NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Sounds like a long season for the Falcons

 

Civil lawsuit is also expected against Alvin Kamara



In addition to bracing for a suspension of six games or more due to a charge of felony battery arising from an incident in Las Vegas on Pro Bowl weekend, Saints running back Alvin Kamara expects to face a lawsuit in civil court.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the man whom Kamara allegedly beat up in Las Vegas will be suing Kamara for financial damages as result of the incident.


It’s no surprise. Assault and battery are what the law calls intentional torts. Any injuries or other harm suffered by the alleged victim become fair game for compensatory damages. Punitive damages also will be potentially available.

The pending criminal prosecution present a bigger problem for Kamara. Because it’s a felony charge, he could end up on paid leave — unless he reaches a plea deal before the season begins. If he does, he’ll then face punishment under the Personal Conduct Policy.

The league typically waits to place players on paid leave until the season approaches. For now, there’s no reason for him to not be with the team. Also, and as a practical matter, the media coverage devoted to Kamara’s status will influence whether the league believes that it needs to keep Kamara off the field. With constant developments in the Deshaun Watson situation, Kamara’s situation has been overlooked, in comparison.

Complicating the situation is that Kamara’s alleged behavior occurred in conjunction with an NFL event. He was questioned and arrested at the Pro Bowl. The league can’t be happy about that. It may not cause the NFL to punish him more aggressively; it definitely won’t prompt the NFL to go easy on him.

PFT

 

Mickey Loomis: Saints “prepared for anything” with Alvin Kamara discipline



Saints running back Alvin Kamara‘s arrest on felony battery charges in Las Vegas in February is expected to result in a suspension under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.

PFT reported this week that Kamara is bracing for a six-game suspension and the prospect of a ban came up during General Manager Mickey Loomis’ appearance on the Dattitude podcast this week. With the case still making its way through the legal process, it’s unclear when a suspension would be handed down and Loomis said that means the team is going to have to prepare for all possible outcomes as they look ahead to the 2022 seaon.


“We really just have to wait and see what happens,” Loomis said, via Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com. “For me, I always try to [determine] what’s the worst-case scenario and what’s the best-case scenario. We have to be prepared for anything. That’s really the way we approach anything and everything, is be prepared for anything that can happen.”

A hearing in Kamara’s case is set for August 1 and any league discipline for Kamara could be pushed into 2023 if the league waits for the legal process to conclude before beginning their own disciplinary process.

PFT

 

This will be the third straight year without a supplemental draft. Due to 2020 not counting against a player's college eligibility, I suspect there simply haven't been any cases that were eligible for a supplemental draft.

Not much of a loss either way. The league did have supplemental drafts in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 and nobody was selected. (Yeah, that must have been exciting for the GMs to sit through.) 2015 and 2019 each had one player selected, and 2018 had a whopping TWO.

 

Isn't the supplemental draft basically like a blind bid? Teams interested in a player submit their name and what round draft pick they are willing to offer up in compensation and the team with the highest bid wins. Pretty sure there isn't anyone sitting around.

 

Bengals sold out their season tickets already!

 

Bandwagon fans assemble!!!

This is a stark contrast to struggling to sell out their hosted playoff game last season. I hope they continue to support this team when they don't make the Super Bowl again. It is extremely difficult to get to a Super Bowl, I'm not sure they have the makeup to become a dynasty. But they are doing it the right way and they have had success drafting core players to the roster as well. My wife and her family are life long Bengals fans, my son in law and his family have been season ticket holders for over 20 years... But for the most part, they barely have had enough fans to fill the stadium.

Maybe they can get a stronger fan base if Burrow and Chase can stay together for a number of years.

 

The Bengals owners don’t like to spend money. When Burrow comes up for a contract and he ask for 60 million a season they are going to tear the team up and destroy it.

Just read about Jessie Bates. The Bengals are already imploding from cheap ownership.

 

QB might be the exception..

For what it's worth, they did pay Boomer Esiason back in the day, and Carson Palmer was the highest paid QB in the NFL for a couple of years while with the Bengals. Hell they even paid the Red Rocket more than what his value probably was on the open market.

 

Burrow has 3 more rookie seasons on contract. The price for a true franchise QB could be anywhere from 60 to 70 million a season by then. Insane to think about.

 

Sterling Shepard: Giants new offense has potential for a lot of big plays



The Giants have finished each of the last two years at No. 31 in total yards and points scored.

With head coach Brian Daboll now leading the team’s offense, those rankings should significantly improve in 2022.


The former Bills offensive coordinator put together a unit that finished second in both points and yards in 2020. Last season, Buffalo tanked third in points and fifth in total yards.

Now that the Giants have gotten through the offseason program, it’s clear that Daboll is bringing some new concepts to the team’s scheme.

Though receiver Sterling Shepard did not fully practice during the spring because he’s still recovering from a torn Achilles, Shepard still appreciates what Daboll has brought to the table.

‘It has potential for a lot of big plays, and it has some fancy plays in there as well,” Shepard said in an interview with the team’s website. “I think the fans will love it. We’ve just to keep doing our part and putting in work.”

Shepard noted that increased pre-snap motion should set the unit up for more success, saying it’s “moving parts all day long.”

“It’s good because you get a man-zone read,” Shepard said. “[That’s] the No. 1 thing, and this offense is all about playing fast, so anything that you can catch an inch on with what the defense is about to do is good. That’s what the motions are really for, getting those man-zone reads.”

Shepard caught 36 passes for 366 yards with a touchdown in 2021. Provided he’s fully healthy for the upcoming season, Shepard should be a significant target for Daniel Jones — who also has plenty to prove for 2022;

PFT

 

He's eligible for an extension in 8 months.

 

It’s the Bengals, I can’t see them doing any extensions three years early

 

2 years early and it could save them millions in the long run as the salary cap climbs beyond belief and the QB contracts, as you’ve already stated, are ridiculously priced.

 

In 2019 Mike Brown did an interview acknowledging that his daughter and son-in-law were basically taking over (he said they tell him what to do now) and that the Bengals needed to win back their fanbase. Then this happened.

D.J. Reader 4yrs, 53 million
Trae Waynes 3yrs, 42 million
Vonn Bell 3yrs, 18 million
Trey Hendrickson 4yrs, 60 million
Mike Hilton 4yrs, 24 million
Lael Collins 3yrs, 21 million
Ted Karras 3yrs, 18 million
Alex Cappa 4yrs, 35 million

Leadership has taken a new path and it's paid off. The Browns just sold out their season tickets and had to create a waiting list, something they didn't have before. I don't know if or when they'll get an extension done with Burrow largely because Joe has to agree too but I think looking at what they did in the last few seasons is a better indication than what they did the prior twenty.

 

And then a player better than any of them from their own team wants an extension and the local beat writer says it ain’t gonna happen because Fitzpatrick set the bar too high for safeties.

 

Local beat writers aren't always right...which it isn't their job to be right, their job is to get people to click on their stories and hopefully talk about them... He did his job, the rest doesn't matter.

 

An absolute truism - Right reporting is forgotten, and so are hot takes, but the reporting sometimes works in reverse on the latter.

 

One thing about beat writers... I personally cant stand nor do I tolerate the click-bate types. Report news as factual as you can or STFU. Speculation, editorial, personal opinion, should all be mark as such.

Many, many times ive been kinda burned here by quoting the so called professionals, which has trained and taught me to be very careful... because as all of you know, I like to report my self.

I have to use discernment when I post news & notes.... or it can blow up.