NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Me too, 100%. That was my actual reaction in realtime. Devonta Smith really couldn't have been any more obvious about it, his reaction screamed "i didn't catch it!!!"

Only thing i would say about that is if you're going to throw a challenge in that spot, where there is so limited time and only one guy with the challenge flag.... that guy needs to be paying full attention to Smith while he's yelling at everybody post "catch". Its a see it with your own eyes kinda thing. Without the big screen replay to help, him getting a message sent down prob wouldn't be convincing, a player saying look at Smith's reaction prob isnt enough either. On TV we were immediately shown Smith's reaction, but a HC has a lot going on in any moment on a sideline. Thinking Smith had initially caught it he may have turned to talk to someone, he may have done one of a dozen things taking his eyes off the spot.

Only Shanahan knows about that. If what i just wrote is true then it becomes more understandable, but if it isnt true then Shanahan has no excuse. All your instincts tell you he dropped it and as Torgo said, a huge play on 4th down, it was a really big moment early in the game.

 

Many times i have seen a kicker crush the nose of the football prior to a kickoff. So that would then be a breach of the rules? Never once seen a flag thrown for it.

 

The Titans announced Tuesday that they are removing the natural grass field at Nissan Stadium and replacing it with new synthetic turf ahead of the 2023 NFL season.

Tennessee elected to make the change in surfaces after assessing injuries and technology, as well as Nashville’s climate, which has led to the franchise’s struggles to cultivate and maintain grass inside the venue. The Titans already have been practicing on synthetic turf, which was added to their indoor practice facility last year.

In the team’s announcement, it stated that Nissan Stadium’s grass-based field led to more lower-body injuries than any other stadium with monofilament synthetic turf fields between 2018 and ’21, according to the NFL. The venue also ranked among the NFL’s leaders for lower-body injuries.

As a result, Nissan Stadium will become the first NFL venue to contain technology of a synthetic turf system that includes organic infill.

Tennessee led the league in the most players used in the last two seasons because of injury that includes using 91 in ’21. Vrabel, who has witnessed the health of his team’s field go from great to subpar during an NFL season, said nothing is more important than the health and safety of his players.

“Our grass surface is not on the level of some of the other grass surfaces (across the NFL),” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “At the beginning of the year, summer, training camp, early season, I can see it being very consistent. But as the season wears on, and the weather changes, there is a noticeable difference in performance of the field.

"We added this product inside the bubble and … the response has been very positive, very favorable to that surface to the new technology that continues to come out.”

The surface will be fully installed before the 2023 season starts.

SI

 

Brady retiring for good this time or so he says.

 

Exactly 1 year ago today he said the same thing.

This is what he said this morning...

“Good morning, guys, I’ll get to the point right away: I’m retiring for good,” Brady said. “I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I’d just press record and let you guys know first. So I won’t be long-winded. I think you only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year. So, really, thank you guys, so much, to every single one of you, for supporting me. My family, my friends, teammates, my competitors, I could go on forever, there’s too many. Thank you, guys, for letting me live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”

 

Report: Sean Payton to make “somewhere between” $17 million to $20 million per year

The initial wave of national reports regarding Sean Payton becoming the next coach of the Denver Broncos said nothing about what he’ll be paid. At least one local report suppled that information.

That information, as we’ll explain in a moment, also may be incomplete.


Mike Klis of 9News.com reports that Payton will receive “somewhere between” $17 million and $20 million per year, on a contract that will last at least five years.

Payton reportedly had been seeking between $20 million and $25 million per year. The Dolphins were reportedly ready to pay him that much last year, when secretly courting Payton and quarterback Tom Brady.

The reality is that Payton may still get there. As previously explained, the highest-paid NFL coaches get more money off the books from sources other than the team itself. It’s a way to properly compensate the coach without further blowing the official compensation curve. And it’s permissible because there’s no salary cap for coaching.

That’s why our general position when hearing how much one of the highest-paid coaches is making is to assume the truth is more.

PFT

 

and Derrick Henry aint crazy about...

 

So…49ers in July?

 

My favorite ridiculous option would be the Jets.

 

I even heard the Raiders.

 

Jamaal Williams: NFL is trying to take my personality away with celebration fines



Lions running back Jamaal Williams led the NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns in 2022, but some of those touchdowns were costly, as the NFL repeatedly fined him for his favorite touchdown celebration dance. Williams isn’t happy about that.

Williams said on the podcast hosted by his teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown and Bears receiver Equanimeous St. Brown that he simply likes to express his personality and emotion on the field, and the NFL is cracking down on him.

“Now I get fined for this stuff. I just feel like they’re trying to take my personality away, my joy,” Williams said. “Because now, I literally have to stop doing it. So now, when I score, I’m literally just gonna sit down and pout like a little baby or something.”

Williams said he was fined for touchdown dances twice during the season even though he did his dance more than twice, and he was particularly disappointed that the NFL fined him and then used his touchdown celebrations in highlight videos.

“I’m doing nothing wrong. They’re just being weenies,” Williams said. “They want to fine me, yet put all that stuff up there, brand it and put me up there and use it. They want to take my money, though.”

PFT
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OK, Williams and the rest of you hot dogs. Im old school, I'll admit, but act like you been there before and for damn sure I do not like your dance, I do not want to see you do that ever again in an NFL game, period. I was leery when the NFL decided to let teams get 'creative' in their celabrations. For the record, I hated all the 'creative' shit the Vikings did, its Fucking ridiculous... I dont want a freakin' play put on in the end zone when a team scores and I do not want to see the whole damn defense run into the endzone after an INT to 'strike a pose'...leave that for Modona.

Play the game, respect it and stick to the basics. End this ol' bastards rant.

PS - I blame Icky Woods.

 

Bears want running to be part of who Justin Fields is, not all of it



The Bears watched Justin Fields come close to setting an NFL record for rushing yards by a quarterback last season, but they didn’t see all they want to see from their 2021 first-round pick.

Fields averaged just 149.5 passing yards per game, which ranked him above only Cooper Rush among the 34 quarterbacks who started five games last season. Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said on Wednesday that the Bears don’t want to take away the threat that Fields brings by running the ball and extending plays, but made it clear that the team needs to see more balance in his production in the future.


“It’s got to be a part of who you are, [but] in the NFL, it’s hard for it to be who you are — you just don’t last,” Getsy said, via Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s got to be a part of us and he’s really, really good at it. He’s really good at a lot of things. So we’ve got to make sure we just tap into each one of those things, but [running], for sure, has to be a part of who we are going forward.”

Fields has things to work on as a passer if he’s going to improve and the Bears have to work on the rest of the offense to make sure the cast around him is a strong one, so there’s plenty for everyone to do in Chicago this offseason.

PFT

 

In my opinion, the Bears need to realize he can run, but that cant be the centerpiece of the offense. Its a nice option to have, but they better figure out if they want a running QB or a pocket passer with the ability to escape. I think the run game with Mongomery is key... they must consider that also. IMO, Fields is a franchise QB, but the Bears seem confused as to which kind of offense to run. Build the offensive line, protect him and let the natural ability of Fields grow and exell.

 

Interesting point. I think the rule is specifically in regards to what you can/can't do to prep the balls in the three hours before the game. Or maybe there's some other part of the rule that says just pushing in the ends that way doesn't count.

 

BINGO!

The best example I can give is that in 2006 Michael Vick was Atlanta's leading rusher for Atlanta in seven games. He was a human highlight reel.

But... Atlanta lost all seven of those games. Merchandise sales galore, but no playoffs.

Falcons had just one winning season from 2003-2007 and had to rebuild the offensive line twice in that span (and again in 2008). Then with more stability on the line (and without Vick) they had five straight winning seasons from 2008-2012, including four playoff years.

 

Im going to have to look this up, but I believe you can not manipulate the football once the game starts.

 

I blame Mark Gastineau. Or more specifically, I blame the refs. If they had flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct when he first started doing that idiotic sack dance, we probably wouldn't have to watch half of the dumbass celebrations the nitwits do today.

One that drove me crazy for the Falcons was Thomas Decoud doing a duck walk kind of thing after making a play. He actually practiced it in the warm-up segments during training camp.

 

If he went to Frisco next season he wouldn't do a lot of loosing

 

The “get off my lawn” energy is strong around here today…