NFL - NEWS & NOTES

The oline loves Ben though.

 

Hasn't thrown any of them under the bus yet. Although he didn't throw Bell either, sounds like Bell was saying he was intentionally not throwing the ball to AB, which makes no sense because AB got more thrown his way than anyone else on the team. I realize every WR is wide open on every play according to them, but AB got more passes than anybody else on the team. Bell also said he would have been a Steeler had they offered more guaranteed money, so clearly this wasn't a huge problem for Bell.

 

Report: Nick Easton’s contract disapproved...

It could mean nothing. But it could mean something.

The NFL disapproved Nick Easton‘s contract with the Saints, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports. It is unclear what in the contract was disapproved, so as Rapoport adds, it “could mean just a quick tweak.”

The offensive lineman picked the Saints over the Vikings on Sunday, agreeing to a four-year, $24 million deal.

New Orleans plans to play Easton at center, where it lost Max Unger to retirement last week.

Easton, 26, missed all of last season with a neck injury that required surgery. He started 12 games in 2017 before a fractured ankle ended his season in December. (PFT)

 

Josh Kline agrees to three-year deal with Vikings...

The Vikings have agreed to terms on a three-year, $15.75 million deal with offensive guard Josh Kline, according to multiple reports. Kline gets $7.25 million guaranteed at signing, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN.

The Titans released Kline earlier this month.

The Vikings were desperate for experience at the position after losing Nick Easton to the Saints. Danny Isidora was the team’s only guard with any regular-season experience, having taken 361 career snaps.

Kline, 29, has made starts at left guard and right guard in his career. He started 46 games for the Titans over three seasons after starting 18 in New England.

The Titans claimed him off waivers from the Patriots in 2016. He moved into the starting lineup early that season at right guard after Chance Warmack was injured.

 

Is Ben Roethlisberger the reason the Steelers' 'Killer Bs' no longer exist in Pittsburgh?

Antonio Brown clearly took issue with how the quarterback operated during his accomplished mission to get traded. Now, Le'Veon Bell admits how Big Ben runs the show in Pittsburgh played a role in his desire to escape.

In a lengthy, enlightening interview with Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated, Bell said Roethlisberger wasn't the singular reason in wanting to leave Pittsburgh, but "yes, it was a factor."

Bell took issue with how Roethlisberger handled his leadership role, which included sometimes blasting teammates during his weekly radio spot.

"Quarterbacks are leaders; it is what it is," Bell told Vrentas. "(But) you're still a teammate at the end of the day. You're not Kevin Colbert. You're not [team president Art] Rooney."

Elsewhere in the article, Bell admits had the Steelers structured their contracts with more fully guaranteed money, he'd have signed the deal last year, which suggests the issues with Roethlisberger's leadership tactics were a resolvable impediment.

The complaint about how Big Ben goes about policing the locker room aligns with Brown's critique of the quarterback.

Bell added that Roethlisberger is a "great quarterback" but often takes his biases and preferences with him between the lines.

"The organization wants to win. Tomlin wants to win. Ben wants to win -- but Ben wants to win his way, and that's tough to play with," Bell said. "Ben won a Super Bowl, but he won when he was younger. Now he's at this stage where he tries to control everything, and [the team] let him get there."

Bell added: "So if I'm mad at a player and I'm not throwing him the ball -- if I'm not throwing A.B. the ball and I'm giving JuJu [Smith-Schuster] all the shine or Jesse [James] or Vance [McDonald] or whoever it is, and you know consciously you're making your other receiver mad but you don't care -- it's hard to win that way."

It's clear management has given Roethlisberger free rein to lead the Steelers how he sees fit, an autonomy earned by the future Hall of Famer. Perhaps that power led to the breakup of the top triplets in the NFL.

Click here to read Vrentas' entire intriguing story on Bell, including the floating process on his decision to ultimately skip the entire 2018 season. (NFL.com)

 

I have no doubt that Ben is a total horse's ass and part of me has some empathy for Brown. Ben should've kept things in house after the Denver loss and not embarrassed Brown. AB certainly won't go down in the annals of Emily Post either.

Still, Bell's comments just seem like he's piling on. He's done nothing but talk about getting paid and it seems like he took the chance to make himself look better by backing Brown.

Maybe Ben will look in the mirror and make needed changes in his leadership style or maybe I'll get rich by crappnig golden eggs.

Neither is likely.

 

I think the leadership needs to come from Mike Tomlin a bit more, kind of a checks and balance system to Ben and his idea's. I don't blame Ben or any of them really, there has been a lot said by all parties involved, which in itself is a shame. I don't doubt that winning is the key most important thing to Ben, maybe he's being singled out too, but the descension on the team has been very noticeable and it was just a matter of time till the you know what hit the fan.

Now its time for the Steelers to just regroup and reload and carry on moving forward, said 'Captain Obvious' , lol.

Still a potent football team, but chemistry seems important also and they need to find that in my opinion...

 

great point Will about the leadership and Mike Tomlin. What was he doing all this time when all of this was going on ? It wasn't one incident that led to all of this, it was several. What was he doing, turning the other way ?

 

Uh oh! Jared Cook expected to sign in New Orleans...That offense is gonna be as dynamic as ever.

Big loss for Oakland. They needed to get that done.

 

Colts reach a deal with Justin Houston...

The Colts have saved their salary cap room, resisting the urge to splurge early on free agents.

But they may have found just what they needed by waiting.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Colts have agreed to a deal with former Chiefs pass-rusher Justin Houston. It’s a two-year, $24 million deal, for a team which had paced itself so far this offseason.

Houston had nine sacks in 12 games for the Chiefs last year, and has 78.5 in eight seasons. It’s a drop-off from the 22.0 he had in 2014 which led to a contract, but he’s still a steady disruptor for a defense which could use that.

 

Cornerback Marcus Sherels‘ long run with the Vikings has reportedly come to an end.

Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reports that Sherels has agreed to a one-year deal with the Saints. Per the report, the Vikings hoped to bring Sherels back for a 10th season with the team. Sherels joins center Nick Easton and running back Latavius Murray as players to leave the Vikings for the Saints this offseason.


Sherels signed with the Vikings after going undrafted in 2010 and has spent most of the last eight years as the team’s primary punt returner. He’s the franchise’s leader in punt return touchdowns with five for his career and that number ties him with Percy Harvin and Cordarrelle Patterson for the most special teams touchdowns in Vikings history.

Sherels only played 49 defensive snaps for Minnesota over the last two seasons, so it’s a good bet that those punt return skills will be the biggest part of his job in New Orleans as well.

 

Competition Committee unveils two proposals to change replay rules...

The NFL has released this year’s proposed changes to the league’s playing rules and nine of them have to do with the replay review system.

Two of those proposals come directly from the Competition Committee while the other seven were generated by teams. Each of the proposals from the Competition Committee propose to amend the current replay rules for a one-year period.

The first of those proposals calls for fouls for pass interference to be reviewable. It also proposes expanding automatic replay reviews to include scoring plays and turnovers negated by a foul as well as any attempt for points after a touchdown. The second proposal would include pass interference fouls as well as penalties for roughing the passer and unnecessary contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture.

On the team side, Kansas City made a proposal to make personal fouls reviewable. Unlike the committee’s recommendations, their proposed change would cover both penalized and unpenalized plays.

Washington offered a pair of proposals. One calls for making all plays that occur during a game subject to review while the other asks for personal fouls to be reviewable plays.

The Eagles proposed automatic reviews for all scoring plays and turnovers negated by a penalty. They also joined the Panthers, Rams and Seahawks in a proposal to make player-safety rules violations reviewable whether or not a flag is thrown on the field.

Finally, the Broncos made two proposals. One would subject fourth down plays spotted short of the line to gain or goal line to an automatic review. Their other proposal would make all extra point and two-point conversion attempts subject to automatic review.

Proposed changes by the Competition Committee generally have a better chance of being approved by league owners and we’ll find out next week if the one-year trials they are floating are put into place. (PFT)

 

Full list of proposed NFL rules, bylaws and resolution changes for 2019...

2019 Playing Rule Proposals Summary
1. By Competition Committee; to amend Rule 6 to make permanent the kickoff rule changes that were implemented during the 2018 season.

2. By Competition Committee; to amend Rule 12 to expand protection to a defenseless player.

3. By Competition Committee; to amend Rule 14, Section 5, Article 2 to change the enforcement of double fouls when there is a change of possession.

4. By Competition Committee; to amend Rule 11, Section 4, Article 2 to simplify the application of scrimmage kick rules for missed field goals.

5. By Competition Committee; to amend Rule 14, Section 2, Article 3 to allow teams to elect to enforce on the succeeding try or on the succeeding free kick an opponent’s personal or unsportsmanlike conduct foul committed during a touchdown.

6. By Competition Committee; to amend Rule 15, Section 2 for one year only to expand the reviewable plays in instant replay to include fouls for pass interference; also expands automatic replay reviews to include scoring plays and turnovers negated by a foul, and any Try attempt (extra point or two-point conversion).

6a. By Competition Committee; to amend Rule 15, Section 2 for one year only to expand the reviewable plays in instant replay to include all fouls for pass interference, roughing the passer, and unnecessary contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture; also expands automatic replay reviews to include scoring plays and turnovers negated by a foul, and any Try attempt (extra point or two-point conversion).

7 By Kansas City Chiefs; to amend Rule 16 to (1) allow both teams the opportunity to possess the ball at least one time in overtime, even if the first team to possess the ball in overtime scores a touchdown; (2) eliminate overtime for preseason; and (3) eliminate overtime coin toss so that winner of initial coin toss to begin game may choose whether to kick or receive, or which goal to defend.

8. By Denver; to amend Rule 6, Section 1, Article 1 to provide an alternative to the onside kick that would allow a team who is trailing in the game an opportunity to maintain possession of the ball after scoring.

9. By Washington; to amend Rule 15, Section 2 to subject all plays that occur during a game to coaches’ challenge by teams or review by the Officiating department in the instant replay system.

10. By Washington; to amend Rule 15, Section 2, Article 5 to add review of personal fouls as reviewable plays in the instant replay system.

11. By Kansas City; to amend Rule 15, Section 2, to add review of personal fouls (called or not called on the field) as plays subject to coaches’ challenge in the instant replay system.

12. By Carolina, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia, and Seattle; to amend Rule 15, Section 2, to add review of designated player safety-related fouls (called or not called on the field) as plays subject to coaches’ challenge in the instant replay system.

13. By Philadelphia; to amend Rule 15, Section 2, to add scoring plays and turnovers negated by a foul to be subject to automatic review in the instant replay system.

14. By Denver; to amend Rule 15, Section 2, to add all fourth down plays that are spotted short of the line to gain or goal line to be subject to automatic review in the instant replay system.

15. By Denver; to amend Rule 15, Section 2, to add all Try attempts (Extra point or Two-point conversion) to be subject to automatic review in the instant replay system.

16. By Competition Committee; to amend Rule 15, Section 1, Article 5 to allow League personnel to disqualify for both flagrant football and non-football acts.

2019 Bylaw Proposals Summary
1. By Buffalo; to amend Article XVII, Section 17.4 to liberalize the rule for reacquisition of a player assigned via waivers.

2. By Competition Committee; to amend Article XVII, Section 17.1 to provide clubs with more roster flexibility during training camp.

3. By Competition Committee; to amend Article XVIII, Section 18.1 to provide teams more effective access to players during the postseason.

4. By Competition Committee; to amend Article XIV, Section 14.3(B)(8) to make the tiebreaking procedures fairer for the selection meeting.

5. By Competition Committee; to amend Article XVII, Section 17.1 to provide additional roster spots during the preseason.

6. By Competition Committee; to amend Article XVII, Section 12.3 to offer more roster flexibility.

2019 Resolution Proposals Summary
G-1. By Competition Committee; to amend the Anti-Tampering Policy to permit an interested club to contact a Vested Veteran before clubs have been notified of the player’s termination via the Player Personnel Notice if (i) the players is not subject to the Waivers System and, (ii) the employer club has publicly announced the player’s release.

G-2. By Washington; to amend current League practices regarding teams’ post-game officiating inquiries and allow opposing teams to receive the League’s post-game responses to any officiating inquiries submitted by either team.

G-3. Withdrawn, By Philadelphia; to continue the annual tradition of having Dallas and Detroit play on Thanksgiving, provided that one of those clubs host a home game with the other club playing away, and alternating home and away games each subsequent season.

 

Malcolm Brown will remain in Los Angeles...

The Rams are matching the offer sheet the Lions gave Brown, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

It’s a two-year, $3.25 million deal for Brown, who gets a $100,000 signing bonus and $1 million guaranteed. He’ll serve as Todd Gurley‘s backup, and C.J. Anderson apparently won’t have a roster spot despite playing well late in the season when both Brown and Gurley were hurt.

Brown entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie and the Rams tendered him only at the original-round level, so the Lions would not have had to give any compensation to the Rams if the Rams hadn’t matched the Lions’ offer.

Last year Brown had 43 carries for 212 yards before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 12. (PFT)

 

odd philly wanted to change history before backing out and have the cowboy and lions NOT host a Thanksgiving game? who cares? you're on the road 8 games a season. so you wanna be home for Thanksgiving Day ?

 

I think the Eagles just basically didn't want Dallas being home for the holiday every year. Home field advantage is huge in todays game. Seeing the Cowboys have to travel would make them happy and even give other venues a chance to host a TDG game. I personally get tired of the Lions always being at home as a Vikings fan... and from a game standpoint the Lions have been terrible forever.

 

The issue is the rest for the Cowboys and how the schedule benefits them. The Eagles were always gonna withdraw this proposal. They just wanted some awareness on the issue.

 

I'm not understanding - every team plays the same amount at home and on the road. Why would this one game be of consequence for purposes of player conditioning? At least half the teams in the league play an away Thursday game, or thereabouts. Why is this one different in regards to player conditioning?

 

i don't know d-line. maybe they want to be home for thanksgiving vs in detroit or dallas ?

 

I'm sure this strictly has to do with money, from a franchise perspective. I don't understand how it could be a roster issue, but I'm willing to hear whatever reasoning people have.