NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Will, the thought actually occurred to me that it might be Vikings related and Wins. But I dismissed the notion very quickly. After all, the Vikings have never won dick. Sure, sure, they’ve lost four SB’s, but they didn’t achieve* that in consecutive years like the Bills, and never get credit. (* Remember, if your team loses in the SB, it means that 30 other teams lost earlier.)

 

lol.

Here's to another lost SB... oh wait, what would happen if the Bills meet the Vikings in the SB? Oh , the horror! F'ing tie.

 

I predict the first 0-0 tie in SB history. After 40 OT’s they just say fu€< it and cut the Lombardi in half.

 

Oh, the 20,000 fans in the stands at the start of the SB quickly dwindled to less than 10. And those 10 were all drunk Kilkenny fans waiting for the Cats’ All-Ireland Hurling match to get started. People have lost track of how many championships the Cats have brought home. It’s an awfully large number.

 

WTF? I have never heard two losers fighting over who’s the Goat of losing.

 

Zach Ertz: I want to be here for the long run, not sure feeling is mutual



A report last week indicated that contract talks between the Eagles and tight end Zach Ertz had come to a halt after the team put forth an offer that included less guaranteed money than they had on the table last November.

Ertz is under contract through next season, but he didn’t sound like he expects to play out his current contract. Ertz told reporters that he’s viewing this season as his Philly swan song because he isn’t getting the impression that the Eagles want him on the team as much as he wants to be there.

“I’m an emotional guy when it comes to football. . . . It’s been frustrating at times, it’s been difficult,” Ertz said, via Zach Berman of TheAthletic.com. “I said all along I want be here for the long run. I don’t know if for sure that feeling is mutual. I’m going to play this year like it’s my last year.”

With a season about to start and another year on Ertz’s deal, there’s time for the two sides to come back together for further conversations about an extension. Ertz’s comments make it clear that no one should be surprised if that doesn’t happen, however.

NBC

 

Texans' Brandin Cooks a game-time decision against Chiefs

Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks is a true game-day decision.

Cooks was listed on the injury report as questionable with a quad injury. But he has improved the past 24 hours and there's optimism he'll play tonight against the Kansas City Chiefs, a source tells NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Cooks may work out before the game to be sure.

The 26-year-old Oregon State product had 42 receptions for 583 yards with the Los Angeles Rams last season before being traded to Houston in April. He is expected to help fill the hole left by the loss of All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins, who was traded to Arizona.

The Texans kick off the season against the Chiefs at 8:20 p.m. ET tonight in a rematch of last season's Divisional Round playoff game, won by Kansas City 51-31.

NFL.com

 

Brandin Cooks Active Tonight

 

David Montgomery up to full practice, Robert Quinn out again for Bears



It looks like running back David Montgomery is going to be in the Bears lineup against the Lions on Sunday.

Montgomery hurt his groin during a training camp practice and there was some question about whether he’d recover in time for the opener. He was limited in Wednesday’s practice, but said he was just being cautious before moving up to a full practice on Thursday.

“I’d be hurting the team more if I was to come back earlier than I was supposed to and continue to be hurt and hurt myself again,” Montgomery said, via NBCSportsChicago.com. “So I hurt the team, but I hurt myself, too. The biggest thing is being smart with myself, being smart with my body and being sure I communicate with the training staff and the coaches to let them know how I feel and taking it one day at a time.”

The news was less positive for linebackers Robert Quinn and Khalil Mack. Quinn sat out his second practice in a row with an ankle injury while Mack remained limited with a knee issue.

NBC

 

Chiefs manhandle Texans yet again, winning season opener 34-20



Stop if you’ve heard this before: The Texans took a first quarter lead on the Chiefs, shutting them out in the first 15 minutes. And then, it was all Chiefs, all night.

Kansas City fell behind 7-0 in the first quarter before scoring 31 unanswered points. The Texans tacked on two late touchdowns, but it was too little, too late against the defending Super Bowl champions.

The Chiefs won 34-20 on Thursday night, celebrating their Super Bowl LIV before the game and their season-opening victory afterward.

The Texans’ 2019 season ended in Kansas City in the divisional round of the playoffs when they blew a 24-0 lead, losing 51-31. Their 2020 season begins with another resounding loss in Kansas City, and the Ravens are next on Houston’s schedule.

The Chiefs looked at least as good, if not better, than they did in 2019.

Patrick Mahomes, the Super Bowl LIV MVP, went 24-of-32 for 211 yards and three touchdowns. Sammy Watkins made seven catches for 82 yards and a touchdown, while Travis Kelce caught six passes for 50 yards and a score and Tyreek Hill added five receptions for 46 and a touchdown.

It wasn’t only the familiar names who stood out for the Chiefs, though.

Rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for 138 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, and another rookie, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, had three tackles, two pass breakups and an interception he returned 39 yards to set up a touchdown.

The Chiefs sacked Deshaun Watson four times, including 1.5 by Chris Jones and one by Frank Clark.

Watson went 20-for-32 for 253 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He looked like he missed DeAndre Hopkins, though Will Fuller caught eight passes for 112 yards.

Running back David Johnson, obtained in the trade that sent Hopkins to Arizona, ran for 77 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.

NBC

 

Bill O’Brien: Texans have a lot to fix



Texans coach Bill O’Brien was not pleased with the beatdown his team took in Kansas City to start the 2020 NFL season on Thursday night.

O’Brien said after the game that the Texans’ performance was disappointing and needs to be better.

“There’s a lot to fix,” O’Brien said, via the Houston Chronicle. “We have a long way to go here obviously. We had trouble stopping the run. Our defense could not get off the field, so we got down. We have to improve very quickly this week.”

The Texans have now played two straight games against the Chiefs, last night and in last season’s divisional playoff round, and they’ve lost those two games by a combined score of 85-51. A playoff rematch between these two teams would not be surprising, but O’Brien is right that the Texans have to fix a lot to compete with an elite team like the Chiefs.

NBC

 

The reports from Steelers camp is that rookie Chase Claypool may get a decent amount of playing time even against the Giants in week one. So if you own him in fantasy he could be a better option than some other WRs on your roster.

 

Xavien Howard, DeVante Parker ready to go for Dolphins



The Dolphins had five limited participants in practice of Monday and Tuesday, but none of them are in danger of missing Sunday’s game against the Patriots.

Cornerback Xavien Howard was one of the five and he said last weekend that he wasn’t sure if he’d be ready to play after spending time on the physically unable to perform list due to the knee injury that limited him to five games last year. He was a full participant on Friday, however, and does not have an injury designation for Sunday.

Wide receiver DeVante Parker was limited by a hamstring injury, but he joined Howard, tight end Mike Gesicki (glute), cornerback Byron Jones (Achilles), linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hand) and wide receiver Preston Williams (knee) in practicing fully and getting the green light to play this weekend.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (hip) was a full participant for the third straight day and will be backing up Ryan Fitzgerald on Sunday. Safety Clayton Fejedelem (pectoral) is listed as doubtful after two limited practices in a row.

NBC

 

Bucs tag Mike Evans as doubtful for Sunday



Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians suggested that wide receiver Mike Evans would be a game-time decision for Week One’s game against the Saints as a result of the hamstring injury that kept him out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but the team gave Evans an injury designation that makes it unlikely that he’ll play.

Evans has been listed as doubtful for the season opener. He could be upgraded to questionable on Saturday, but players who carry that tag into Sunday are rarely on the field come kickoff. Left tackle Donovan Smith was the only player listed as doubtful for any game by the Bucs last season and he did not play.

Chris Godwin, Scotty Miller, Justin Watson, Jaydon Mickens, and Tyler Johnson would be the available receivers for Tampa if Evans can’t go.

Evans is the only player on the Bucs roster whose status for Sunday is up in the air. No other players received an injury designation on Friday’s report.

NBC

 

20.3 million watch Texans-Chiefs opener



The NFL has loaded several great games into the first week of the 2020 regular season. Texans-Chiefs, a rematch of a 51-31 postseason blowout, was not one of those great games. Lack of kickoff-game sizzle notwithstanding, the game delivered because pro football always delivers.

According to NBC, the opening game averaged 20.3 million viewers across all platforms, based on preliminary numbers. Of that amount, 970,000 watched the game through digital means, the highest ever for a non-Super Bowl and a 55-percent increase over last year’s 627,000 for the season opener.

The audience crossed the 20 million threshold even though the Chiefs won easily, taking a 14-7 lead in the first half and never looking back. The audience peaked at 22.0 million between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. ET.

And the numbers would have been higher, if the matchup had been better (the Texans simply aren’t a team with a national following), if the game had been closer (the Chiefs led 24-7 entering the fourth quarter), and if 3.3 million viewers hadn’t been watching NBA or NHL playoff games, due to the unprecedented overlap of basketball and hockey postseasons with football season.

From the league’s perspective, there weren’t many options better than the Texans for the Kansas City home opener when the schedule was set. The only other compelling opponent entering Week One (some games may become more compelling as the season unfolds) would have been the Patriots, but as of early May their starting quarterback was Jarrett Stidham, not Cam Newton.

As a result, the numbers dropped from last year’s Packers-Bears showdown to start the NFL’s 100th season. Those who want to blame the reduced numbers on league, team, and player sensitivity to social justice will ignore the reality that, this year, the game simply wasn’t as attractive. So maybe, when it comes to picking the first game of the season, the defending Super Bowl champion no longer should have dibs.

Indeed, if the 2020 opener had been Buccaneers-Saints, featuring Tom Brady‘s first game with a team other than the Patriots, the numbers would have been dramatically higher.

That’s the ultimate reality when it comes to viewership. One game doesn’t define a season. Given everything that’s currently happening in the world, the fact that the NFL delivered more than 20 million viewers at the same time watching the same thing for the first time since the pandemic was declared is significant, and it cements the reality that nothing gathers a huge crowd for a live event like the NFL.

NBC

 

I was one of the 20.3M... I enjoyed it.

 

Air quality could force change in Sunday’s Cardinals-49ers game



The Air Quality Index in Santa Clara has gotten worse, not better.

As of 7:00 p.m. ET, the AQI in Santa Clara was at 199 due to wildfires in the aea. That’s only one point below the level at which the NFL would deem the conditions unsafe. (Earlier in the day, it was above 200.)

Conditions and forecasts have changed dramatically for the area in the past day. As of Thursday, the AQI was expected to be in the 80s for Sunday.

The NFL’s policy on this issue reads as follows:

“Air quality is an important aspect of a safe game day environment. Many factors can affect air quality including temperature, humidity, local pollution from combustion engines, wildfires, volcanic activity, and industrial accidents. The biggest health risk occurs when levels of particulate matter rise to a level that can irritate the airways and cause breathing problems, especially during exercise.

“The most widely accepted scientific assessment measure for air quality is the Air Quality Index (‘AQI’). Medical experts have generally agreed that an AQI that consistently measures over 200 in the immediate vicinity of the stadium signifies very unhealthy conditions in which vigorous exercise is not recommended. The AQI is easily measured and widely available to the public through media sources.

“The NFL Football Operations department will initiate contingency planning when smoke from an extensive fire or other pollutants present a significant health risk to an area in, or in close proximity of, an NFL stadium hosting a game. The NFL Football Operations department will monitor the website http://AirNow.Gov, which provides real-time AQI data and was developed by the EPA and other federal and state agencies. In addition to the http://AirNow.Gov website, the NFL Football Operations department will consult with their contracted weather service and agencies within the affected area and will obtain hourly AQI measurements from the instruments those agencies use to measure AQI. In many instances, local air quality fluctuates based on meteorological conditions. NFL Football Operations will also consult with the NFL Chief Medical Officer and other medical consultants as may be deemed
helpful to get medical input on the air conditions and potential medical implications. Accordingly, NFL Football Operations will work closely with the home club and local authorities and will be prepared to relocate a game if there is definitive evidence that the AQI will remain consistently above 200 for a significant period of time, including the day of the game being played in the affected stadium.”

Coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the situation during a Friday press conference.

“I try not to worry about things I’m not involved in,” Shanahan said. “So I’m just trying to get our team ready to play this game. I’m sure that the NFL has had some discussions with other people, not any coaches, I don’t think. Not [Arizona Cardinals coach] Kliff [Kingsbury] or I. So we’re just getting ready for this game. If it is at 200, I know that’s when they’ll decide whether we play or not, how to go forward with that, but I’m not really sure of the contingency plans.”

The easiest fix would entail flipping home games, sending the contest to Arizona with the Week 16 rematch happening in Santa Clara. However, that would put the 49ers on the road for the first three games of the season, and it would result in four of five home games to end the season. Likewise, it would give the Cardinals three straight home games to start the season, and five of the last seven games on the road.

Another possibility (as we see it) would be to move the game to Monday night, when a lower AQI is in the forecast.

NBC

 

Vikings, Dalvin Cook agree to terms on a five-year extension



For Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, the bird in the hand was worth two in the bush. Primarily because it’s unclear whether two are even in the bush.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Vikings and running back Dalvin Cook have agreed to terms on a five-year extension.

NFL Media supplements our report with some basic numbers. The deal has a base value of $63 million, which equates to a new-money average of $12.3 million. Cook also has more than $28 million in injury guarantees at signing.

The deal is far better than Cook’s alternative. He would have rolled the dice for only $1.3 million this year, despite playing one of the most physically demanding positions in football. And if he’d made it through the season unscathed, the Vikings could have franchise-tagged him at an amount that has been dropping (due to the running back market) and will be in the range of $8.3 million if the cap craters to the agreed minimum of $175 million in 2021, due to the pandemic.

So taking the deal — which pays him above what he would have made over the next three years under the tag route — made a ton of sense for Cook, especially since the Vikings typically don’t pay players over the tag formula on a long-term deal.

Cook now has security and certainty, and the Vikings have under contract for six seasons one of the better running backs in the NFL, when healthy.

“When healthy” also was a big part of this decision. Cook has had an injury in every year of his career, starting with an ACL tear as a rookie. He knows what can happen without financial security, because he’s had it happen. Now, he has the security that, if he suffers another serious injury in 2020, he may have never had.

NBC

 

Saints, Alvin Kamara tie the knot



The deal is done. With just a few days to spare.

Per a league source, the Saints and running back Alvin Kamara have reached agreement on a five-year, $75 million extension. The deal includes $34.333 million in injury guarantees. Of that amount, more than $30 million is guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap at signing.

The contracts was reached just four days before the start of the regular season, with the Saints hosting the Buccaneers.

The new-money average of $15 million on Kamara’s contract ties him at No. 2 for all running backs, behind Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey at $16 million per year and even with Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.

Kamara also gets a $15 million signing bonus, all of which will be paid out in 2020. McCaffrey receives $7.5 million of his signing bonus in 2020, another $7.5 million in 2021, and the balance in 2022.

Kamara’s cash flow through two years is $27.2 million, just behind Bengals running back Joe Mixon’s $27.517 million but in excess of Titans running back Derrick Henry’s $25.5 million.

Over three years, Kamara gets $38.2 million, Mixon gets $37.616 million, and Henry receives $37.5 million.

NBC

 

Titans’ Isaiah Wilson arrested for DUI



Titans offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson, the team’s first-round pick in this year’s NFL draft, was arrested overnight for driving under the influence.

According to police records published by AtoZSportsNashville.com, Wilson was arrested at 11:29 p.m., booked at 12:44 a.m. and released on bond at 1:28 a.m. Wilson reportedly took two breath tests and was over the legal limit both times, recording a 0.107 and 0.113.

“We are aware of the situation,” the Titans said in a statement. “This is not conduct that is indicative of the character of our football team and we are working through details on how to proceed.”

Wilson is currently on the NFL’s COVID-19 reserve list, which makes it fair to ask why he was out at all, in addition to asking why he was drinking and driving. Wilson has been on the COVID-19 list twice this offseason. Players can go on the list either because they test positive or because they’ve been exposed to someone who tested positive.

Last month Wilson was given a trespass warning by Tennessee State University police when the university had a strict no-visitors policy on its campus. Coach Mike Vrabel said at the time that he would “stress the importance of good decision making” with Wilson and the team. That message may not have gotten through.

NBC