NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Nick Chubb on running back discontent: “There’s really nothing we can do”

Browns running back Nick Chubb participated in last night’s Zoom call for running backs. At training camp on Sunday, he was asked by reporters about the situation.

“Right now, there’s really nothing we can do,” Chubb said, via ESPN.com. “We’re kind of handcuffed with the situation. We’re the only position that our production hurts us the most. If we go out there and run 2,000 yards with so many carries, the next year they’re going to say, you’re probably worn down. It’s tough. . . . It hurts us at the end of the day.”

That’s why the best solution would be to create a fund that pay all running backs (especially those under their rookie contracts) for playing time, carries, receptions, yards, and touchdowns.

At the running back position specifically, the NFL isn’t a “what have you done for me lately?” league. It’s “what are you doing for me today, and what can I expect you to do for me tomorrow?”

So Chubb is right. If a quarterback throws for 5,000 yards, there’s no reason to think he’ll never do it again. For running backs, there’s a physical toll that creating a 2,000-yard season, one that makes it harder to ever repeat the achievement.

The challenge becomes getting the union to quit talking about foolish ideas like faking injuries and to embrace the importance of pushing for a league-wide fund that would reward running backs for what they do, while they are doing it. Will the NFL Players Association take up that cause? And will the NFL listen?

Again, the first step for running backs would be to come together collectively and declare now their intention to boycott the voluntary offseason program in 2024. That’s the play, and it’s hiding in plain sight. Tell the NFL, “Good luck running OTAs with no running backs,” and get every running back to go along.

If that won’t get the league’s attention, nothing will.

NBC
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For the moment, I tend to agree with Nick. RB's are basically screwed from their perspective. Id personally take the $10M and play, but thats just me.

 

Meanwhile...

Most running backs are currently upset. Josh Jacobs is more upset than most of them.

Jacobs, unsigned and subject to the franchise tag, has strong feelings about his situation. His anger is fueled by the fact that the Raiders decided last year not to pick up his fifth-year option. Then, he proved them wrong. Then, they applied the franchise tag to keep him from the open market. After tagging him, they made half-hearted efforts (in his view) to sign him to a long-term deal.

Now that the deadline for signing him to a long-term deal has come and gone, the Raiders couldn’t give Jacobs a long-term deal if they wanted to.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, participants in last night’s Zoom call involving disgruntled running backs got the impression that Jacobs does not plan to show up for training camp or the preseason. Whether he actually refuses to collect game checks (at $561,111 each) remains to be seen.

Before he can make that decision, the Raiders could choose to rescind the franchise tag. Really, if Jacobs is going to be upset all year long, why pay him $10.1 million? Why not just let him go?

If/when the Raiders choose to remove the tag, here’s hoping they do so as soon as they make that decision. The longer they wait, the harder it will be for Jacobs to get paid.

Of course, they’ll be tempted to save face, if they strip the tag. They’ll be more likely to save face if they remove the tag so late that Jacobs can’t find a great situation that pays great money.

The best solution would be for the Raiders to try to find a way to make him happy. Offer not to tag him next year, for example. Give him incentives based on production. Give him reasons to show up, have a big year, and become a free agent in 2024.

Whether he’ll find what he wants then is a different issue. No matter what happens now, he might be unhappy with whatever happens later.

PFT

 

Cardinals star expected at training camp despite contract dispute

Sounds to me like Baker gets it. Im impressed.



Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker did not get the trade or contract extension he was seeking this offseason, but it is not going to stop him from showing up on time to training camp on Tuesday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Saturday that Baker is expected to report to camp with the rest of his Cardinals teammates on Tuesday despite the ongoing contract dispute.

Baker will make $13.1M in base salary this season and has a contract that has no guaranteed money remaining on it.

He reportedly wanted a trade earlier this offseason or a contract that indicated the team valued him. When he signed his current contract he was the highest-paid safety in the NFL, but he has seen several players pass him in recent years.

That list includes Derwin James, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jamal Adams, Jessie Bates III, Harrison Smith and Justin Simmons.

His agent said that Baker is not looking to reclaim the title of highest-paid safety.

A second-round pick by the Cardinals in 2017, Baker has become one of the most impactful defensive backs in the league during the first six years of his career. He has been named to the Pro Bowl five times and been a first-team All-Pro two times.

The Cardinals are a team in a period of transition with a new front office and coaching staff, while also overturning a significant part of the roster this offseason.

On paper the Cardinals might be one of the worst teams in the league and have very low expectations. They will need players like Baker to have major years if they are going to be even remotely competitive in the NFC West.

YARDBARKER

 

Budda Baker come to the Vikings your needed here GO VIKINGS

 

This!!!!!!

Again, if teams are truly worried about future production based off of past productive years, give them fucking incentives in the contract to over pay them when they over perform!! Regardless a top RB SHOULD be receiving a base pay of around $10M, with incentives to reach up to $18-19M. It shouldn’t take a damn NFLPA bargaining chip to get the league to set up a fund to do it, it’s right in front of the GMs face. Why is EVERYONE making this so difficult?

Players with potential sign a $4M contract with incentives to reach $13M…

I know this, on the surface, seems counterproductive as GMs would need to account for that money in the cap, but they do it all the time for less important things… like money they know players aren’t going to collect in bogus contracts.

Players like Josh Jacobs are special whether they want to discount them because of a position or not.. truth is in the rosters. When running a committee without a stud, you have to carry 5 RBs, same as the WR position, which then thins out all other positions. One less lineman and one less WR or TE. That extra player or two accounts for 1-3M on the cap per player and 1-2 lost roster spots. A team can easily go into the season with 3 rostered RBs and 1-2 on the practice squad if they have a stud.

 

I’m curious of those that think teams can be just as productive with a committee, who are the top teams for this production?

Here is the top 10 rushing teams in 2022

Bears
Ravens
Falcons
Giants
Eagles
Browns
49ers
Cowboys
Bills
Panthers



coincidentally, here is the top rushing QBs in the league:
Bears
Ravens
Bills
Eagles
Giants
Falcons

So, in the top ten(including the top 5 teams)there are 4 teams without a top ten rushing QB

Browns - stud Chubb RB #3 overall rusher
49ers - Had McCaffery for partial season #8 overall rusher
Cowboys - Tony Pollard #16 and Zeke Elliot #22 overall rushers, couldn’t afford both. I’m willing to bet Pollard will be top 10 in 2023 without Zeke there.
Panthers - had McCaffery for a short time #8 overall rusher.

I would argue the Cowboys and Panthers are the only top ten rushing teams that used a committee.. and the Cowboys were just lucky enough to have two studs on the team, one of which just got the franchise tag and the other they couldn’t afford to keep.

Panthers are the only team you could really argue benefiting from using a RBBC philosophy. Donta Foreman coming in at the #19 rushing spot, leading the team with just over 900 yards… and no rushing QB in sight.

So, if you want to be an effective running team, you have a 10% chance of breaking the top ten with a RBBC approach and no rushing QB.

One could also argue… if you want one of the top rushing teams in the league, you need to have a rushing QB….The Browns were the only team truly that didn’t have a rushing QB, used a stud RB and finished 6th in the league in rushing yards as a team. They spell Chubb well throughout the games, but there is NO mistake who leads that team in rushing… not even close. That could all change in 2023. Deshaun Watson could break top ten rushing QBs, which is what made Kareem Hunt dispensable.

 

Do you know who should make the most compelling argument for paying the top RBs in the league?? A team without a top ten QB.. without either a top QB or RB, you have NO offense and can’t be competitive in any way.

RBs should have a choice in the league, play for a team at $15M per year knowing they are going to be the focal point, or play for $8M per year on a team that actually has a chance at the Lombardi because they also have a QB.

 

OK, running back rant officially over…

 

Bills RB Nyheim Hines expected to miss 2023 season after suffering knee injury



Buffalo Bills running back Nyheim Hines' 2023 campaign is over before it started.

Hines suffered a significant knee injury off-site and is expected to miss the entire upcoming season, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Monday, per sources informed of the situation.

Buffalo acquired Hines last year in a midseason trade with the Indianapolis Colts. The back reworked his contract, taking a pay cut to remain with the Bills this offseason.

The shifty Hines was expected to be a pass-catching option out of the backfield behind James Cook, Damien Harris and Latavius Murray. With Hines out for the year, the third-down role in passing situations will be up for grabs.

A dynamic returner, who famously returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in Week 18 last season, Hines was expected to be the primary kick and punt returner for the Bills. Buffalo must fill those two spots with Deonte Harty, Khalil Shakir and Micah Hyde as the main in-house options.

Season-ending injuries at any time are painful, but when they happen before a player even steps into training camp, they're even worse. It's a brutal blow for the Bills and Hines.

NFL.com

 

The 'Incentive Package' makes the most sense of any of the idea's Ive seen so far. Looking specifically at the Raiders, Im brain boggled they didnt do something like this. Clearly they need Jacobs and their QB, Jimmy G isnt going to take off and burn for a 1000 yards, so why not pay Jacobs incentives for carries, yards gained, TD's and such. They nickel and dimed the Leagues leading rusher, now they are kinda up a creek, but so is Jacobs. Taking Jacobs out of the picture in LV and Barkley in NY, Cook in Minny, these teams better pray for a miracle.

Rant on, Irish, It was a good read this morning.

 

Per; PFT

Chiefs coach Andy Reid was “a bit surprised” by defensive tackle Chris Jones’s holdout. No one should be surprised by what Jones hopes to get by holding out.

Via Nate Taylor of TheAthletic.com, Jones wants $30 million per year.

It’s not unreasonable. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is the highest-paid defensive tackle at $31.67 million per year. Jones is closer to Donald than to the cluster of younger defensive tackles who are making in the range of $22.5 million to $23.5 million per year.

The real question is whether Jones is entrenched at $30 million, or whether he has room to move. If so, how much? Is his bottom line $29 million per year? Maybe $28 million?

Whatever it is, the Chiefs and Jones have yet to find an acceptable middle ground. For now, Jones will incur non-waivable fines of $50,000 per day until the holdout ends.

He’s clearly willing to spend the money, in order to get the money he believes he deserves. And the Chiefs will need to blink at some point, because there’s no quick and easy replacement for one of the most dominant defenders in the NFL.

 

There is some positive news out of Detroit on the injury front.

Per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Lions trainers are “optimistic” that defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson did not suffer a season-ending knee injury during Monday’s practice.

Gardner-Johnson went down during team drills, with Birkett noting he stayed on the ground for more than five minutes until two trainers helped him to his feet. Gardner-Johnson then did not put pressure on his right leg as he made his way to the cart that took him off the field.

Gardner-Johnson is scheduled to undergo further tests on Monday.

PFT

 

Andrew Berry: Jim Schwartz’s defense fits Myles Garrett to a T

The Browns hired Jim Schwartz to run their entire defense this season and there’s a particular focus on what his presence will mean for one member of the unit.

Defensive end Myles Garrett has been the centerpiece of the defense in Cleveland since he arrived as the first overall pick of the 2017 draft and General Manager Andrew Berry said on Sunday that he thinks teaming Garrett with Schwartz will be a “match made in heaven” for the edge rusher.

“As he always says, he takes the seatbelt off of those guys,” Berry said, via Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com. “It’s about generating negative plays, forced errors, turnovers and it starts with the D-line wreaking havoc with a premium on pass rush ability and that fits Myles to a T.”

Garrett has notched 16 sacks in each of the last two seasons, but he has not been named the defensive player of the year yet in his career. If he makes a leap under Schwartz, that could change early next year.

NBC

 

OK, running back rant officially over…



Thank you Irish that was an excellent Rant.

I have 1st RD pick in my Money League and I'm leaning on taking a RB and still doing my research on WHO to take.

It helps reading your Rants and Wills Post's......Both of you are very informed.

 

Im just the king of copy/paste.

 

Im just the king of copy/paste.


Yes I'm aware of that...BUT
You do the research and let us ALL read it.....
It's all good as far as I'm concerned.

 

Jimmy Haslam declines to call this a “now-or-never” season for Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry

Kevin Stefanski is 26-24 in three seasons as the Browns’ head coach with one playoff appearance, none the past two seasons. He seemingly is under pressure to win this season.

But the only people who know for sure aren’t saying.

Reporters pressed Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam several times Monday about whether this is a do-or-die, make-or-break, playoffs-or-bust season for Stefanski and General Manager Andrew Berry.

“I’m not going to go there; I’m not going to,” Jimmy Haslam said, via Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan. “That’s not fair to anybody to do. It could be extremely extenuating circumstances. I just say we’re all excited about this year.”

The Haslams have not shown much patience since taking over in the middle of the 2012 season, employing six full-time head coaches in 11 seasons.

The Browns are coming off 8-9 and 7-10 finishes, but Jimmy Haslam said he wouldn’t “draw a line” for the public about what ownership’s expectations are. Haslam did call Stefanski and Berry “winners.”

“I think it’s really dangerous to say now or never,” Haslam said. “The NFL is unbelievably competitive and our division -- I mean, just Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, us -- most people think is the toughest division. So do we feel the best about our roster that we have going into this year? Do I think Andrew and [chief strategy officer] Paul [DePodesta] and Kevin have done a great job? We do. Are we excited about this year? Yes. To say it’s now or never, I think it’d be grossly unfair.”

NBC

 

Surprise Surprise !