NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Good point.

Its my understanding the sole purpose in bringing in Kubiak was to get a run game going and mix up the offense. Kubiak should have gotten more attention/credit in my opinion. After all, the play-action became efficient and workable under his tutoring do to a strong run game.

 

The only draw back to Kubiak is he has had some health issues that forced him out a couple of times.

 

George Paton will not be the next Cleveland Browns general manager.

Paton has pulled himself out of the running for the Browns gig, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Friday, per a source informed of the decision.

Paton had a second interview in Cleveland earlier this week.

The Vikings assistant GM has been a hot candidate for several seasons but was reticent to leave Minnesota. Given the connection with new Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, the Vikings former offensive coordinator, Paton was considered a front-runner for the gig. In the end, Paton will stay put.

With Paton pulling out of the running, that leaves Eagles executive Andrew Berry as the front-runner for the Cleveland GM gig. Berry previously served as the Browns' vice president of player personnel from 2016-2018 before moving to Philadelphia.

source; NFL.com

 

Everyone seems to forget that Eliot Wolfe (former Asst GM with Green Bay) is already in the building and has been for two years.

 

Why, do you suppose, he's not mentioned in the forefront like all the others? Seems like if an 'in house' guy is there, there would be some public talk?

 

Lawyer claims Antonio Brown, who faces potential life imprisonment, was “overcharged”

Antonio Brown will soon leave police custody, on $110,000 bond. The charges he currently faces could put him behind bars for a long time, however.

Via Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com, Brown faces among other things a charge of felony burglary with battery. It carries a potential sentence of life in prison.

“They overcharged him,” attorney Lorne Berkeley said, according to Wolfe. “Once a thorough investigation is done, we believe the charges filed will most likely be very different than they are right now.”

Brown’s other lawyer, Eric Schwartzreich, disputed the notion that Brown is suffering from a mental-health condition.

“I don’t think there’s any mental health issues with him,” Schwartzreich said. “Antonio Brown’s life right now is a reality show. He is misinterpreted and misunderstood. He’s not guilty of these charges. He did not commit a felony battery. In this case, when all the facts come out, you will see he will be vindicated and he will be found not guilty.”

On the issue of mental health, prosecutors pointed to concerns recently articulated by his former agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and the mother of three of Brown’s children, Chelsie Kyriss. Brown has been ordered to undergo a mental-health evaluation.

The charges arise from Brown’s alleged interactions with the driver of a moving truck who was trying to deliver Brown’s California belongings. Brown allegedly threw rocks at the truck, battered the driver, and removed the property from the truck after a dispute over payment.

“He turned himself in,” Schwartzreich said. “He did the right thing. He surrendered. He’s concerned for the charges and rightfully so. He’s ready for this fight. He’s ready for his vindication. It’s going to take some time, but we are going to put the train on that track.”

Apart from Brown’s legal predicament, the latest incident further complicates his eligibility to play in the NFL, since it constitutes a separate potential basis for discipline under the Personal Conduct Policy. That’s likely the least of his concerns, for now.

source; NBCsports

 

This is very sad sounds like his life is a real mess

 

Former Chiefs safety Eric Berry plans to play in 2020

One of the best safeties of the past decade could be back in the NFL soon.

After sitting out the 2019 season, Eric Berry intends to play in 2020, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported. It could be his biggest comeback yet, in a career full of them.

Berry has appeared in just three regular-season games over the past three years, with a ruptured Achilles sidelining him for nearly two full seasons. He was last on the field just 12 months ago for the Chiefs' AFC Championship Game loss to the Patriots.

Released soon after, the three-time All-Pro drew interest from other teams but wanted to recover both mentally and physically after being cut by the only NFL team he'd ever known, per Garafolo.

Kansas City drafted Berry with the fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft and he immediately made good on its investment by earning a Pro Bowl invite as a rookie. After tearing his ACL in the 2011 season opener, he returned to the Pro Bowl in 2012. It's a distinction he's earned in all five of his complete seasons. Unfortunately, he's played a combined 10 games in four others.

How many will the 31-year-old DB play following another sabbatical? History suggests not counting Berry out.

source; NFL.com

 

• Lamar Jackson really sucks after he has a bye week. The Ravens have to play him every week no off weeks.

 

The Peo Bowl is way too violent.

 

I turned it off after 5 minutes of it. Not my cup of tea.

 

WTF typical Capt Kirk INT laughing the Pro Bowl is ugh this new rule 4th and 15 at the 25?

 

Wow Kobe Bryant has died in a Helicopter crash may God Bless his family at this terrible time

 

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, impending free agent Matt Judon could be a candidate for the franchise tag.
The franchise tag for linebackers carries a projected $16.27 million salary. Per Schefter, the Ravens could tag Judon and then look to trade him, just as Kansas City did last offseason by dealing Dee Ford to San Francisco. Coming off a career-high 9.5 sacks and four forced fumbles, Judon should draw considerable trade interest if the Ravens choose to go that route.

 

Having a hard time understanding the trade portion of this. He's their best pass rusher, they have little depth at the position and they have plenty of cap space.

 

The Texans will have a General Manager, after all.

The Texans have given coach Bill O’Brien the General Manager label. Also, Jack Easterby has become the team’s executive V.P. of football operations.

It’s an unexpected ending to a process that began in June, when the Texans abruptly fired G.M. Brian Gaine, with the initial plan to hire Patriots V.P. of player personnel Nick Caserio to replace Gaine. The Patriots filed a tampering charge, and the Texans abandoned the pursuit.

Before doing so, the Texans interviewed a pair of minority candidates for the G.M. job: Ray Farmer and Martin Mayhew. The Fritz Pollard Alliance objected to the decision to interview a pair of minority candidates and then to hire no one for the job. The move created the obvious impression that Farmer and Mayhew never were legitimate candidates, and that the Texans were simply engaged in an exercise in checking the box, twice.

It will be interesting to see whether the Fritz Pollard Alliance has anything to say about the elevation of O’Brien and Easterby without a job search that included at least one minority candidate for their positions, especially in light of recent criticism of the league for a regression in the hiring of African-American candidates for key positions.

“This is the way we’ve been operating for the last 8 months,” Texans owner Cal McNair told John McClain of the Houston Chronicle regarding the promotions. “They led us to a 10-win season, another division title and into the divisional round. Our goal is to win championships.”

The Texans mortgaged the future with moves made by O’Brien and Easterby on Labor Day weekend, and they enter the offseason with limited draft picks and a quarterback who may soon begin clamoring for a record contract. And in the event the Texans regress in 2020, consider this: McClain reports that neither O’Brien nor Easterby have emerged from this process with more money or a longer contract.

source; NBCsports

 

Hall of Fame defensive lineman Chris Doleman died Tuesday night after a two-year battle with brain cancer. He was 58.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Doleman’s passing in a press release.

“The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Chris Doleman after a prolonged and courageous battle against cancer,” David Baker, the president and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, said in a news release. “I had the honor of getting to know him not only as a great football player but an outstanding human being. One of the honors of my life was witnessing Chris get baptized in the Jordan River during a Hall of Fame trip to Israel. The legacy of Chris Doleman will live forever in Canton, Ohio, for generations to learn from how he lived a life of courage and character.”

The Vikings, who selected Doleman with the fourth overall choice in 1985, also confirmed the bad news.

“The Minnesota Vikings express our deepest sympathies to Chris Doleman’s family and friends upon his passing,” the team said in a statement. “Chris was a great example for players past and present as he embodied all the best characteristics of a Viking — resilience, toughness and a competitive spirit. Chris always carried himself with dignity and class. Vikings fans worldwide will greatly miss him.”

In his fifth season, Doleman led the league with 21 sacks. He made 150.5 sacks in his 15-year career that included three years with the 49ers and two with the Falcons.

Doleman earned first-team All-Pro in 1987, ’89 and ’92 and was an eight-time Pro Bowler. He also was second-team all-decade for the 1990s.

He earned induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

Doleman, diagnosed with glioblastoma, underwent surgery on Jan. 25, 2018, to remove a cancerous tumor in his brain. Two other tumors were treated with radiation and chemotherapy.

Three days ago, Doleman tweeted: “Today is my 2 year anniversary of being a brain cancer survivor! Huge!”

 

The Browns have hired Alex Van Pelt as their offensive coordinator, Zac Jackson of TheAthletic.com reports.

They also have hired Jeff Howard as defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports.

Van Pelt, 49, is leaving Cincinnati after two seasons as the quarterbacks coach of the Bengals.

He becomes the fourth coordinator for Baker Mayfield, who also has had Todd Haley, Freddie Kitchens and Todd Monken.

Van Pelt has spent only one season as a coordinator, with that coming in 2009 in Buffalo when he also served as the quarterbacks coach. He has coached quarterbacks in Buffalo, Tampa Bay and Green Bay as well as Cincinnati.

He coached Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay from 2014-17.

Van Pelt coached the running backs in Green Bay in 2012-13, the only two seasons of his coaching career when he wasn’t a quarterbacks coach.

The Steelers made him an eighth-round choice in 1993. He spent eight seasons as a backup quarterback, throwing 16 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.

Van Pelt will join Mike Priefer and Joe Woods as the team’s coordinators. Priefer will lead the special teams and Woods will leave San Francisco, where he is defensive backs coach, after Super Bowl LIV to become the Browns’ defensive coordinator.

 

Lamar Jackson’s unanimous MVP was unexpected

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson deserved to be the unanimous MVP. But it’s unexpected that he was.

The same 50 voters who determine the MVP award on a one-vote-per-voter basis (with no second-place or third-place ballots) also select the All-Pro team, with all votes due at the same time. So when the All-Pro team balloting revealed that Jackson did not secure all 50 votes for the quarterback position, with Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson getting three of them, many assumed that three MVP votes would land with Wilson as well.

That wasn’t the case, creating a bizarre dichotomy in the minds of Bill Polian, Pat Kirwan, and Jim Miller, who each voted for Wilson as the All-Pro quarterback, but who voted for quarterback Jackson as the MVP.

Although the ballots are cast at the same time, it’s possible that one or more of them, stung by criticism arising from their failure to recognize that Jackson was the best quarterback of the 2019 regular season, contacted the AP and changed their votes, in order to avoid a Super Bowl Eve repeat of that same scrutiny.

Ultimately, the right decision was made, and the right message was sent: Jackson’s special season deserved not just the same MVP award that one person gets every year but the only-the-second-time-ever designation of being not the first choice but the only choice. (Tom Brady won unanimous MVP in 2010.) Although reasonable minds may differ on plenty of subjects regarding the performances of the best of the best NFL players and coaches, Jackson’s incredible year, with both a single-season quarterback rushing record and a league-leading number of touchdown passes for a team that won 14 of 16 games, deserved to join the ultra-exclusive club of unanimous MVP winners.

Which is definitely a much smaller club than the all-time unanimous All-Pros. Which makes the disconnect between the two votes even more strange.

source; NBCsports