NFL - NEWS & NOTES

We can cook our own little side bet. I think I have four of them running right now. lol

$10, charity of choice, you have PIT at a minimum 10 wins, I say 'nay'.

You in?

 

Sure

 

I'll add it to the ledger.

 

Falcons are in that same boat as far as the schedule goes. Still seems weird to have the #8 overall draft pick yet land the 9th toughest schedule. As a division, the NFC South went a combined 34-34 last year, but three of the teams ended up in the top 10 for strength of schedule with the other team (Carolina) tied for 12th.

 

Atlanta released its depth chart and finally answered the question of who starts at center, with Drew Dalman replacing Matt Hennessy. So there are two new starters this year on the OL plus a new swing tackle for the "heavy" formations.

The amusing thing is that makes the offensive line the LEAST changed unit on the entire roster compared to last year. It's a whole new freaking team.

 

Hey Torgo. Being a Saints fan, I've always hated your team. I'm sure the feeling is mutual. But I've always enjoyed you input both here and back in the old CBS days. Best of luck to your guys!

 

I remember the CBS days, it was a bloody posting bath back then. Nobody was nice like we our on this site with other teams fans.

 

It was always kinda the wild west. But there was always something going on there. Even in the dead of the off-season.

 

Thanks, SoCalSaint. Same to you - I always enjoyed and respected your input and knowledge at both CBS and here.

 

It got ugly at times, for sure. One of the trolls from the Saints board even created an ID to impersonate me. He went over to the Bucs and Panthers boards and trash-talked them, trying to get them pissed off at me. Didn't work.

 

Mano and I went to a Pit/Balt game with a Ravens fan we met on CBS. Made friends with numerous Browns fans.

 

Report: NFL will “absolutely” consider taking over discipline for misconduct in joint practices



In two days, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald will play in a regular-season game two weeks after swinging helmets in a joint practice because, under current rules, the NFL can’t do anything about it.

That could change.

Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports that the league office will “absolutely” consider taking jurisdiction over discipline of players who engage in misconduct during joint practices. The league would implement the same system currently used for on-field discipline during games.


An unnamed source tells Maske that the issue is “already on the winter agenda,” a reference to the annual wave of offseason rule changes.

The potential change is indeed sparked by Donald’s behavior. The Rams handled the matter internally, and they’ve refused to disclose the punishment. (A moderately stern talking-to is a safe bet, possibly with the partial wag of a finger.)

It’s the right move, but it won’t be easy. The NFL Players Association undoubtedly will regard any such change as a mandatory subject of collective bargaining. While the NFLPA should want to ensure that its members are properly protected against misdeeds that go unpunished (and thus undeterred), the union can do exactly what the league would do in a situation like this — fold their arms and say, “What’s in it for us?”

Hopefully, that won’t happen in this case. Or maybe the league can find some other win-win that can be dangled as the quid pro quo for giving the league the ability to do what should have been done after Donald swung helmets on August 25.

Then again, if Donald knew he would potentially be suspended for doing it, maybe he wouldn’t have done it. That makes it all the more critical for the NFL and NFLPA to agree to this much-needed change.

PFT

 

I can barely remember the cBS days, lol, but I wasnt there long when it got yanked. In no way shape or form does it compare to the atmosphere Tim has put together here on L4SN... this is a great place or I wouldnt spend my time here. Good group of people, for sure!

 

Darren Waller ready to play Sunday



Neither a hamstring injury nor contract talks will keep Darren Waller out of the lineup Sunday. The Raiders tight end said Tuesday he’s ready to play against the Chargers.

“Focus on Sunday, man. Focus on the game plan. Focus on what they ask me to do,” Waller said, via Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.


Waller practiced only twice between July 30 and Aug. 17 and then, after a one-day return, went back to rehab until Aug. 31. He has practiced every day since.

Some wondered whether he was holding in as a negotiating ploy for a contract extension, but Waller said the hamstring injury was real.

“Sometimes you just can’t catch a break,” Waller said. “Football is rough. It demands a lot on your body. I wish I could have been out there in the time that I missed, but at the same time, yeah, is it time for me to make sure that things are in line as far as my body? Make sure mentally I’m in a place of peace and I can attack the season now.”

Waller, who is due to make $7 million in compensation this season, changed agents this offseason. He said Tuesday he isn’t sure whether that will help the sides reach a deal or not.

“Whether it goes one way or it doesn’t, I’ll be playing football,” Waller said.

PFT

 

Waller is a baller!

Great player with a good attitude. Raiders are going to surprise.

 

Indeed.

 

Who was that? I remember something about it, but not much.

 

Emmanuel Sanders announces his retirement



Shortly after the 2021 season came to an end, veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders said that he might retire rather than play a 13th season in NFL.

That decision has been made. Sanders remained unsigned throughout the offseason and announced on Wednesday that he is hanging up his cleats.


Sanders announced the decision through the Broncos. He played 82 games for Denver during his career, including their Super Bowl 50 win over the Panthers.

“I don’t have the itch,” Sanders said, via the team. “And I think I don’t have the itch because I know I gave the game everything that I had to offer. . . . I gave it my all. Every single rep, every single play. I tried to go 100 percent, as hard as I can. . . . I gave the game everything that I had, and the game gave it back to me. I’m walking away three Super Bowl appearances, a Super Bowl ring and memories of a lifetime. I’m absolutely blessed and grateful for the opportunity to be able to play this game at the level that I played at.”

Sanders began his career as a Steelers third-round pick in 2010 and went to a Super Bowl as a rookie. He moved on to Denver in 2014 and remained with them until a 2019 trade sent him to the 49ers. Sanders went to another Super Bowl with the Niners before wrapping up his career with one-year stints with the Saints and Bills.

Sanders caught 704 passes for 9,245 yards and 51 touchdowns in 172 regular season games. He added 52 catches for 622 yards and a touchdown in 15 postseason appearances.

PFT

 

The NFL “absolutely” will explore taking control of player discipline during joint practices. The NFL Players Association definitely will oppose it.

Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, the NFLPA will fight against the league’s effort to impose the same penalties for on-field, in-game misconduct to joint practices. As the source put it, the opposition is rooted in the union’s disdain for joint practices generally.


During the 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, the NFLPA pushed hard to eliminate joint practices. Ultimately, the two sides agreed to specific rules. For example, they can’t occur more than two days in any week of the preseason, and they can’t happen the day before a preseason game. Also, with three preseason games, there can be no more than four joint practices per team.

The union prefers to have none. As Cam Heyward (who spoke out against joint practice during the 2020 negotiations as Pittsburgh’s player representative) has argued, it’s a wrestling match, a free-for-all. And while it’s less of a free-for-all if the NFL can impose discipline for conduct happening during joint practices, if the NFL’s alternatives are not being able to discipline players who, for example, swing helmets during joint practices and getting rid of joint practices entirely, maybe the best move would be to get rid of joint practices entirely.

Currently, only teams can impose discipline for player misconduct during joint practice. The union believes that there are clear limits on what teams can do, even if they are inclined to do anything. As the NFLPA sees it, the teams are responsible to ensure things don’t get out of hand, and the teams responsible if they do.

Regardless of how it plays out, the NFL won’t be able to assume responsibility for joint practices without the union’s agreement. Currently, the union doesn’t seem to be inclined to agree — mainly because the union would like to get rid of joint practices.

PFT
________
___________________

Figures... NFL wants to do something, NFLPA has to be the opposite.

 

Dawson Knox's breakout season has earned him some job security.

The rising tight end agreed to a four-year, $53.6 million extension with the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported. Garafolo added that the deal includes more than $31 million in guarantees. The team later announced the extension.

Knox's extension runs through the 2026 season, providing the Bills with a go-to option at tight end for years to come.

The 25-year-old Knox joined the Bills as a third-round pick out of Mississippi in 2019 and caught 54 combined passes in his first two seasons, but his true breakout year came in 2021. Knox proved to be a touchdown-scoring machine, catching 49 passes for 587 yards and nine touchdowns and firmly placing himself on the NFL radar.

Knox's time in Buffalo has not been without personal challenge. His brother, Luke, suddenly passed away on Aug. 17, and Knox been grateful for the support of the Buffalo community since his brother's death.

"The amount of texts I've gotten, the messages, the posts, the moment of silence for the preseason game, it's just been everything that I expected out of Buffalo and more because this city is incredible," Knox said this week, via the team's official site. "And they raised over $200,000 for the P.U.N.T. Foundation in my brother's name, so it's just been an absolute blessing to see everybody from Buffalo show us love in that way. ... I love all the people in Buffalo and hopefully I'll be here for a long time."

With Josh Allen under contract through 2028, he now has a trusty tight end as a running mate for the next five years. Knox also knows he'll play for a team that supports him both on and off the field.


"This is such an incredible city with such an incredible fan base and people," Knox said. "It really truly does feel like home. I know I've said that before, but I kind of realized that for the first time when I came back up here after everything that it really does feel like a second home to me."

NFL.com