NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Randy Gregory has worked hard for a second chance in the NFL, but he knows it’s his last chance.

“It is,” Gregory said, via Todd Archer of ESPN, “and if it’s not, I’m definitely treating it like it is. I feel like a lot of other organizations wouldn’t have stuck around for this long. I think part of it is just the faith in what I can do on the field, but they also saw that I was a struggling kid that was trying to get himself back on the right path.

“I’m a totally different person than I was coming into the league. In some ways better. I think Jerry [Jones] and the whole organization, they understood the situation fully, and there was going to be some setbacks. Hopefully, this is the last one as far as all that.”

Gregory has worked hard to get back, spending more than six weeks in intensive drug and alcohol rehab in addition to counseling. He continued his treatment program in California, going above and beyond what the NFL requires.

Commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated Gregory on a “conditional basis,” allowing him to rejoin his teammates at training camp next week. Gregory has prepared for the season with former Raiders pass rusher Greg Townsend in California.

But he hasn’t played since the regular-season finale in 2016.

The former second-round pick has 20 tackles and a sack in 14 games since the Cowboys made him a second-round pick. (PFT)

 

"Hopefully" this is the last one...? No, it IS the last one. Another failed drug test and you're pretty much outta the league.

That said, from all I've read Gregory has been diligent about his rehab - spent more time in rehab than was prescribed because he needed more treatment.

With David Irving out for 4 games to start the season, Gregory could get an opportunity to work into rotational play.

 

Ive read the same. He seems to be doing well and has utilized a lot of treatment because he has realized he needed it. I hope the best for him and I have a vested interest in his success as a person in recovery for severe alcoholism and drug addiction myself.

I guess im rooting for him as a person first, the rest, if he remains focused on recovery, will land in place.

 

Ravens veterans report to training camp Wednesday...



The Ravens rookies reported to training camp a week ago and they’ll get some experienced company on Wednesday.

Summer vacation is officially over for all the players on Baltimore’s roster as they become the first team to open training camp. They will be joined by the Bears on Thursday as the two teams taking part in the Hall of Fame Game get a head start on the rest of the league.

There will be battles for positions and playing time all over the Ravens roster, but the play of the team’s quarterbacks figures to be of particular interest to observers. The team has toyed with ways to get first-round pick Lamar Jackson on the field during their spring work and teammates said they’ve seen more fire from Joe Flacco since the Ravens added Jackson to the mix.

Big changes to the receiving corps will provide further reason to focus on the offense in Baltimore as the team’s preparations heat up with 50 days to go until teams start playing football that counts. (PFT)
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By the looks of the above picture, the Ravens are practicing a new trick play which involves 4 QB's on the field at the same time...

 

Darrelle Revis called it a career on Wednesday.

In a post to his Twitter account, Revis announced that he is retiring after 11 seasons in the NFL. Revis entered the league as a Jets first-round pick in 2007 and became one of the top cornerbacks in the league during his six years with the team.

He was traded to the Buccaneers in 2013 after a second contract standoff in three years and moved to the Patriots the next year. Revis won a Super Bowl ring in New England, returned to the Jets for two years after the Patriots passed on picking up his option and wrapped up his playing career by joining the Chiefs late last season.

“For the past 11 years, it has truly been an honor to showcase one of my greatest gifts to the world,” Revis wrote. “Today I am closing a chapter in my life that I once dreamed of as a kid and I am officially retiring from the National Football League. The game of football has opened doors for me I once thought were nearly impossible to get through. My passion to play the game at an elite level brought fun and excitement to the term “shutdown corner” which was nearly on the verge of extinction. Covering some of the toughest assignments in league history was a challenge every Sunday, but also an honor within this game we all love.”

“I would like to thank my coaches, teammates, and mentors who have made a significant impact in my life and helped to create amazing memories that my family and I will cherish for a lifetime. I’m excited as to what lies ahead as I pursue new ventures in different industries. Long live Revis Island.”

Revis was named a first-team All-Pro four times and ends his career with 494 tackles, 29 interceptions, six forced fumbles and two sacks. In addition to his football exploits, Revis will be remembered for successfully navigating his way to several big contracts that maximized his earnings while also leading to multiple team changes over the course of his career.

 

With Mark Ingram set to serve a suspension to open the season, the New Orleans Saints added another running back to their backfield stable.

The Saints announced Wednesday they have signed veteran running back Shane Vereen. In a corresponding move, the team waived Daniel Lasco with a failed physical designation.

The 29-year-old Vereen spent the past three seasons with the New York Giants after four years with the New England Patriots. Vereen compiled 164 rushing yards and 253 receiving yards in 16 games with the Giants last season.

Vereen brings a versatile option to the Saints backfield in advance of Ingram's four-game suspension.

 

Jurrell Casey prepared to “take my fine” for violating anthem policy...

The national anthem policy put in place by the NFL this offseason says that players may stay in the locker room during the playing of the song, but that those on the field must “stand and show respect” and that teams with players who don’t will be fined by the league.

A teams is permitted to “develop its own work rules” for players who do not stand and show respect and it appears Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey plans to see how his team will be addressing that possibility. Casey raised his fist during the playing of the anthem the last two years and suggested on Wednesday that he is prepared to take any discipline that may come from continuing to do so this season.

“I’m going to take my fine,” Casey said from a promotional event in London, via CNN. “It is what it is, I ain’t going to let them stop me from doing what I want to do. If they want to have these battles between players and organizations, this is the way it’s going to be. … There is always going to be blowback, that is what America is about. They always like to go on social media and go hard. It is what it is, at the end of the day, I don’t pay no mind to it. I’m going to do what I do that’s going to bring light to my community. At the end of the day we got to do a job. But I will continue to use my platform to keep on speaking up.”

While Jets CEO Christopher Johnson has said the team will absorb any fines for violations of the anthem policy, the Titans have not publicly outlined their plans for dealing with such situations.

 

Idiot

 

Julio Jones is holding out for a new contract with three years left on a 5 year 71 million contract. What does he want? Antonio Brown money? He has only finished ahead of him one season, and Brown is the undisputed best in the league right now. Brown makes 3 million a year more than him. And should make more than him. I’m glad that the Falcons told him to go fuck himself.

 

Unfortunately as a Pats fan, I agree with this post. Julio is about the 3-6th best WR in the league. Brown is the best by far and maybe the best we have seen since Jerry Rice. Let me not get ahead of myself. Jones has more physical ability, however nobody runs a route like Brown.

 

Titans want to talk to Jurrell Casey about protests during anthem...

Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey said yesterday he intended to “take my fine” and continue to protest during the national anthem.

But perhaps because the fine isn’t immediately his to pay, the Titans want to talk to him about his plans before the start of the season.

Under the league’s new anthem policy, players who are on the field have to stand and “show respect” for the anthem, and any violations will come in the form of fines for the team.

“In the case of Jurrell Casey, I think our head coach [Mike Vrabel] and General Manager [Jon Robinson] are interested in having a conversation after he gets back from the United Kingdom,” team president Steve Underwood said, via Joey Garrison of the Tennesseean. “We think there may be some misunderstanding on his part. Because the new league new policy does not provide anywhere that fines are made against players. If a player doesn’t stand, the teams can be fined, but not the players.

“There are two things that can happen that are considered to be legitimate under the policy: stay in the locker room or you can stand respectfully during the anthem. And it doesn’t apply just to the players; it applies to every employee of ours. So, we’re not exactly sure why he suggested that he would, as he put, ‘take his fine’ because there will be no fines levied against him.”

Casey made his remarks while on a promotional trip to England. He has never kneeled during the anthem, but has raised a fist afterward. No other Titans players has kneeled either, and Underwood was careful to point out there may be some “confusion about that.”

Underwood said he wasn’t disappointed in anything Casey said, but does want to talk to him when he returns, underscoring what a sensitive topic this is for teams. (PFT)

 

i don't get how he can hold out when he's UNDER SIGNED CONTRACT? What fucking genius lawyer thought of that loophole ?? brilliant. to me - you're under contract. you don't get right to want a new deal with 3 yrs left. beat it.

 

Shades of Terrell Owens "outperforming his contract."

 

“All options are on the table” for anthem policy violations by Dolphins players

Technically, the list of 2018 work rules given by the Dolphins to their players says that suspensions could be imposed for violations of the new anthem policy. As a practical matter, this doesn’t mean that Dolphins players automatically will be suspended for violating a league policy that requires anyone inclined to protest during the anthem to stay in the locker room.

Per a team source, no decisions have been made as to the punishment that the Dolphins will impose if/when players violate the new anthem policy. “All options are on the table,” the source said.

The team was required to put together a list of rules, and like most work rules, few articulate a clear, set formula for how discipline will be imposed. It’s entirely possible that the Dolphins will utilize progressive discipline in this case, beginning with a fine, escalating to a greater fine, and eventually resulting in a suspension (maybe for only one game), if he continues to violate the anthem policy.

Regardless, the notion that any Dolphins player who violates the new anthem policy automatically will be suspended four games is incorrect. Instead, a four-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team represents the maximum discipline that the Dolphins or any other team can impose on a player. (PFT)

 

NFL, NFLPA “working on a resolution to the anthem issue”

The NFL and its Players’ Association released a joint statement Thursday night, hours after word leaked that the Dolphins have included a “Proper Anthem Conduct” section in their nine-page player disciplinary document. The statement said the sides have had recent discussions and are working on a resolution.

“The NFL and NFLPA, through recent discussions, have been working on a resolution to the anthem issue. In order to allow this constructive dialogue to continue, we have come to a standstill agreement on the NFLPA’s grievance and on the NFL’s anthem policy. No new rules relating to the anthem will be issued or enforced for the next several weeks while these confidential discussions are ongoing.

“The NFL and NFLPA reflect the great values of America, which are repeatedly demonstrated by the many players doing extraordinary work in communities across our country to promote equality, fairness and justice.

“Our shared focus will remain on finding a solution to the anthem issue through mutual, good faith commitments, outside of litigation.”

The players’ union filed a grievance against the league over its anthem policy. In response to criticism of players kneeling on the field, the NFL changed its policy this offseason, requiring players either to stand for the national anthem or to stay in the locker room during the anthem. (PFT)

 

Falcons promise Julio Jones to talk deal after season

Julio Jones sat out offseason workouts in hopes of getting a new contract. The Atlanta Falcons will not acquiesce -- at least for now.

The Falcons are not planning to renegotiate the All-Pro receiver's contract with three years left on the deal, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday, according to a source informed of the team's thinking.

However, the Falcons aren't completely ignoring Jones' desire for a new contract. The team promised him in June they would work on a new deal after the 2018 season, a source informed of the situation told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Jeff Schultz of The Athletic first reported the team's decision to not negotiate a new contract this season.

Jones enters the third year of a five-year, $71.25 million contract extension signed in 2015, which lasts through the 2020 season. With Jones under contract through 2020 -- and the team able to wield the franchise tag for two subsequent years -- the Falcons are prioritizing extensions for players entering the final year of their contracts: DT Grady Jarrett, OT Jake Matthews and safety Ricardo Allen, per Rapoport.

It always seemed a long shot for Jones to get a new deal in 2018. NFL teams are generally reticent even to consider a new deal with two years left on a contract. Giving Jones a new contract -- even if he's deserving -- would set a new precedent. NFL teams despise setting precedents.

With the news that the team won't give Jones a pay raise, the question is whether the wideout will attend training camp when Falcons veterans report July 26. Rapoport notes that communication between Jones and the team has remained strong, but the Falcons still haven't been informed about whether he will attend camp.

Jones showing up for Matt Ryan's passing camp is a good sign the wideout is still invested in a team with Super Bowl aspirations. Comments from the receiver earlier this offseason -- notably saying he'd be a Falcon for life -- also indicate he wouldn't hold out.

Things could change, however, if Jones pulls his only leverage play: withholding services. (NFL.com)

 

never heard of this guy. pretty damn funny.

 

Jets WR ArDarius Stewart facing two-game suspension...

A banner offseason for the Jets has taken another turn, as another receiver has found himself in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Jets wideout ArDarius Stewart is facing a two-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, but testing positive for a diuretic or a masking agent.

The league hasn’t announced the suspension or commented (other than having one of their employees report it).

Stewart, their 2017 third-rounder, caught six passes as a rookie last season, and is buried on the depth chart at the moment.

Between the offseason arrest and potential league punishment of Robby Anderson and the release of oft-injured second-rounder Devin Smith, the Jets have had a rough offseason at the position. (PFT)

 

Jaguars pass-rusher Dante Fowler is suspended without pay for the first game of the 2018 regular season for violating the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. ... This is from an arrest in 2017.