NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Give me guys like Le'Ron, Rhamondre and Isaiah Likely with another runner that can operate as a wide receiver, a tight end that can move to the outside, a true #1 WR and a scrambling quarterback, and I'll run nothing but pistol and shotgun formations with the same group up and down the field going from pro set, deep crooked I, 3 wide singles in staggered and side car, and force defenses to constantly realign and chase formations and exploit weakness.

I love hybrid skill sets.

 

If I could select a group from any of the available players in the NFL...

QB - Lamar Jackson
RB/WR - Jahmyr Gibbs
RB/FB/TE - Isaiah Likely
WR/RB - Deebo Samuel
TE/WR - Juwann Johnson (love for this to be DK if I knew he could hold up an end)
WR - Ja'Marr Chase

 

I couldnt help but think of the potential Falcons offense this up-coming season. Ridder is not a 'scrambler', per say, but that offense seems to me to have the potential of getting very creative.

 

One missing piece here is that all of those players you just mentioned also have to have the mental capacity to grasp every concept you are discussing. Too often there are brilliant offensive coordinator minds who tell the GM what they need and the GM actually goes out and gets that menu… only to find out half the players don’t have the mental capacity. They only know what their skill set is and the OC gets fired before they can get the offense to fully understand.

 

Lions.com’s Tim Twentyman reports rookie TE Sam LaPorta is expected to “have a role right away and be an important part of the offense.”


The Lions have been surprised with how ready LaPorta has looked, with the second-round tight end one of the winners of the team’s OTAs. LaPorta’s hot start has him the frontrunner to replace T.J. Hockenson, a role UDFAs Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra, and fifth-round TE James Mitchell totaled nine touchdowns after the Hockenson trade last year. LaPorta is a sleeper to produce in Year 1 for a Detroit offense that features tight ends in the red-zone, but his floor comes with committee risks after career seasons for Zylstra/Wright.

 

Davante Adams on RB Josh Jacobs' importance in Raiders offense: 'We're gonna need that guy' on the field



With the passing of Monday's deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign a multi-year deal, the availability of the Raiders' star running back, Josh Jacobs, is now in question for the 2023 season. Last season's leading rusher has yet to sign his tag and therefore could choose to hold out of camp or even the start of the season with his contract situation unresolved.

Speaking Friday on NFL Total Access, Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams said he related to the difficult position his teammate is in, and expressed his hope that things would be worked out sooner rather than later, especially with the obvious impact Jacobs has on the success of the Las Vegas offense.

"If we really want to have a shot at winning the Super Bowl and having all the elite aspirations that we do, we're gonna need that guy," he said. "So I'm praying that we can still figure something out, but also understanding where Josh is coming from and trying to coach him through it at the same time."

Having personal experience with the difficulties of navigating a major contract dispute such as Jacobs', Adams said that he's been offering counsel to his teammate throughout the complicated process.

"I've been talking to him, we've been in his ear a little bit just trying to coach him through this process," Adams said. "I've been through it a couple times myself and I know what it's like to go back and forth about whether or not you feel appreciated."

NFL.com

 

The point was whether he’s better today than whatever Cook or Fournette have left in the tank, not whether he would leave his mark on the NFL history books. Nobody said he was Earl Campbell ffs, but he can play every down and just about anything positive that offense did last year was because of him. I ain’t fittin him for a gold jacket, hell I ain’t even fittin him for a red one because chances are ‘24 will be his last year here since the Pats haven’t given a meaningful second contract to a RB since Corey Dillon other than James White who took team friendly deals reflective of his specialized role.

If they sign one of those other guys, it’ll be because of a lack of confidence in Strong and/or Harris to back up Stevenson, not a lack of confidence in him to be the lead back. And based on a guy putting up 5.0 YPC (side note 5.0 is a good bit more than 4.4 or 3.5) as the primary focus of an offense so out of sorts they were routinely facing goal line fronts at mid-field, I don’t see why I shouldn’t continue to share that confidence.

 

Chris Jones did not report to Chiefs training camp



The Chiefs are opening training camp without a key member of the team.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that defensive tackle Chris Jones did not report to camp with the rest of the team’s veteran players on Saturday. Jones also skipped the team’s mandatory minicamp last month as he pushes for a new contract.

Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach expressed confidence in Junes about getting a deal done with Jones, who is in the final year of a four-year, $80 million pact. Schefter reports that the two sides are “far apart” in their conversations, however, and that means the Chiefs will be preparing for the coming season without their All-Pro tackle.

Jones is under contract, so he is subject to daily fines for missing training camp sessions. If the end result is the contract that Jones is looking for, he’ll likely view any fines he incurs as part of the cost of doing business.

NBC

 

Top running backs plan a Zoom call for Saturday night

It started as a group text exchange on Monday. Next, disgruntled NFL running backs will meet via Zoom to discuss their depressed market.

Per multiple sources, the session is scheduled for Saturday night.

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler has organized the meeting and distributed the Zoom link. All of the big-name running backs have been invited.

The NFL Players Association apparently will be involved in some capacity. Frankly, however, the union has a conflict of interest on this. From the NFLPA’s perspective, every dollar that goes to a player who plays one position takes a dollar away from a player who plays a different position. (That’s why, frankly, each position should have its own bargaining unit.) Likewise, NFLPA president JC Tretter recently offered less-than-ideal advice for running backs who hope to create leverage.

The group needs leadership in the form of someone who knows the market for running backs, understands why it is depressed, has concrete ideas for improving the situation — and is committed to enhancing running back pay even if it means, for example, quarterbacks getting less.

There’s one way the union can spearhead this effort without robbing Peter to pay Paul. The best idea, first hatched by Chris Simms while we were discussing Ekeler’s situation earlier this year on PFT Live, is to create a league-wide fund that pays running backs as they go for playing time, rushing attempts, rushing yards, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. This will supplement the bargain-basement rookie deals under which most running backs are working when they are doing their best work.

If the NFLPA agrees with this approach, the next challenge becomes getting the league to go along with it. And that’s where things can get tricky; the union would likely have to make a concession of some sort to get the NFL to do it. If that concession affects players who don’t play running back, why would those players want to make the deal?

Thus, there might be no good solution for this specific problem. At least the running backs are trying to come up with one. Hopefully, someone will recommend a strategy that makes their situation better, not worse.

NBC

 

Fights break out at Jets practice

The Jets didn’t wait long to give the Hard Knocks crew some good material.

Training camp has just begun, and already multiple fights have broken out at Jets practice.

Videos posted on social media by fans at the Jets’ practices showed several offensive and defensive linemen going at it, and some players who weren’t initially involved rushing in and escalating the brawl. Helmets were knocked off and players got heated, but there did not appear to be any injuries.

Coaches generally discourage fights at training camp, but they’re a part of camp every summer, and with the Jets set to appear on the annual HBO/NFL Films reality show, training camp fights are coming to a TV near you.

NBC

 

No big deals in my opinion, just working things out the old fashioned football way. I dont see a problem.

 

Interesting. I used to listen to the show Rich Eisen does, in podcast form, though I stopped around 12-ish months ago. I decided to tune into one specific segment in which he has Austin Ekeler on, a little over a week ago. I was curious about this issue and the conversation they'd have.

Rich Eisen suggested to Austin that all the RB's have a Zoom call to discuss the issue. And here we are. You'd think it would've happened sooner, and that wouldn't have been the start of that idea (maybe it wasn't, but the timing is interesting), but at least it's happening.

Rooting for RB's to get paid. Workhorses that are central to the game of football as a whole, and deserve it.

 

What are they going to do, go on strike as a position? Only the Backs with a proven track record could join. The other ones aren’t secure enough in their position to strike.

 

That wouldnt be in their best interest. They wouldnt get paid and the GM's and owners dont care. The best case scenario from a RB's perspective would be to get players and prominent players from other positions to side with them, a League wide threat might get some attention. As it stands right now and one of the biggest nemeses for RB's is there are a lot of them being fed into the NFL, Owners could always find a cheaper replacement, but Justin Jeffersons and Mahomes types dont fall out of the sky as readily.

So, in my opinion the RB's demanding more cash monies, dont really have a leg to stand on if they dont get backing/support from their peers and constituents from all over the NFL. Its boiling down to a few taking what they can get or a League-wide fiasco, which no one needs.

 

Its been interesting how and why this powerful NFLPA hasnt seen this or done squat about it since this trend has been going on for a while now. I wonder how smart they were in their looking to the future to go ahead and all agree and sign a CBA that is now written in stone till 2030? The RB's and Unions may have missed something here and in a big way or I might be missing something which is even a better bet.

Some teams are RB reliant and driven, some are more spread, gun n shoot types, but its awkward to see RB's like Henry carry a team and their getting paid, while others, like the Raiders are kinda being stingy, especially with last years leading rusher.

Any way, going to be interesting to see how this all gets dealt with.

 

Not what I saw. Stevenson is that dude. Shocked me how well he catches the football.

 

Now I read Jones is facing a $50,000/day fine if he isnt there.

per/PFT

Several years ago, the holdout gave way to the “hold in.” And for good reason. The 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement makes it much more expensive for players under contract to stay away from training camp until they get what they want.

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones has dusted off the old-school way of getting more, despite the new-age costs associated with players under contract failing to show up for training camp. He’s staying away, and he’s apparently willing to pay.

Under Article 42, Section 1(b)(vi) of the 2020 CBA, Jones (as a player under his second contract with the Chiefs) faces a “mandatory fine of $50,000 per day.” And by “mandatory,” the NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed that it will be mandatory.

“For the avoidance of doubt, any such fines shall be mandatory, and shall not be reduced in amount or waived by the Club, in whole or in part, but must be paid by the player or deducted by the Club as provided in Section 5(b) of this Article,” the CBA states.

The daily $50,000 clock starts on the reporting date and continues until the Sunday immediately preceding the first game of the regular season. That’s six weeks. That’s $2.1 million.

Jones clearly doesn’t care. He’s trying to get the kind of payday over the next few years that will dwarf $2.1 million. And even though the Chiefs can no longer waive the fines (teams used to quietly do just that), Jones can ask for enough to cover the fines, on top of whatever he wants.

And so Jones opted to stay away in lieu of showing up and “holding in.” Although he would have avoided any and all fines, he would have lost the benefit of the leverage that comes from not being there. Once he’s there, it’s much harder to leave, given the terms of the CBA. Once he’s there, the Chiefs know they’ll eventually get him on the field, if a new deal isn’t worked out.

Finally, before Chiefs fans who don’t care about Jones’s effort to get fair treatment while he still has the skills to earn significant compensation and who are inclined to complain that he is violating his contract, remember that there are two contracts that apply to his employment. First, the contract between the player and the team. Second, the contract between all players and all teams. The latter gives Jones the right to stay away from training camp, if he’s willing to pay the price.

Thus, if Jones is willing to pay the price (or able to get the Chiefs to refund the price via a new deal), Jones can create leverage in a legitimate and proper way (unlike, say, faking an injury) by staying away until he gets what he deserves.

Not every player can pull something like this off. Jones, who clearly is trying to get closer to Aaron Donald’s $31.6 million annual average than the cluster of $22.5 million to $23.5 million deals done this year by players like Quinnen Williams, Jeffery Simmons, Dexter Lawrence, and Daron Payne, has the talent and the importance to the team to justify giving it a try.

 

Optimism abounds across the NFL at the onset of training camp, and the Browns are no different.

For one of Cleveland's longtime playmakers, Denzel Ward, it's the belief that the 2023 iteration of the club is the most talented he's been a part of yet.

"I believe so," Ward told reporters Saturday when asked if this was Cleveland's most talented roster during his tenure, per the team transcript. "I definitely believe so since the time that I came in. But as I said before, you can have a lot of talent, but you just got to bring it together and bring all those pieces together. So that's what we're doing and focusing on making it happen."

Ward, a two-time Pro Bowler, has five previous seasons with the Browns to look back on and compare. Cleveland never finished better than third in the AFC North in any of them, although that includes an 11-5 campaign in 2020 that saw Ward and Co. bring the fans their first postseason victory since 1994.

That was coach Kevin Stefanski's inaugural campaign in charge. Heading into Year 4 of the Stefanski era, the roster certainly has an argument for rivaling the one that helped snap so many years of Cleveland heartbreak -- even if Ward's proclamation was typical training camp posturing.

Three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson will be available for the entire season after serving an 11-game suspension at the beginning of last year for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. And his pass-catching weapons have the makings of a dynamic bunch with the additions of Elijah Moore and 2023 third-rounder Cedric Tillman alongside Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones, as well as David Njoku at tight end.

Plus, running back Nick Chubb is in the middle of his prime with four consecutive Pro Bowls to match his four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

The defense also underwent a sizeable facelift during free agency. Browns general manager Andrew Berry inked ex-Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill, a defender with a Super Bowl pedigree, to a three-year deal, and he brought defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson in on a four-year pact. Za’Darius Smith, a sack aficionado with 36 in his last three fully healthy seasons, joined Tomlinson from Minnesota a couple months after that by way of a trade.

Browns defenders, new and old, will look to jell under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, whose aggressive nature and proclivity for one-on-one matchups excites Ward.

"I would definitely say that man-to-man is a strength of ours," the CB said. "We got a lot of talent in the room and a lot of guys that could do a lot of things, but I'll definitely say man-to-man is one of our pluses."

Preseason will provide the initial test for all these new pieces that make up a talented Cleveland roster.

The first one that counts, however, will take place on Sept. 10 against a divisional foe, the Bengals. It comes as no surprise Ward has full confidence that he and his secondary mates will prove up to the task against Cincy's stellar wideouts.

"We know the guys over there, we're familiar with them and they're familiar with us," he said. "We know it's going to be a great battle, but we're here to work and get ready for that game, get ready for that matchup. Come that time, I think we'll be ready."

NFL.com

 

Seems pretty difficult to believe since they have the most talented roster year in and year out. I read about it every year.