NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Jordy Nelson

 

Cowboys' David Irving suspended 4 games

No, this is not a re-run. http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...-4-games-violating-nfl-substance-abuse-policy

FRISCO, Texas -- For the second straight year Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman David Irving will open the season on the suspended list.

Irving will miss the first four games because of violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. In 2017, he missed the first four games for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy.

It continues a tumultuous offseason for Irving. In April, a former girlfriend accused him of domestic violence and later recanted the story. Frisco, Texas, police concluded an investigation and did not press charges, but the NFL is also looking into the allegation.

Irving has also gained custody of his young daughter in the past months.

Irving had what was termed "sporadic" attendance at the Cowboys' offseason program, from the captains' workouts before the official program through the organized team activities. He attended the three-day mandatory minicamp that concluded Thursday but did not practice. Instead, he worked off to the side on his conditioning.

"I wasn't here because I chose not to be here," Irving said after Thursday's practice. "If I could've come, I would've. The real reason's none of the public's business."

The Cowboys put the second-round tender on Irving as a restricted free agent before the offseason began, worth $2.91 million.

As a result of the suspension, Irving will forfeit roughly $685,000 in salary. Last year's suspension cost a little more than $150,000 in salary. Under terms of the substance-abuse policy, Irving will be able to take part in training camp and the preseason games. Once the regular season starts, he will be able to continue to work out at The Star but not take part in meetings or practices.

He will be able to return Oct. 1 after the Cowboys play the Detroit Lions on Sept. 30.

Irving finished second on the Cowboys last season with seven sacks in eight games. In addition to the suspension, he missed the final four games with a concussion.

"There's more to my life than just football," Irving said. "I'm actually a real person. I have family issues, a lot of issues I've been dealing with. I can't go into much detail. Just know it's behind me. By the time the season starts, I won't be dealing with any of this BS anymore."

 

Browns tackle Donald Stephenson suspended two games

One of the Browns’ (many) offseason acquisitions is going to miss the first two games.

The team announced that veteran tackle Donald Stephenson has been suspended the first two games of the regular season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Stephenson skipped the recent mandatory minicamp and will be fined $84,435 for that, and now will be short a couple of game checks.

He was signed in March, expected to fill in as their swing tackle. The former Chiefs and Broncos tackle has 37 career starts in six seasons.

 

Interesting video here. Many of you may already know all of this but it puts it all together nicely.

 

I Am going to assume you are joking. It is an interesting watch but total BS at the same time.

 

Think what you want. A lot of that I've said before and during the season and not just about the Eagles. A little too much credit on half of the QB stuff but it's spot on.

 

The NFL has suspended free agent defensive tackle Roy Miller six games, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports. The violation was undisclosed, but he was arrested on domestic battery charges in Jacksonville, Florida, in November.

The Chiefs released Miller two days later, and he has remained without a job since.

Miller played four seasons for the Buccaneers and four for the Jaguars. He played in seven games with the Chiefs, all as a backup, last season and made six tackles.

In nine seasons, Miller played 119 games with 84 starts. He made eight sacks and 252 tackles in his career.

 

The eagles have one hell of a GM. The team has done an amazing job at adding talent through the draft, FA and through trades. But they are not adhering to some grand plan that everyone will now going to try and replicate.

1. The eagles are not the only team that values the QB position and are far from the first team to use the position as a means to gain value. They have done a better job than anyone else with some good fortune.

2. Building the trenches is another football term way over used. When you hit on your draft picks you look like a genius. While the Eagles have done an amazing job running the football and stopping the run. (Not mentioned in the video) their pass rush and pass protection has been mediocre. It is the goal of every team to build deep lines that can rotate on defense and have injury protection on offense. Nothing ground breaking here.

3. This is where it when off the rails for me. As soon as he said the Eagles will be fine letting Patrick Robinson go because they got Maddox in the 4th. Does the narrator just assume now that every move the Eagles make will turn to gold? I don’t think dumping money into the safety position while going cheap at CB is a trend anyone is going to follow. Bravo for the Eagles for pulling it off. I think your DC deserves a lot of credit here.

4. The Eagles are not the only team to realize defenses will attack the weakest spot on the o line. It has been well established that teams need pass blockers at all positions on the line. If everyone started ignoring LT to get a stud RT what do you think the defenses will do? And let’s not forget the Eagles gave up 39 sacks last season. Middle of the pack. Probably why they had Jason Peters at LT teams can still rush from that side too. Shame he got hurt. But keeping Johnson at RT is no brilliant move. Keep him where he is comfortable instead of moving him and weakening 2 spot.

5. The point that makes the hole video comical. So the Narrator starts but breaking down the Howie system then ends by saying being flexible is most important? What? So if the whole idea is to be flexible it kind of defeats the purpose of having rules to build a team no?

Like I said interesting watch but the pint off it was far off. The Eagles deserve all the credit in the world. But they didn’t do it by doing things different they did it by doing things better.

 

Don't focus on the Eagles or Howie aspect of it too much. I didn't. I posted the video to highlight some things in there and how they work. Building in he trenches is not overrated. Teams that don't often get bit by it. And the Eagles pass rush was great. They didn't get as many sacks but they were right up there with disrupting the QB with pressures. I hated that Maddox reference as well. Eagles did try to resign Robinson but obviously there was a limit on how much they'd spend for cap reason, including the reason the video said.

 

Dak Prescott: Cowboys will be an exciting team and surprise a lot of people

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has lost two of his favorite receivers, but he’s excited about the prospects for a big-play offense in Dallas this season.

Prescott said on Saturday that despite the departures of Dez Bryant and Jason Witten, who were first and second in catches on the Cowboys last year, he expects to put on a show in 2018.

“We’re going to be an exciting team this year,” Prescott said on Showtime. “A lot of new faces. I think you’re going to find we have a lot of new guys on this team, within this organization, that can make plays. We plan on surprising a lot of people.”

Those new faces will include veterans Allen Hurns, Deonte Thompson and Tavon Austin and draft picks Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson. Prescott will have to grow accustomed to playing with a very different receiving corps in 2018. He believes he’s up to the task. (PFT)

 

Mike McCarthy says Packers will go running back by committee

Don’t expect any one running back to carry the load in Green Bay this season.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said the demands of the position are such that running backs Jamaal Williams, Ty Montgomery, and Aaron Jones will all be better off if none of them get too many carries.

“The fact of the matter is we’re going to go running back by committee,” McCarthy told ESPN. “But if one of them would emerge as that full-time guy then you have to have that ability to . . . adjust to that. As far as planning and going into the season, that’s why we’re going about it that way. We feel like we’ve got three guys that have all done it, but they haven’t done it over a long period of time, so I think it’s just practical thinking from that position and realizing that it’s a very demanding position.”

Williams led the team with 556 rushing yards, Jones was next with 448 and Montgomery had 273. It sounds like McCarthy would be satisfied with that kind of split again this year, which means all of the Packers’ running backs will get plenty of playing time, but none will finish the season with big numbers. (PFT)

 

Bucky Brooks an NFL.com analyst wrote this piece and I found it to be interesting. Obviously the Vikings at #1 caught my attention, but I really think his assessments are spot on, but still allow wiggle room for debate.

So, heading toward the 2018 campaign, which teams boast the top receiving corps in the NFL? Here are my top five:

1) Minnesota Vikings: It's no coincidence Kirk Cousins picked the Twin Cities as his new home. Like the rest of us, he saw the Vikings' WR corps torch defenses in 2017 with a journeyman QB2 at the helm. Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs are spectacular route runners with outstanding stop-start quickness, wiggle and playmaking ability. Each guy is capable of taking over a game as a lead receiver, but it is their collective ability to create headaches for opposing coaches that make them the top pass-catching tandem in football. With Kyle Rudolph also chipping in as a designated red-zone weapon (12 red-zone touchdowns over the past two seasons), the Vikings' explosive WR corps could help Cousins play at an MVP level this year.

2) Atlanta Falcons: It's easy to view the Falcons' passing game as a one-man show, based on Julio Jones' remarkable play as the team's No. 1 receiver (four straight seasons with 1,400-plus receiving yards), but that would ignore Mohamed Sanu's work as a rock-solid WR2 on the other side. The veteran is a dependable chain mover with the size and strength to overwhelm defenders in the red zone. First-round pick Calvin Ridley was added to the lineup to give the offense another playmaker with explosive potential on the outside. Given the impact Austin Hopper and Justin Hardy can make as fourth and fifth options in the passing game, the Dirty Birds' WR corps will be quite imposing this fall.

3) Pittsburgh Steelers: You would be hard-pressed to find a team that can rival the Steelers' success drafting and developing marquee receivers. Antonio Brown is arguably the best receiver in football, despite having entered the league as an unheralded sixth-round pick. Brown not only has six 1,000-yard seasons in his eight-year career, but he has 59 career touchdown catches, with 52 coming in just the past five seasons. Despite facing double-teams or bracket coverage at most times, Brown is nearly impossible to slow down or contain on the outside. With JuJu Smith-Schuster flashing all-star potential as a young starter, the Steelers boast one of the league's best 1-2 punches. If second-round James Washington lives up to his big-play reputation as a rookie, it is possible the Steelers might be underrated on this VIP list of pass-catching units.

4) Kansas City Chiefs: Before you @ me about the Chiefs' spot on this list, you should check out the ridiculous big-play production their "Big Three" has amassed over the past two years: Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Sammy Watkins have combined for 69 receptions of 20-plus yards and 35 touchdown catches. While those numbers are somewhat stymied by Watkins' scattershot output over the past two seasons (13 20-plus yards catches and 10 touchdowns in 23 games), it is important to note that he tallied 32 receptions of 20-plus yards and 15 touchdowns during his first two NFL campaigns. Thus, it is quite possible that he re-emerges as a big-play threat in an Andy Reid system that showcases explosive receivers, particularly those playmakers with speed and RAC (run after catch) ability. With three potent playmakers on the field at all times, the Chiefs' receiving corps could become the next unit to boast a trio of 1,000-yard pass catchers in a single season.

5) Cleveland Browns: No, Gordon and Landry's comments aren't completely crazy. This is indeed a top-tier group. Gordon gives the team a big-bodied WR1 with all-star skills as a dynamic playmaker on the outside. He is one of the few pass catchers in the NFL capable of racking up a 100-yard game straight of the streets, which speaks volumes about his talent and his tools. Landry is a blue-collar worker adept at working over the middle, where toughness is valued at a premium. The three-time Pro Bowl selectee is as rugged as they come, but he's also crafty technician with excellent stop-start quickness and wiggle. Landry has leaned on those skills to become the fastest receiver in NFL history to notch 400 receptions, despite playing extensively as a slot receiver where brackets and double coverage can minimize a playmaker's production. If Corey Coleman (deep-ball specialist) and David Njoku (chain mover) fulfill their respective roles as complementary weapons, the Browns' WR corps could make a leap up this list in the fall.
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Maholmes in KC has weapons. It will be fun/interesting to see how and if he utilizes them. They could put up some huge numbers offensively.

I also appreciate the respect given to the Cleveland Browns. I really do think they are way improved and will surprise a few teams this year.

Of course im really hyped-up to see just how good the Vikings can be on the offensive side of the ball. I hope he is right on the assessment of Kirk Cousins in Minnesota.

 

Bucket Brooks is just looking for clicks. If he put the Steelers lower than number one everybody will want to see his reasoning.

 

One of the biggest busts in recent draft history is getting another shot. In Cleveland.

Greg Robinson, the second overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, has signed with the Browns. To make room for Robinson on the 90-player roster, the Browns cut offensive tackle Rod Johnson, a 2017 fifth-round pick who spent his rookie year on injured reserve.

An offensive tackle from Auburn, Robinson was viewed as a big-time prospect when the Rams chose him in 2014. But although he was a starter for three years with the Rams, he never developed into the kind of player they hoped he would be.

A year ago the Rams traded Robinson to the Lions, who started him for six games early in the year but waived him midway through the season. He cleared waivers and hasn’t been with an NFL team since.

Now Robinson will try to make the Browns’ roster. If he doesn’t, his NFL career may be over.

 

EAGLES SUPER BOWL RINGS have arrived for players, coaching staff, scouts, team personnel, etc:

 

Do the rings usually have the MVP name on them?

 

Doug Marrone: We won’t catch anyone by surprise this year

At this time last year, the Jaguars were coming off their sixth-straight losing season and ninth-straight year out of the playoffs.

That meant expectations for head coach Doug Marrone’s first season were tempered, but that’s not the case this time around. The Jaguars went 10-6, won the AFC South and advanced to the conference title game with a roster that’s largely intact as they head into the 2018 season. That has changed the expectations dramatically in Marrone’s second year on the job.

Marrone told Mike Garafolo of NFL Media that one of his messages for the team this offseason was to avoid the “trap of people taking you to where we were at the end of last year.” Marrone said that the first year is “kind of easier” because fewer people are paying attention and wants the Jaguars to know that won’t be the case this time around.

“Last year, you can easily say we might’ve caught a team [by surprise],” Marrone said. “But I don’t think we’re going to catch anybody [this year]. Now, everyone’s gonna know they have to play a good football game and they’ll be ready for us.”

Whether because of complacency or other reasons, NFL history features plenty of teams that were unable to maintain success from one season to the next. Jacksonville’s ability to avoid that fate will be a leading storyline in the AFC this fall.

 

I doubt it, but for Foles it did. underneath it has the words FLY EAGLES FLY and a head of a dog on the inside of the ring.

 

If you noticed, it's the first SB ring since the 1st one by the Packers to have a round top to the ring. Most others are oval, rectangular or shaped like a football. The green sapphires in the background really have it pop

 

I like the looks of that Super Bowl ring. I wasn't a fan of the Ravens' second ring at all, and looking at it again, it still bugs me. In motion, it looks a lot better, but as a static picture, I hate how flat and boring the purple gem is. They needed to add more texture into it and possibly get away from trying to fit in more diamonds than any other rings.