NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Well then coach up Jalen Naillor and get a wr in the draft and Justin Jefferson MUST BE PAID!!! I hope they can get a O-line man to replace Ed Ingram so many holes to fill where to start getting younger and faster cause they looked old and slow

 

Like me.

 

Yes he does. Even if you guys cut Thielen you’d still need to clear another $37M or so in cap space just to be able to acquire Hopkins.

 

Rob Gronkowski criticizes Aaron Rodgers for aspiring to win another MVP, not another Super Bowl



Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said plenty on Tuesday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show. One specific comment stands out.

“Do I still think I can play?” Rodgers said. “Of course. Of course. Can I play at a high level? Yeah, the highest. I think I can win MVP again, in the right situation.”


Many have reacted to that by asking why Rodgers is thinking about winning another MVP award, and not about winning another Super Bowl. Retired (for now) tight end Rob Gronkowski chimed in on the issue during a Wednesday appearance on FanDuel TV’s Up & Adams.

“I’m totally fine with everything he said, except one major part,” Gronkowski said. “And that’s the ‘MVP again.’ It’s just that I think ‘I could win another Super Bowl,’ and that would have been totally fine. Like, bro, like why are you thinking MVP? Like don’t you want Super Bowls? Like Super Bowls are I think five times greater than an MVP award.

“Like we all know that you won the MVP a few times now, but like, you know, everyone would know even more how many more Super Bowls you won than MVPs. So that’s why I’m just a little bit confused about that quote he just had. I mean, it should be Super Bowls. You should never be thinking the MVP when Super Bowls are twice . . . twice . . . better.”

No one will ever accuse Gronkowski of being as smart as Rodgers. But Gronkowski is smart enough to spot the flaw in Rodgers’s remark. It should never be about MVP. That doesn’t matter.

Champions crave championships. Selfish people covet individual awards and recognition.

Players like Patrick Mahomes put little significance in winning the regular-season MVP award. Rodgers apparently does. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why he’s won four of them — and only one Super Bowl.

PFT

 

Rodgers has always been me first don't think anybody is surprised. How often has he thrown his recievers under the bus?

 

Me too lol

 

That guy gets freaking weird is he a good qb yes,but man is he WEIRD!

 

As good as has been l'll pass the Vikings need to get younger and faster maybe they will get lucky ln the draft got my fingers crossed

 

Weird is right what about that damn haircut he had earlier in the season

 

It's the man bun or whatever it is his girlfriend has a strange ass name it's blue something can't recall except it's weird also

 

Aaron Donald: I’m playing, never said I wasn’t



Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald says he’s not retiring.

Donald caused a stir by changing his Twitter bio to say that he’s a “former” NFL defensive lineman, then he changed it back. But on Twitter Wednesday, Donald indicated that he will continue to play.


Responding to a tweet that played a podcast clip of Donald’s former teammate Chris Long saying that Donald will play this season, Donald indicated that Long is correct.

“Tell em C Lo [Chris Long] yeah I’m playn never said I wasn’t,” Donald wrote.

But while it’s true Donald never said he wasn’t playing, changing his Twitter bio to call himself a “former” NFL defensive lineman certainly hinted that he was done playing. And there’s a long history of players using their social media accounts to give vague hints that they’re considering retiring, or asking for a trade, or a new contract.

And in the same podcast clip Donald was agreeing with, Long said that Donald probably wouldn’t want to be part of a rebuild and might prefer the Rams to trade him to a team that is better positioned to contend in 2023. Long even named the Steelers and Eagles as two teams that Donald, a Pittsburgh native, would want to play for.

So while Donald says he’s playing, he hasn’t said he’s playing for the Rams. Which means his status remains worth watching.

PFT

 

DeAndre Hopkins is currently set for a $30 million cap cost in 2023. I'm guessing that a few free agent WRs will be seeking contracts in that general area as well.

The cap for 2023 is projected to be "north of $220 million". Even if it's $240 million, the diva WRs will be looking for 1/8 of the entire team's base cap. No doubt that GMs who acquire these guys will kick the can down the road with signing bonuses and void years and shift the bulk of the hit in future caps, but the damage will be done sooner or later.


Not worth it.

Personally I have doubts that even the diva QBs are worth more than 12% of the cap. But if anyone is, it's the QB - not the WR. As a mock GM, I'd pass on any trade for Hopkins and I'd let the big money free agents move on.

 

Falcons QB coach Charles London is interviewing for a couple of OC openings this offseason. Tennessee and Washington so far, possibly more to come.

Now he's going to get an interesting early audition and first taste of experience in the OC role. He has been named the OC of the "American" team for the Senior Bowl.



Edit: just as a side note, my interest in tracking London's career is that way, way back when he was a high school running back, I helped with beta testing an SAT prep program and we needed extra students. So we sent his football coach a "scholarship", getting him to send someone to us for free SAT coaching, and the player he sent turned out to be London.

There's no way to know definitively how much of an impact it had for him, but I'd like to think it helped - if nothing else just to take the stress out of it, knowing what he was up against on the math sections (my area) and that he could handle it well enough to ensure academic eligibility. He ended up accepting a football scholarship to Duke.

 

You got your wish. Donatell is out !

 

Donatell's defense reminded me of when Leslie Fraizer was the HC and his damn Tampa Two how teams went up and down field

 

I'm still wrapping my head around what changed with Donatell, as he's clearly not the same coach now as he was in 2004. All I can come up with is that all those years with Vic Fangio somehow ruined him.

Donatell was initially part of the Pete Carroll / Greg Robinson coaching tree, working with Robinson in both New York and Denver before landing his first DC stint in Green Bay and then in Atlanta. He didn't start working with Fangio until 2011.

When he arrived here in 2004, he replaced a 3-4 (the Wade Philips system) with a 4-3. It went the other way around in Minnesota, where he and Kevin O'Connell switched the Vikings from 4-3 to a Fangio-style 3-4.

So... he's basically not even the same coach. Bummer. I liked the 2004 model. The 2022 version sucks.

And... Fangio just interviewed yesterday for the DC position here in Atlanta. If he gets it, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Donatell back in Atlanta working with the secondary.

 

I didnt like this move (3-4) when I heard it announce last Summer. Vikings always played a base 4-3. Not sure if the switch was the demise of the defense or not, but I dont believe the Vikings had the right personal at LB to play that style. Anyway, even under Zimmer, the Vikings defense was falling to pieces and not performing at championship caliber... changes were due. I just wish they would have upgraded player personal, rather than change schemes.

So, back to square one. Plenty of fired DC's out there at the moment, lol. Im hoping for the best.

 

I might also add that when your 31st in total defense and 26th in scoring, something needs changed in a big way. Maybe the Vikings will give Mike Pettine (assistant coach) a look and stay in house so they can skip all the interviewing processes. We will see... soon I hope.

 

The 3-4 defense was a complete disaster for the Vikings IMO

 

First game up tomorrow... 4:30pm et

We can all admit we didn't expect the Jaguars to be here.


Insist as the may, the Jags likely didn't, either. But Jacksonville is in the Divisional Round, where it meets a team in the Kansas City Chiefs that sprinted out to a 20-0 lead before cruising to a home win in their regular-season meeting on Nov. 13.


Those were the old Jaguars, though -- at least, that's what Duval County will have you believe.


Since that Week 10 defeat, the Jaguars have lost just one game. Their thrilling, come-from-behind win over the Chargers on Super Wild Card Weekend marked their sixth-straight victory, building a wave of momentum that Jacksonville hopes might consume Arrowhead Stadium.


The Chiefs have other plans -- and greater goals -- in mind.


After a tumultuous 2021 season that ended in heartbreaking defeat in the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs are up to their old tricks. Kansas City hasn't lost since Week 13 and has rattled off nine wins in its last 10 games, cruising to the top seed in the AFC and a first-round bye.


The Chiefs are fresh, rested and ready to show the Jaguars who's boss. It's not David vs. Goliath, but it's a game with a clear favorite and underdog. Will another Chiefs season end in an upset at home? Or can they keep the train rolling right through Trevor Lawrence's Jaguars toward a date with one of their two greatest AFC threats?


Here are five things to watch for when the Jaguars visit the Chiefs on Saturday in the Divisional Round:

1. Can Trevor Lawrence keep pace with Patrick Mahomes? After a strange 2021 season for the Chiefs, Kansas City is once again a high-powered juggernaut with a Lombardi Trophy atop its wish list. The Chiefs ranked first this season in points per game, yards per game, passing yards per game and passer rating, while landing second in third-down percentage. Simply, they're as good as ever, making the task incredibly difficult for the never-say-die Jaguars. Lawrence has made a habit of digging the Jaguars out of holes in the second half of this season, even when he's often the one holding the shovel. Just look at last week, when the Jaguars spotted the Chargers 27 points before storming back. There's good news for Jacksonville: Lawrence's second-half magic isn't merely an optical illusion. Lawrence pulled a few rabbits out of his helmet last week, racking up 24 points in the second half while completing 78.3 percent of his passes for 211 yards, three touchdowns and a 144.5 passer rating. Mahomes, meanwhile, did the opposite in his last playoff game (the 2021 AFC Championship Game), completing just 44.4 percent of his passes for 55 yards, two interceptions and a horrid 12.3 passer rating after halftime. Perhaps the Jaguars should check the tape from that game before heading to Missouri this weekend. Whatever Cincinnati did in that second half certainly worked, and could help Jacksonville mount a comeback if necessary. The key, then, is simple: Don't fall too far behind. Twenty-seven points wasn't too much for the Jaguars to overcome last week (and once it was down to 20 by halftime, it was go time), but the Chargers aren't the Chiefs. Keep them in sight, Jaguars -- it's your best hope.
2. Will the Jaguars turn up the heat on Mahomes? Jacksonville is a middle-of-the-road team when it comes to blitz frequency, ranking 18th at 26.3 percent. In their first meeting with the Chiefs, the Jaguars dedicated themselves to playing coverage and forcing Mahomes to find open space, sending a blitz just once in the entire game. It didn't work: Mahomes completed 25 of 34 passes for 306 yards, four touchdowns and one interception against four or fewer rushers. The numbers suggest blitzing might be the way to go, provided Jacksonville's back end doesn't break down amid the chaos. Mahomes experienced the third-worst decline in passer rating between passes attempted without pressure and with pressure, dropping for 119 when unpressed to 57.7 when under duress. Jacksonville has proven to be rather opportunistic defensively, especially in the second half of the season (just ask Dak Prescott). If the Jags want to keep Mahomes from burying them in an early hole, defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell just might have to throw caution to the wind and send the heat.
3. Can the Chiefs break down Jacksonville's sturdy offensive line? Chris Jones headlines a Kansas City defense that is not quite as good as it was expected to be, but is still pretty solid, at least statistically. Kansas City ranks 11th in total yards allowed per game, standing eighth against the run and 18th against the pass. That would seem to play to the strength of Jacksonville's 10th-ranked passing attack. But Jones and Co. have made a habit of getting after opposing passers in 2022, finishing second in the NFL in sacks as a team (55). Jones recorded 1.5 of Kansas City's five sacks against Jacksonville back in Week 10. The Jaguars have since improved up front, allowing just 1.3 sacks per contest in their last seven games. It's not quite an immovable object facing an unstoppable force, but this matchup could decide how this game goes. Early pressure could force Lawrence into the same mistakes that made Super Wild Card Weekend an uphill climb for Jacksonville, which might also be Kansas City's best chance of keeping the feisty Jaguars at bay. Preventing them from reaching the red zone will be paramount, considering the Chiefs are among the NFL's worst in opposing red zone percentage this season. The game plan is simple, then: Get after Lawrence early and often and prevent him from moving the Jaguars into scoring range. The fewer opportunities Jacksonville gets in this game, the more likely the Chiefs can run away with this one.
4. Can Andy Reid capitalize on a top seed for the first time in his career? Reid has directed plenty of fantastic teams, clinching five No. 1 seeds prior to 2022 and securing his sixth with these Chiefs. There seems to be a bit of a curse with the top spot in the conference when Reid's team earns it, though. He's never won a Super Bowl as the top seed (when Reid's Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV in the 2019 season, they did so as a No. 2 seed). There's plenty of reason to believe Mahomes and Reid will once again advance to the AFC title game -- they've done so in each of the last four seasons and have hosted all four, the longest such streak since the first conference championship game in 1966. But because of the Bills' Week 17 cancellation, if Buffalo beats Cincinnati and the Chiefs advance, they'll play that game at a neutral site (Atlanta). Home game or not, the Chiefs have plenty of experience playing on the doorstep of the Super Bowl. They're batting .500 in such games, falling in 2018, winning it in 2019 and 2020, and losing to the Bengals in 2021. And Mahomes is a perfect 4-0 in the Divisional Round, owning the best marks in NFL history (minimum three such appearances) in completion percentage, touchdown-to-interception ratio and passer rating. History sides with Kansas City -- that is, until they reach the Super Bowl -- including Reid's perfect 2-0 record against his former understudy, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson. It will be up to the Jaguars to make some history of their own this weekend if they want to keep their unlikely run alive. If not, it will be business as usual for the Chiefs.
5. Can Jacksonville ignore the pressure of the Divisional Round? The Jaguars have every reason to let it all hang out this weekend. A year ago, they were preparing to spend the No. 1 overall pick on Georgia's Travon Walker, not game-planning for a playoff matchup against the conference's best team of the last half-decade. Life moves quickly, though, and here they are. If Jacksonville casts aside any doubts regarding whether it can hang with the Chiefs, the Jaguars will have a chance in this one. Lessons could be learned from their first meeting -- i.e., don't spot the Chiefs 20 points in the first half before getting your feet under you -- but what's most important is forgetting what happened in Week 10. After all, we hadn't even roasted turkeys by that point, and Lawrence was just two games into his interception-free streak that lasted more than a month. These Jaguars are different now. Their aggressive offseason spending paid off, and their cast of overlooked defenders are collectively playing some of the best football of their careers. A team with nothing to lose is a team to be feared. We'll see if Jacksonville embraces this role with the hopes of pulling off the upset this weekend.

NFL.com