NFL - NEWS & NOTES

I'll write a bigger thing on it soon on the Falcons board. Short version is the absolute worst pass blocker in the league among the projected starters was a guy who wasn't even supposed to be playing. He was a rookie third rounder who was suddenly forced into a starting role when both of the guys competing for the job ended up on IR.

Next to him was a second-year guy (third rounder from 2020) who was also a brand new starter. As a 2020 draft pick, he didn't have a rookie minicamp, OTAs or training camp that year. So he was also going through the offseason program for the very first time heading into 2021. They didn't get much time working together in preseason while the other two guys were still healthy, and you can imagine the disaster of having two total noobs side by side in the middle of your line.

So after Calvin Ridley left, Matt Ryan had a receiving corps of Russell Gage, Tajae Sharpe, Christian Blake, Olamide Zaccheaus and an offensive line of inflatable flailing-arm tube men. Ryan deserved better.

 

In a related roster move, Atlanta has released former Ohio State DB Kendall Sheffield.

The only surprise is that they waited this long to kick him to the curb. He was not particularly successful (that's being overly kind) even under Dan Quinn but lost his playing time with the coaching change and mainly saw action only on special teams last year.

But his 2019-2020 snaps triggered the PPE, which made him a bench warmer with a $2.54 million cap figure if Atlanta kept him around for 2022. The best I can figure is they were trying to trade him and gave up when other teams simply laughed at them.

 

Mike McCarthy: Sam Williams looked in first minicamp like he’s born to play pro football



The Cowboys took defensive end Sam Williams in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft, and it didn’t take him long to make an impression.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was raving about Williams’ performance after the first practice of rookie minicamp.

“I think we’d all agree that Sam Williams looks like a guy that was born to play professional football,’’ McCarthy said, via the Dallas Morning News. “He has the gifts. He has the physical traits. He had two pass rushes today. I know we’re just in helmets, but he was clean in the backfield. He has that kind of ability. He’s in a great place. He’s obviously in an excellent system that he’ll definitely benefit from. I think he’ll do extremely well early for us.’’

Williams was among the best pass rushers in college football last season, and the Cowboys think they can pencil him in as at the very least a situational pass rusher who makes an impact right away. It’s a job he was born to do.

PFT

 

Key hearing in Jon Gruden’s lawsuit against NFL set for May 25



The wheels of justice often move more slowly than molasses down a frozen sliding board.

The lawsuit filed last year by former Raiders coach Jon Gruden against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell remains mired in a preliminary skirmish over whether it will be heard in open court or in the secret, rigged kangaroo court of the Commish.


Via ESPN.com, the hearing on the question of whether the case should be dismissed or forced into the league’s internal arbitration process will happen on May 25.

Gruden sued in early November, just a few weeks after the leak of emails he sent before being hired by the Raiders to former Washington president Bruce Allen forced him out as the head coach in Las Vegas. Nearly six months after the filing of the lawsuit, the court will be taking up the NFL’s threshold Hail Mary aimed at stacking the deck against Gruden.

It’s still not known who leaked the emails. If the case is forced into arbitration, we may never know. The universe of people with access to those emails was very small.

Gruden alleges that Goodell leaked them in order to force the Raiders to push Gruden out. Some think Washington owner Dan Snyder did it, as revenge for the punishment imposed on him as a result of attorney Beth Wilkinson’s 10-month investigation that would have resulted in a recommendation that he be forced to sell the team, if the league had bothered to ask for a recommendation in writing.

Eventually, the presiding judge will put a decision in writing as to whether Gruden will be able to proceed in a real court or must proceed in the NFL’s secret rigged kangaroo facsimile. That decision will go a long way toward determining whether Gruden prevails — and whether the rest of us ever find out the truth as to how the emails ended up being leaked to select media with the goal of forcing Gruden to step down during the 2021 season.

This isn’t about whether Gruden should have avoided accountability for his emails. This is about whether accountability will be avoided for weaponizing supposedly secret documents with the goal of taking Gruden out. It’s possible that Gruden both did something for which he deserved to be fired and didn’t deserve to be treated the way that he was.

PFT

 

Ol' Frank Gore looked good.



Gore (1-0, one knockout) landed a solid 1-2 combination and followed with a second right cross that turned out the lights on Orlorunsola.

The NFL's third all-time leading rusher, Gore announced recently that his football days would officially be coming to a close soon.

Not long after that, the announcement was made that he would make his pro debut Saturday, which was also his 38th birthday.

Gore is a 16-season NFL veteran who played for five teams (the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets) and churned out 16,000 yards rushing in his career, which falls behind only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton in the league history books. Gore hasn't played since the 2020 season with the Jets, though.

This was Gore's professional debut in the boxing ring, but not his first boxing match, nor his most high-profile bout.


Previously, he took part in an exhibition boxing match against former NBA player Deron Williams. Gore lost via split decision.

Saturday night ended in far better fashion for Gore.

NFL.com

 

I been watching some USFL games where are the fans?

 

Playing all the games in 1 location is killer for fan attendence i would think.

 

There playing all the games in Alabama. That’s not going to draw fans looking for a vacation location either. Nobody is going to bama for a get away weekend unless they live in Mississippi

 

Dolphins signing Melvin Ingram



The Dolphins have agreed to terms with pass rusher Melvin Ingram, per multiple reports.

The Chiefs had interest in re-signing Ingram and used the unrestricted free agent tender on him May 2. That meant Kansas City offered him a one-year, $4.4 million contract for 2022 and enacted a July 22 deadline for him to sign with another team.


With Ingram signing with the Dolphins, the Chiefs, having employed the rarely used UFA tender, will receive a compensatory draft choice for his departure despite the deadline for compensatory picks having passed.

Ingram, 33, visited Miami in April.

He will join Jaelan Phillips, Andrew Van Ginkel, Emmanuel Ogbah and Jerome Baker as the team’s top pass rushers. Ingram, who can play both defensive end and linebacker, has 51 sacks and 119 quarterback hits since entering the league as a first-round choice in 2012.

Ingram spent nine seasons with the Chargers before splitting last season between the Steelers and the Chiefs. Pittsburgh traded Ingram to Los Angeles at the deadline.

PFT

 

I watched as much as I could stand of NO vs NJ this weekend.

The main thought crossing my mind was how much I miss NFL-E. Watching those games, you knew that many of those guys were destined to make NFL rosters. Watching the new USFL, you get the feeling that if these guys keep practicing, they'll make an Arena league roster and maybe even have a chance of signing with a CFL team.

 

The USFL of the 80’s at least opened their wallets and got some HOF players to start their careers there.

 

Word emerged back in March that the Packers were discussing a contract extension with cornerback Jaire Alexander.

Those talks have now resulted in a deal.


According to multiple reports, Green Bay is finalizing a four-year, $84 million extension with Alexander that will keep him under contract through the 2026 season.

A first-round pick in the 2018 draft, Alexander was set to make $13.3 million in 2022. But he’ll now receive $31 million in salary and signing bonus for the upcoming year.

Alexander appeared in just four regular-season games in 2021 due to a shoulder injury. But he was able to return for the team’s playoff loss to San Francisco in the divisional round, playing limited defensive snaps.

In 48 career games with 46 starts, Alexander has five interceptions and 44 passes defensed. He was a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro in 2020.

And now Alexander is the highest-paid player at his position.

PFT

 

Will someone tell Drew Brees to shut up and the rest of the NFL media to try to stay in the real world?

 

Please elaborate??

Are you talking about his possible return?

 

YUP! That's not going to happen and we all know it. He also mentioned something about playing pickleball.

 

Then I say, be the best damn pickleball player you can be!

 

Maybe he could join Jake Plummer and take up handball.

 

Mickey Loomis sees extra emotion bringing Tyrann Mathieu and Jarvis Landry home



The Saints have recently signed two Louisiana natives and LSU stars in defensive back Tyrann Mathieu and wide receiver Jarvis Landry, and Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis says those two players were particularly excited to become Saints.

“Both these guys, Tyrann and Jarvis, it’s a little bit unique when you bring somebody back to their home] state and their home territory,” Loomis said, via NoLa.com. “Just the excitement that both those guys had; they’re veteran players who have been around the league and have been really accomplished for a number of years, and yet they’re like kids when you see that excitement coming back home. It just meant a lot to them. It’s just a different level of emotion than you normally get.”


Loomis added, however, that Mathieu and Landry are players the Saints are excited to add — and would have been no matter where they’re from.

“I’m just excited for them and I’m excited for us,” Loomis said. “We’ve got two good players, and we would’ve wanted them even if they were from New Jersey or some other state.”

PFT

 

Phillip Lindsay has a new home.

The running back has agreed to a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts, his agent announced Tuesday.

Lindsay struggled mightily as a bit of a nomadic running back in 2021, starting the season with the Houston Texans and averaging a paltry 2.6 yards per carry on 50 attempts before he was released in late November. Lindsay landed with the running back-needy Miami Dolphins a day later and managed to marginally improve his numbers to 3.1 yards per carry on 38 attempts.

Statistically, Lindsay was essentially a nonfactor in 2021 with both teams, recording 249 rushing yards and one touchdown on 88 attempts while catching just four passes for 45 yards and a touchdown. He joins a Colts team that already has All-Pro stud Jonathan Taylor and versatile back Nyheim Hines on its depth chart.

Lindsay offers potential as a waterbug-like runner capable of making an impact on the ground and through the air. He'll have to battle for playing time if he wants to return to the 1,000-plus-yard form of his first two NFL seasons.

NFL.com

 

Kevin Stefanski elated to add rookie WR David Bell to Browns offense: 'We need to get this guy'

The Cleveland Browns had a puncher's chance to bring back Jarvis Landry. Instead, they went younger.

The good news: They also satisfied the desires of their head coach. Kevin Stefanski revealed he's had his eye on former Purdue receiver David Bell since he first sat down to study the 2022 class, and was thrilled when Cleveland spent the 99th-overall selection on him.

"You were the first guy I watched, and right away I was like 'we need to get this guy,'" Stefanski told Bell in an introductory meeting shown in the team's "Building the Browns" docuseries. "You can ask our GM, I was like, 'This day needs to end with David Bell on our team.'

"Just your ability to catch the ball, which I think is the best in the draft, your ability to get open and just who you are as a person fits who we are."

It's easy to see how the Browns envision Bell fitting into their offense. A quick skim of Bell's tape evokes memories of Landry -- now a member of the New Orleans Saints -- working the field underneath with sharp routes and sure hands, and Bell excels in the same areas. The two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection certainly owns the résumé needed to gain entry into the NFL, racking up 2,946 yards and 21 receiving touchdowns in his 29 collegiate games played with the Boilermakers.

The biggest knock on Bell came down to his recorded explosiveness (or lack thereof). He didn't post a blazing fast 40-yard dash time (4.65) at the NFL Scouting Combine, but is a polished receiver Stefanski envisions deploying to create opportunities for the Browns' new-look offense. And if we're to continue with the Landry comparisons, Bell's 40 time is still better than Landry's 2014 combine 40-yard dash time of 4.77 seconds -- and look at how things turned out for the five-time Pro Bowler (and only player in NFL history with 80-plus catches in each of his first six seasons).

Cleveland will look to insert Bell in the space previously dominated by Landry from 2018-2021, but isn't going to immediately expect the same type of production. There's a silver -- or gold, if we're keeping the Purdue theme going -- lining within this projection, too: He doesn't have to be a massive producer. Cleveland's acquisition of Amari Cooper filled that need, while Bell can look to create opportunities when called upon.


It's the perfect situation in Bell's eyes.

"I don't wish I went a little bit higher [in the draft]," Bell said, via the Akron Beacon Journal. "God put me in this perfect situation. Come to the Browns. Be in a phenomenal offense. Got a great run game, a great passing game and arguably the best quarterback in the league right now.

"So I'm just really looking forward for the opportunity to get out there, and hopefully I have that chance to start at Week 1."

With experience playing outside, an expectation to fill the void at slot and his coach's passionate belief in him, Bell will see plenty of chances.

NFL.com