Journal.

Garrett played 52 of 59 snaps in Week 17, and he said he’s hoping to play about that much every week this season.

“The last game of the season, I was going most of the game,” Garrett said. “I think I took five, maybe 10 plays off. That’s my goal — to be on the field as much as possible, so I can make as big of an impact as possible.”

Garrett said he felt relieved when the Browns didn’t draft defensive end Bradley Chubb, because he saw that as evidence that the team is ready for him to get a big workload. If Garrett stays healthy, he should have a very big second season. (PFT)

 

Christian Hackenberg is now a Raider.

 

If you're a raiders fan you have to hope Carr doesnt go down because you're backups are Hackenberg, Conner Cook or EJ Manuel

 

Fixed it for ya.

 

Chiefs TE Harris suspended 1 game by NFL for drug violation

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris was suspended one game without pay by the NFL on Tuesday for violating its substance abuse policy.

Harris pleaded guilty in March in Bates County, Missouri, to one count of marijuana possession and one count of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. He was sentenced to two days in jail, fined $500 and given two years' probation along with 80 hours of community service.

Harris must also complete an NFL drug program.

The 26-year-old Harris has been the backup to Travis Kelce, though he's been relatively disappointing ever since the Chiefs drafted the college basketball player out of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He's played four seasons in Kansas City, and last season set career highs with 18 catches and 224 years.

 

Shortly before the start of the league year, the Philadelphia Eagles turned down a potential trade that would have sent Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles to the Cleveland Browns for the 35th overall pick in the 2018 draft, according to three sources familiar with the talks.

Before rejecting the deal, two sources said, the Eagles ran the scenario by Foles, who said he preferred to remain in Philadelphia. In April, the Eagles and Foles agreed to a re-worked contract that gave him a $2 million bonus for 2018 and allowed him to earn up to $14 million in incentives, while creating a "mutual option" for him to remain with the team in 2019. (Basically, Foles is free to leave if he pays back the $2 million.)

The Browns, meanwhile, turned their attention to former Buffalo Bills starter Tyrod Taylor, who they acquired for a third-round pick on March 10. Cleveland later selected former Oklahoma star Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick of the draft, though coach Hue Jackson has declared that Taylor will be his unequivocal starter for 2018. With the 35th pick -- the second of their two second-rounders -- the Browns selected Georgia running back Nick Chubb.




The decision not to trade Foles reflected the Eagles' immense regard for his abilities, which were showcased during the team's NFC championship game blowout of the Minnesota Vikings and again in the epic Super Bowl triumph over the Patriots. It was also based on the uncertainty regarding the status of third-year franchise quarterback Carson Wentz, who tore his ACL in a December victory over the Los Angeles Rams and theoretically might not be ready for the team's Sept. 6 regular season opener against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field -- though the team is optimistic that Wentz will be able to meet that timeline.

It's also possible that Foles could still be sent elsewhere before the start of the 2018 season, or at any point up to the Tuesday, Oct. 30 trade deadline.

Two Septembers ago, five days after Vikings starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a severe knee injury in practice, the Eagles dealt starter Sam Bradford to Minnesota for first- and fourth-round picks -- a move that allowed Wentz, then a rookie, to ascend to the top of the depth chart just before the start of the regular season. If a similar scenario were to present itself this summer, the Eagles could possibly be open to parting with Foles, especially if they were offered a first-round pick in return.

It's also possible that Foles could be dealt shortly before the trade deadline, especially if Wentz has established that he is fully healthy. Last Oct. 30, the Patriots sent promising backup Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers for a second-round pick.

In the meantime, Foles remains the NFL's highest-profile backup quarterback -- a role with which he is clearly comfortable, given his preference that the Eagles reject the Browns' overtures.

Follow Michael Silver on Twitter at @MikeSilver

 

NFL bans running starts, restricts where players can line up on kickoffs



The NFL has once again changed the kickoff.

NFL owners voted today to change the rules on kickoffs, with the following implemented for the 2018 season:


1. No running starts before the ball is kicked.

2. The kicking team must line up with five players on each side of the kicker.

3. At least two players on the kicking team must be outside the numbers.

4. At least two players on the kicking team must be between the numbers and the hashmarks.

5. At least eight players on the receiving team must be within 15 yards of their restraining line, which would typically mean between the kicking team’s 45-yard line and the receiving team’s 40-yard line.

6. Until the ball is touched or hits the ground, players on the receiving team can’t cross the restraining line (typically the 45), or initiate a block within 15 yards of the line where the ball is kicked.

7. No wedge blocks.

All of these rules are designed to limit the number of high-impact collisions on kickoffs, which the NFL says are the most dangerous players in football. Eventually the kickoff might be eliminated altogether. At least for this season, it is remaining in place bus changing significantly. (PFT)

 

NFL owners continue to discuss how to handle player protests during the national anthem. Do they allow each team to make its own decision? Do they keep all players in the locker room during the national anthem? Do they require all players to stand? Do they do nothing?

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, owners also are discussing whether to leave it up to the home team whether teams come out for the anthem but with a caveat: Teams could be assessed 15-yard penalties for players kneeling.

The reaction to the idea on social media was both brisk and negative.

Owners have talked about the issue since the end of the season. They will continue to discuss it, with a resolution not expected Tuesday, according to Mark Maske of the Washington Post.

Some owners, including Jerry Jones, have remained firm in their belief that all players should stand for the national anthem. The Cowboys are one of only a handful of teams that have not had a player kneel during the anthem.

“Everyone knows my position on that,” Jones said two weeks ago. “And so we’ll give the kind of sensitivity and thought and discussion that it deserves, and we’ll come up with a league-wide, going forward, position. But I reiterate that everybody knows where I stand on it.” (PFT)

 

NFL confirms linemen coming out of their stance are subject to new helmet rule



When the NFL announced a new rule penalizing any player who lowers his head to initiate contact, an immediate question was whether that would apply to linemen coming out of their stances.

The answer to that question is yes.

NFL head of officiating Al Riveron confirmed to reporters today that linemen who come out of their stances with their heads down and initiate contact with the top of the helmet will be penalized.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Riveron was asked today at the league meeting, What if a defensive lineman coming out of his stance initiates contact with his head? “Can’t do it. He’s got to get his head up,” Riveron answered.

So NFL linemen are going to have to make significant changes to the way they do their jobs: In the past, linemen frequently made contact with their helmets when coming out of their stances. Now, they can’t.

Eventually, the NFL might just get rid of the three-point stance altogether. This new rule could be a first step toward that. (PFT)

 

Did they confirm it for ball-carriers trucking with their heads down?

 

At a time when football fans finally are waking up to the demise of the kickoff, another football staple is about the go the way of the Stegosaurus. And a game that many regard as a dinosaur could soon be extinct, at least as we know it.

With the NFL finally admitting what some suspected for the past two months — the new helmet rule does apply to offensive and defensive linemen — the three-point stance inevitably will be gone. And the NFL will have gotten rid of it without actually getting rid of it.

That may be news to some of the people on the inside. Saints coach Sean Payton, a member of the Competition Committee, said recently on PFT Live that the three-point stance won’t be going away “in our lifetime.” But as coaches like Payton adjust to the interpretation that finally was unveiled on Tuesday, they’ll realize that the three-point stance has become an invitation to violate the new helmet rule.

“He’s got to get his head up,” NFL senior V.P. of officiating Al Riveron said Tuesday regarding offensive linemen.

The only way to keep his head up is to never put it down. The three-point stance comes from the ability to fire out and slam into the opponent. With linemen in such close quarters, it will be impossible for an offensive lineman to blast forward into a defensive lineman without potentially hitting the opponent with a helmet that necessarily is low.

Again, this likely surprised people like Payton. When I asked him earlier this month whether the new helmer rule will alter the between-the-tackles running game, Payton said, “I don’t think a lot. I think you know working a coach up, guys that are pulling. But I don’t think it’s going to change much at all.”

With offensive linemen now obligated to get their heads up when blasting forward at the same, it’s going to change a lot. It’s going to change to the point where it’s not recognizable.

And it’s going to open the door for someone to start a football league that will play games not in the spring but during football season — and that will play football not like the NFL is hell bent on playing it but like football used to be played. (PFT) (their opinion also)