MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Patrick Mahomes can envision Chiefs increasing passes to RBs out of the backfield



As long as the Chiefs have Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, they’re going to be one of the league’s most explosive offenses.

But one element Kansas City apparently would like to improve for 2021 is increasing the running backs’ involvement in the team’s pass game.

Second-year back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has talked about how improving his hands has been a focus during the offseason. With a stable of backs that also includes Jerrick McKinnon, Darrell Williams, and Darwin Thompson, Mahomes also said last week that he’d like to take advantage of their talents.

“We have these backs that catch the ball so well out of the backfield, so why not utilize them?” Mahomes said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN. “Clyde, Jerick McKinnon, Darrel, Darwin, all of these guys are really good at running and catching the ball and running routes in space and so using them … I think you’ll see a wide variety of stuff that we’ll come into the season with and that’s where you want to be with a great offense.”

As Teicher pointed out, Chiefs running backs finished 19th last year with 76 receptions and 17th with 584 yards receiving.

Kansas City was still first in total offense and sixth in scoring en route to a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance.

There’s no reason to believe the Chiefs’ offense should significantly regress after their offseason moves. But having another element to plan for could lead to even more sleepless nights for opposing defensive coordinators in 2021.

PFT

 

Sean McVay: Rams are 'not gonna run away from the expectations'

The Los Angeles Rams have become kings of playing to win now. Trading away first-round picks for seven years will have that effect on roster-building.

The Matthew Stafford trade is viewed as the puzzle piece that could put the Rams back into Super Bowl contention after two disappointing offensive seasons.

The Rams have NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey leading one of the best defenses in the NFL; a receiver corps of the perennially underrated Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, speedster DeSean Jackson and second-year player Van Jefferson; running backs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson; and an offensive line anchored by the ageless Andrew Whitworth. With Stafford, the pieces are in place for a deep postseason run.

In June, on paper, the Rams should be one of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' biggest threats in the NFC to a potential repeat.

In an interview with Albert Breer of The MMQB, coach Sean McVay said he and his club embrace those expectations.

"You're not gonna run away from the expectations," he told Breer. "Every single team in the NFL has one goal right now, and that's to win a Super Bowl. And I believe the teams that know, and the teams that have actually accomplished that, they know that you only do that by being where your feet are planted. The one thing that I would say, there's a belief in the ability to do what we want to be able to do. Now, you don't do that unless you are where your feet are planted. But there's a belief, there's a confidence in the people you're around.

"And when you enjoy that? We're not gonna ask anybody to do anything that's more than they can actually accomplish. And there's a real peace of mind that accompanies that if you know, Hey, there's gotta be hard work, there's gotta be a process, there's gotta be standards that we uphold day-in and day-out. But you know what? If we do those things, I believe we can go into games, and expect to be able to come away with the result that we want."

Stafford, who never won a playoff game in 12 years in Detroit, is the most significant factor in the prospects rising from the Rams being a decent playoff contender to having a Super Bowl on its radar.

McVay is thrilled to have the big-armed QB in the building.

"Bro, this dude's a bad MF-er," McVay said of Stafford. "Whatever people say about him, as good as it can be, he's even better than advertised. It makes sense to him. The guy's ability to see the game, his ability to draw on his experiences, the feel that he has, it's pretty special and unique. And man, his feel for people, his authentic way of connecting with his teammates, his coaches, this guy, it's great being around him."

Stafford's play and the Rams' expectations will be intrinsically linked this season, fair or not. If the QB struggles, his record in Detroit will be used as an example of how he's not a winner. If the Rams soar into the postseason, sea poems will be written about how Stafford just needed to find a better situation to find success finally.

June storylines don't mean diddly-squat once games start. But many do persist in developing the narrative that will run the rest of the calendar year. Expectations for the Rams unearthed by the Stafford trade will be one of those stories constantly referred to once the 2021 season finally gets underway.

NFL.com

 

I lost some respect for McVay after the way he handled the Super bowl loss.

If this thing in LA does fall as flat as it may (more on that in the coming days) then maybe media narrative will change to fit the reality of McVay's tenure instead of slobbing on him for his press conference demeanor.

 

Tom Brady on a team that wasn’t interested in him last year: “You’re sticking with that motherf–ker?”



Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady appears on the new episode of The Shop: Uninterrupted on HBO. And something he says will have people talking in barber shops and beyond.

HBO has posted a promo for the episode. Regarding his 2020 foray into free agency, Brady says this about an unnamed NFL franchise: “One of the teams, they weren’t interested at the very end. I was thinking, you’re sticking with that motherf–ker?”

The team to which Brady is referring isn’t clear. It’s well known that Brady very much wanted to sign with the 49ers, and that the 49ers opted to stick with Jimmy Garoppolo.

So maybe Jimmy G is the unnamed motherf–ker. Maybe we’ll only find out who the unnamed motherf–ker is if the Bucs win another Super Bowl, and if Brady gets drunk again on avocado tequila.

PFT

 

Boo hoo brady if it really pissed ya off that much name the team dont be chicken shit about it. Truth is for 5 minutes sports was going to talk about someone other than Brady and his panties got in a bunch. Hey i know how i can make myself relevant ill talk about the team that spurned me.

 

it is just mindblowing how petty some people really are,your a great qb why would you give a fuck and you won another SB

 

He literally went out and won another SB out of spite and pettiness. That's just who he is. He's such an incredibly small person. I'm glad some other people here see it.

 

Justin Fields believes in the Bears’ plan at quarterback



Justin Fields has been told that he is not competing to be the Bears’ Week One starting quarterback, and he’s OK with that.

The Bears’ plan is to have Fields as the backup to Andy Dalton when the season begins, and Fields says he believes in that plan.

“If I don’t believe in it then it’s not going to work out. So my job is strictly to get better, to be the best quarterback I can be, and help my team win,” Fields said, via Larry Hawley of WGN.

Fields said he’ll stay busy during the next month as he remains in regular contact with coach Matt Nagy and prepares himself for training camp.

“Just work out, study film, meet with coach Nagy individually on Zoom. Most likely just talk about the playbook,” said Fields. “Right now I have a base idea of what plays we have right now so just diving into that more and just focusing on the smaller details because when you have a big base of it, you can really start detailing each and every specific thing in a play and really get to know it like the back of your hand.”

Obviously, the Bears wouldn’t have traded up in the first round to draft Fields if they didn’t see him as the franchise quarterback of the future. But Fields is promising to be patient and respect Nagy’s plan for him, a plan that will start with him on the sideline.

PFT

 

Tom Brady: At this point, it’s about proving it to myself



Few pro athletes have gotten more external motivation from actual or perceived slights than Tom Brady. As he closes in on his 44th birthday, Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady claims that he’s no longer trying to prove himself to others, and that he continues to play in order to prove to himself that he can.

“It’s hard to walk away from something that you still feel like you can do and you wanna do,” Brady told James Corden of The Late Late Show. “So it’s not about proving it to others what you can do, it’s more about proving it to yourself. And I still feel like even though I’ll be 44 this year, I still have a chance to prove it to myself that I can still do it at 44, because I really worked to a point where I can still do it at this age.”

He can say that, but no one has to believe it. At some level, Brady continues to be driven by the fact that (if you haven’t heard) he was a sixth-round pick in 2000, the 199th player selected and the seventh quarterback.

He’s also surely driven at some level by his legacy, even though he’s already regarded by many as the greatest quarterback of all time if not the greatest player at any position. He claimed with a straight face, however, that he never thinks about being the best ever.

“Really?” Corden said. “You never sit and think, at what I do, I’m the best?”

“It’s like saying what do you like better, steak, fish, chicken?” Brady said.

Corden pounced on the right answer: “Steak.”

Brady knows he needs to project a certain degree of humility. But I don’t care what he says — he’s STILL driven by what others think of him, and he surely knows he’s the greatest overall quarterback of all time. There have been better passers and better runners and quarterbacks who do both better. But no one has done what matters most more than him, and there’s a very good chance no one ever will. And he definitely knows it, and if he doesn’t allow himself to savor that in rare, fleeting moments, then maybe he really is some sort of cyborg.

PFT

 

I can’t stand Brady…

I’ll start with that and end with, I respect him as much as any other player that’s ever put on a helmet.

I have always tried very hard to rank him 3rd or 4th in line with the great QBs, but each year he made it more and more difficult to deny the obvious, he is the GOAT.

 

WTF can you say? The last one with the Bucs sealed his fate as the GOAT. I always felt the Patriots cheated and the Tuck rule was a scam, but him winning with another team is just too much in his favor. I would take Brady on the Steelers this season if he were available. He's just a really good QB all the bullshit in NE kind of tainted his accomplishments, but now I'm thinking that was Belicheck's crap and Bill just got lucky he called that name in the 6th rd of the 2000 draft. Brady is the master at using up what the defense is giving.

 

what is there to prove you proved it you are the GOAT but the Tuck rule was BS it was Raiders ball

 

Steve Keim recognizes value of building around Kyler Murray on his rookie contract



Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim thinks he has an incredibly valuable asset in a franchise quarterback who can not yet negotiate for a new contract.

Kyler Murray is heading into Year 3 with the Cardinals and has a cap hit of just $9.76 million, a bargain for a franchise quarterback. Keim says that’s a great position for a G.M. to be in.

“Now, with a guy like Kyler Murray, the thing that is so exciting for me is having the opportunity to build around a young player, a guy you can grow with as an organization and as a roster,” Keim said. “And there are different things you can do, especially with a rookie contract, as opposed to a veteran who is making a considerable part of your salary cap.”

After his third season, Murray will be able to negotiate for a new contract, so the Cardinals may not have a bargain much longer. It also may be the year when head coach Kliff Kingsbury has to prove he can win or be replaced. So the Cardinals need to win now, with Murray’s value relative to his cap hit perhaps at the highest point it will ever be.

PFT

 

I think Kliff Kingsbury is on a very warm seat. These Cardinals are laden with talent and should be a force out West... Kliff better win this season, or he will be working at the golf course.

 

Aaron Rodgers opt out unlikely by July 2 deadline



One of the most surprising stories of the first slow week of the NFL offseason came courtesy of the 2021 opt-out rules. The agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association gives Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers the ability to sit out all of the coming season, with zero financial obligations to the team for not playing this year.

His $11.5 million in signing bonus allocation for this year would not be subject to forfeiture. His $6.8 million roster bonus, earned in March, most likely would still be paid out weekly during the regular season — putting him in a much better position than many of the players who are actually playing. Then, after the season, he’d presumably be traded.

The problem, as one source with knowledge of the dynamics explained it, is this: With a deadline of July 2 and with the decision irrevocable, Rodgers won’t be ready to give up on playing this year in just five days.

So what of the fact that, if he eventually chooses to stay away, he potentially loses $18.3 million, a number that bumps to $20.3 million when factoring in the daily fines for skipping training camp? As the source explained it, there’s confidence that Rodgers will be able to avoid playing without ever having to pay back any money to the Packers.

Although the training-camp fines are not waivable, the Packers wouldn’t be able to easily remove those amounts from his game checks, if he never gets another one. And while the $6.8 million roster bonus payments will be due to Rodgers on a weekly basis, they won’t pay that money if he’s not there.

Ultimately, the question is whether the Packers would get the $11.5 million signing bonus allocation and/or the $2 million in fines. Again, there’s confidence that Rodgers never will be forced to write a check back to the Packers.

One potential strategy comes from the possibility of a retirement due to a football injury. The thinking is that a pre-camp retirement would extinguish all rights that the Packers would have to any type of fine or forfeiture, and that it would even still leave the team on the hook for the $6.8 million roster bonus. As the source put it, it would be very easy for a 16-year veteran who has had multiple surgeries to retire citing an accumulation of wear and tear from playing the game. Then, come 2022, he could just unretire, explaining that the year off has left him feeling rejuvenated, healthy, etc.

All that said, Rodgers has done nothing to set up a potential “I’m just too banged up” excuse. It would be easy for him to pepper that mindset through his scant media appearances. The closest he’s come to doing that happened during the interview for the upcoming golf match with Tom Brady, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson DeChambeau, when Rodgers joked with Mickelson that the quarterback wants to intimidate the golfer with impressive calf muscles, but that one of Rodgers’ calf muscles no longer looks so impressive after the injuries to it.

Then there’s this simple fact: None of this is about the money for Rodgers. If he doesn’t want to play, he’s not going to play. If that comes with a seven- or eight-figure expense, so be it.

Bottom line? The thinking is that the opt out deadline comes too quickly, and that it’s consequences are too permanent, for Rodgers to go that route in 2021. Thus, the beautiful mystery will continue until late July at the earliest, when Rodgers does or doesn’t show up for training camp — and when he possibly retires for a season before unretiring in after it.

PFT

 

Kyler Murray finds it “frustrating” and “weird” not to make the playoffs



Kyler Murray has been the Cardinals’ starting quarterback for two years, and he hasn’t been to the playoffs yet. He’s not happy about that.

Murray told the team’s website that

“Emotionally [last season] was definitely frustrating, especially for a guy like me,” Murray said. “I want to win. Not going to the playoffs is weird for me. I know it’s the NFL and I haven’t been yet, but . . . I’ve always played past the regular season, in every sport. It’s different. I am definitely not looking to get used to that. It’s definitely upsetting, lot of anger and frustrating when you are losing those games you think you should win. At the same time, I’m a self-motivated guy. I take all that as motivation.”

With Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury heading into Year 3, the time for the Cardinals to take the next step is now. If they don’t, Kingsbury may not be coaching Murray in Year 4.

PFT

 

Morning Willie.

As for Kyler Murray, he can cry me a river until he matches the 18 year playoff drought the Browns just snapped. It's the crappy teams that get the high draft pick to use on a QB. It takes time to build around them. Overall, kind of a waste of space article since I'm sure every QB that didn't make the playoffs last year (or for the last few years) is frustrated.

 

Got a lot of filler on websites between now and training camp..

I would rather read this and dis-regard, over the seemingly countless arrests and other negative issues that pop up during this time away from facilities.

I can't wait till July 27th.. It seems like a long time!!

 

You mean July 20th when the great teams start camp?

 

Nope, I meant the 2021/2022 season AFC North Champion Cleveland Browns Training Camp opening up July 27th. THAT is what I meant.