NFL - NEWS & NOTES

NFL Hall of Famer Bob Brown dies at 81



Bob Brown, one of the best offensive linemen of the 1960s and an inductee to the Pro Football and College Football Hall of Fame, died Friday. He was 81 years old.

Over the course of his 10-season career, Brown played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams and Oakland Raiders between 1964 and 1973. He was a six-time Pro Bowler, five-time first-team All-Pro, four-time second-team All-Pro and a member of the NFL's 1960s All-Decade team.

John Madden: “Bob Brown played offense with a defensive guy’s personality. He believed that he could hit you with his forearm and take a quarter out of you. In other words, if he really hit you, you wouldn’t play hard until the next quarter.”

Gene Upshaw: “Bob was the most intimidating player I’ve ever seen. I had opponents come up to me during games and say, ‘Gene, tell Bob to stop hitting me.’”

Carl Eller: “Bob Brown was probably my most feared competitor. He would strike out at you. His intent was to do bodily harm. He wanted to inflict pain.”

Tommy Nobis: “Bob hit me, and it felt like the world turned upside down. I’ve never been hit like that before.”

 

I have no idea who he was sounds like he was a bad man somebody to be feared seriously

 

Mike Tomlin’s Powerful Speech to His Steelers Players Had NFL Fans So Fired Up

Mike Tomlin was just 34 years old when he was named head coach of the Steelers way back in 2007, and it didn’t take him long to become one of the best in the league.

This year will be his 17th season calling the shots for one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. It’s been a very impressive run that isn’t showing any signs of nearing an end any time soon.

If you need more proof of that then watch this powerful video below of Tomlin delivering an important speech to his players this week during minicamp.



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There is something in that speech for all of us.

 

They Mike Tomlin and Tony Dungy both were on Minnesota Vikings coaching staff along Ravens head coach when they had Ray Lewis Ed Reed it's amazing to me how many coaches and players leave the Vikings and win SB's the one person you thought would never be a SB champ was T-Jack but he was

 

Saints' Taysom Hill working toward expanded role as receiver in 2023

Taysom Hill, the Saints' jack of all trades, will continue his role wherever he is needed, practicing at multiple positions during the team's offseason program.

Since the beginning of his career in New Orleans, Hill has played at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end while also serving as an effective red-zone rusher and kick returner. He is here, there, and everywhere on offense, the one to help put out any fire that arrives. For some, this may be a challenge too big, but for Hill, he is actually enjoying his time adding to his repertoire.

"It's been fun," Hill told reporters Thursday after the Saints' final mandatory minicamp practice. "We have conversations and stuff with the coaches, but I'm kind of like, I show up and I just try to be ready for whatever it is, but it's good.

"I think we're trying to find this happy medium and happy balance of like, 'Hey, let's be realistic with what we're going to ask you to do this season and make sure that you're getting the time and reps on those things,' and man, I thought the last three days has been really great from that standpoint. That communication between me and the staff and what that is has been really good as well."

Hill played 12 games (starting nine) as quarterback for New Orleans in 2021, throwing 978 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 374 yards and adding five more scores. Then in 2022, Hill was featured as a tight end, appearing in 16 games (starting eight) to produce 77 receiving yards and two TDs off nine receptions while also generating a career-high 575 yards and seven TDs on the ground. He added 240 passing yards and two more TDs when asked to throw.

With Derek Carr arriving as QB1 in 2023 and Jameis Winston as his backup, it is unlikely Hill will see more snaps under center. However, that is not a concern for the 32-year-old, who has come into practice ready to work and with an open mind. Hill acknowledged he's been catching a lot more during practice in 2023 compared to throwing and rushing.


"I think maybe doing more as, like, a receiver," Hill said. "I think that's kind of stuff that hasn't been explored a ton with me here. The throwing stuff as a quarterback or running, you know, that's stuff we've been doing that for a long time, and that's come really natural for me. I think running routes and catching balls and stuff that was a foreign thing for me, and I also think because of that we haven't done a ton of it, and I think there's some opportunities there that we just haven't explored yet.

"So as I look at next season, I think the hope and the expectation is that that expands a little bit. You know, I think the nice thing is I'm put in different situations. I can go at it and say, 'Hey, if I was throwing the ball to me,' like, I'm just going to do whatever I want the receiver to do if I was throwing it to him. So, having that perspective, I think, has also helped me and maybe made that transition a little smoother."

Hill later confirmed that what he meant by receiver is him catching passes from the tight end position.

"Yeah, yeah. I mean, look, someone running a route and being thrown to," he said.

2023 will be another test for the six-year veteran, as he prepares for another season being New Orleans' valuable Swiss Army knife.

NFL.com

 

Swiss army knife? My ass!! He's a weapon if Allen can use him right. Line him up at TE, snap the ball and have him take 3 steps back, lateral pass to him and he chucks the ball 20 or so yards downfield. No problem. It worked more times that it didn't with Payton and Brees. C'mon coach Allen. Make me smile again.

 

I like the term 'Swiss Army Knife', Hill can do it all on the field and I think thats what they meant and in my opinion its very complimentary. Cordarrelle Patterson with the Falcons is another example.

PS - Getting Hill on the field at WR is a very smart move. Carr will be under center and the run game is going to be solid, so I think the plan at WR is great, because that keeps the multi-talented guy involved in that offense.

 

I really think you are going to be pleasantly surprised, Carr is going to lead them very well (gut feeling and he's capable too) and there already is a confidence thing brewing in NO and a solidifying chemistry with the team... confidence and everyone on the same page is a good thing.

 

Report: Stefon Diggs is unhappy with his role in offense, voice in play-calling



The Stefon Diggs drama in Buffalo provided plenty of entertainment and intrigue for roughly 24 hours last week, before Bills coach Sean McDermott shifted into full-blown nothing-to-see-here mode.

Of course there is plenty of see. We saw it play out on Tuesday. A truce somehow was negotiated between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, a surely tentative middle ground that McDermott dared not disrupt by inadvertently blurting out the truth.

For most of last week, there were no reports regarding the source of Diggs’s obvious displeasure. On Sunday, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe filled the void with this nugget regarding the situation: “Diggs’s frustration is with his role in the offense and his voice in play-calling, per a league source close to the Bills’ locker room.”

The situation had been hiding in plain sight since the 17-point playoff loss to the Bengals. He gesticulated in frustration on the field late in the game. He stood before quarterback Josh Allen with arms spread and profanities likely flying. Diggs left the post-game locker room before meeting with reporters.

He skipped all of the voluntary portion of the offseason program, a fact that didn’t trouble Bills fans as much as it should have. Last week, the boiling point was quickly reached after Diggs showed up for mandatory minicamp, attended meetings with McDermott and G.M. Brandon Beane on Monday and Tuesday — and then left before the first mandatory minicamp practice started on Tuesday.

It’s still not clear whether Diggs stormed out or whether he was asked/told to leave. Diggs complained on social media about someone lying; it’s possible he left only after someone suggested that he do so.

Whatever the explanation for the mechanism of the departure, something went haywire to cause him to go. A disagreement. An argument. A confrontation. Raised voices. Something.

Volin’s report brings it back to the offense, which makes sense. Diggs got a new contract last year; it’s unlikely that his concerns are financial.

During Super Bowl week, Diggs explained in an appearance with Dan Patrick that the frustrations that became obvious during the playoff loss had been building for weeks.

The challenge now becomes fixing whatever it is that Diggs is upset about, while doing so in a way that does not disrupt the team’s broader objectives. Fortunately for the Bills, the expectations are lower than they were a year ago, when they were the preseason favorite to win the Super Bowl, a franchise carrying the crippling burden of sky-high hopes without even getting to the AFC Championship the prior year.

The Diggs dilemma increases the pressure. Although this basic reality of life in the NFL makes some folks within the organization a little antsy, it’s a basic fact that chronic failure to get the most out of one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL will eventually get ownership to consider whether others need to be responsible for getting the most out of said quarterback, before his career ends.

Chris Simms and I have discussed this point from time to time on PFT Live. Something is missing. It’s either talent or the utilization of it. So the blame for the failure to get closer to the top of the mountain goes to the front office or the coaching staff. If the Diggs situation isn’t solved and if the Bills don’t get to the divisional round (or perhaps to the AFC Championship), the only way to keep Diggs happy for 2024 could be to make major changes around Allen and his No. 1 receiver.

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Browns see Elijah Moore as a threat all over the field



The Browns acquired wide receiver Elijah Moore in a trade with the Jets this offseason, and the early returns from Organized Team Activities are that Moore is going to be a playmaker all over the field.

Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said he’s been impressed with the way Moore can do everything asked of a wide receiver in Cleveland’s offense.

“He has great flexibility, inside and outside flexibility,” Van Pelt said, via the Akron Beacon Journal. “He can run individual routes outside and win out there. He can come into the slot and has the twitch to win in the slot as well. He has excellent hands and a good feel for the game. So really a complete receiver that can play both inside and out.”

Browns receivers coach Chad O’Shea said Moore and quarterback Deshaun Watson are already developing a rapport.

“He has exceptional ball skills and very strong hands, so as well as Deshaun throws the ball and as well as Deshaun throws the ball down the field, Elijah’s able to track the ball at all levels of the offense,” O’Shea said. “He can track the ball in that short area and take a ball and catch and run. He can get behind the defense and track the deep ball very well and especially at his size, being a smaller receiver, he really plays big in my opinion and he’s got exceptional ball skills. So it fits really well with our quarterback.”

The Jets took Moore with the 34th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft but soured on him last year after he and the coaching staff seemed not to see eye-to-eye about his role in the offense. The Browns think he’ll have a big role in their offense, and get enough passes thrown his way to remain a happy camper.

PFT

 

Lions LB James Houston hopes for more opportunities in second year: 'I've got to get on the field'

Going into his sophomore season, Lions linebacker James Houston understands the importance of continuing to make a name for himself.

After being drafted by the Lions in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Houston played in a total of seven games (starting two) in his first year in the NFL. But even though he did not have a lot of opportunities to show what he is capable of, he made the most of it. Now Houston hopes this year, if given the chance, he can demonstrate how his versatility can be an asset and make a substantial impact on defense in 2023.

"For me, I've got to get on the field," Houston said, via the Detroit Free Press. "I don't know what that looks like, but I got to figure something out. Just like last year, it was just like they didn't really know where to put me. I feel like it's kind of similar, the same way. They don't really know where to put me, and so I'm kind of that guy, hopefully I can be a chess piece and not too much of a liability, I guess, where I really can only play one position, where you can move me in different ways and put me on the field. So that's really my goal, to get the team to be able to trust me enough to get to that point."

During his rookie season, Houston recorded 11 solo tackles and quarterback hits each, eight sacks and one forced fumble, an impressive start for the young linebacker helping make way for a powerful defense that includes defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who made an impact himself with his own incredible rookie year in Detroit.

As Houston eagerly waits to see what his role will look like at the start of the new season, the 24-year-old is self-assured that his talents should not go unnoticed, although the unknown has affected him.

"I know I did some pretty spectacular things (last season), but it was really just a confidence boost for me knowing that I can do it at this level because I knew I could do it, it was just, I never knew if I was going to get the opportunity, one, and I never knew if the timing was right," Houston said. "If the cards were going to play out for me. But things ended up being what they were and by the grace of God, he blessed me to be able to do what I did and I just got to continue to build upon that. He gave me these blessings, I need to fulfill it."

Now, as training camp leads to preseason, which leads to when it finally counts in September, Houston must do everything he can to prove his ability to start and make an impact going up against any offense.

NFL.com

 

Steelers WR Allen Robinson looking to build chemistry with QB Kenny Pickett before training camp

Set to play with his third team in as many years when the Steelers kick off the 2023 season, wide receiver Allen Robinson is looking for a fresh start.

After consistently finishing with big numbers through his early seasons, for the last two years Robinson's production has been in a slump, a trend he hopes to end by joining the Black and Gold.

Robinson hit the 1,000+ receiving yards mark three times in his career and as recently as 2020, but since then has not surpassed 410 yards in a season. Most recently he was unable to establish a connection with Matthew Stafford in L.A. and finished the year with 33 receptions for 339 yards. He also dealt with a stress fracture in his foot that required surgery and put him out of commission for the final seven games of 2022.

Getting traded to Pittsburgh in April gave Robinson a chance to put his recent struggles behind him and play with a Steelers team hungry to return to the playoffs after just missing them in 2022. But his surgery recovery meant he still had to wait until only a few weeks ago to get on the field with his new teammates. But finally back on the field, the 29-year-old is making plans to get back to his former self.

"Where I'm at right now, just recently getting back on the field the last few weeks, I've got a lot of stuff to do," Robinson said, via Triblive.com. "I'll be improving my body by getting out there and training and working with different people to get back to my (old) self. I have a lot of stuff planned."

Robinson, a veteran entering his 10th year, will be joining a young dynamic WR corps in Pittsburgh highlighted by Diontae Johnson and 2022 draft pick George Pickens, each of whom had over 800 receiving yards last year.

How the veteran will slot into the lineup is yet to be determined, and will likely be decided by how well Robinson is able to adjust to his new offense and build chemistry with second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett.

To that effort, Robinson is already taking steps to get more comfortable with his new signal-caller. With the QB-WR duo both set to be in New Jersey in the weeks between minicamp and training camp, Robinson said the plan is to work out together a number of times before the next phase of the preparation kicks off in late July.

While Pickett said this week that he's also looking forward to getting more reps with his new weapon, he doesn't want to sell short the impactful presence Robinson has already shown in the last few weeks' limited workouts.

"I love Allen," Pickett said. "He shows up every day with the mindset that he wants to work and get better. When you have that, you're going to get there sooner or later. Definitely sooner with him because of his work ethic and how much communication he has with myself and the stuff we've been doing when no one's watching.

"I think those things go a long way. We'll get caught up quickly. I think we're pretty much close to being there."

Heading into his 10th NFL season and playing with a new team, Robinson is hoping for a career resurgence and a chance to show his budding chemistry with his new QB.

NFL.com

 

Why Ravens should have most talented WR room in NFL

The Ravens have been criticized for not giving QB Lamar Jackson enough weapons in the past, but they have certainly attempted to change the narrative this offseason.

After signing wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Nelson Agholor and Laquon Treadwell in free agency along with drafting WR Zay Flowers in the first round, Baltimore now has five first-round wide receivers on its roster, the most in the entire league.



Although it's an intriguing lineup, there's a reason these free agents were available. Beckham Jr., Agholor and Treadwell are all in the late stages of their careers and must prove they can still hang with the best in 2023.

Beckham Jr. hasn't played since tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI, Agholor had just 362 yards and two touchdowns in 2022 and Treadwell has yet to find his footing since entering the league in 2016.

To add to the Ravens' uncertainty at wide receiver, Rashod Bateman played in just seven games in 2022 and Flowers is a rookie.

Now, that doesn't mean Baltimore's group can't be great in 2023 as it is arguably one of the most talented in the NFL on paper. However, health seems to be the biggest factor in what could be a successful or unsuccessful 2023 season.

If the Ravens' new-look wide receiving room can stay healthy, they may just be the catalyst for a Super Bowl run.

YARDBARKER

 

Never heard of that happening before. Lamar has weapons that should have potential, lets see what happens.

 

first it was Minnesota Vikings now it's the Buffalo Bills the Stefon Diggs nightmare starting up I really do think he has mental health issues

 

Steelers’ Danny Smith: Special teams is easy to attack in the name of player safety



Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith, like his colleagues around the NFL, believes that he wasn’t listened to when the league adopted its new rule to promote fair catches on kickoffs.

“I’m for making the game safer. It’s just that special teams is an easy place to attack for some reason. They’ll move on,” Smith said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “You say your piece and hope it’s heard.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell pushed for the new rule that puts the ball on the 25-yard line after fair catches on kickoffs because the league believes the kickoff is the sport’s most dangerous play. Smith believes the ability to kick off and return a kick off is fundamental to the sport of football and shouldn’t be legislated out of the game.

“People diminish that until you’re in a critical game in the AFC North, in the weather and the ball is in play,” Smith said. “Early in the season, not so much. In indoor games, they might give you one [to return]. . . . But in the division we play in, in the weather we play in, you’re going to have to return some balls. Your job is to get field position for the offense, so you better have one.”

Smith believes that the owners ultimately felt like they had to make a show of doing something for player safety.

“If you footed the bill for concussions, would you make a change to show that you’ve made a change?” Smith said. “It doesn’t surprise me.”

PFT

 

Dalvin Cook: I want to hold up that Lombardi Trophy one time



Dalvin Cook anticipated the Vikings moving on from him after the season. It didn’t happen until June 9, but the running back now is a free agent and weighing his options.

“It is strange to me,” Cook said on The Adam Schefter Podcast. “Being in Minnesota for the last six years, I’m grateful. Everything. I love Minnesota. The people growed on me. The community growed on me. It was great for me and my family. Just to take this next step in life and just to continue this journey of being a professional football player, I’m looking forward to it. It’s just different. It’s a different vibe for me. I just work out by myself. I just rehab and spend time with my family. It’s been great for me.”

Cook, who turns 28 in August, rushed for 1,173 yards last season in earning a fourth consecutive Pro Bowl. He called himself in the “prime, prime” of his career.

Plenty of teams are interested depending on his price tag.

“My production on the field is all I can control,” said Cook, who earned $32.35 million in six years with the Vikings. “My agent, he does the best job in the world to get me in the best [position] I can be in. That’s his job. My job is to produce and be me. That’s all I can do right now. I’m sitting in the position right now where I’m so comfortable to make a decision. I just want to go contend for a Super Bowl right now.”

Cook does not have a timetable for a decision on his next team, saying it could happen any day. But he knows what he wants in his next team.

Besides getting paid and going to a team that’s going to “ground and pound” with him as a “three-down back,” Cook wants to play for a contender.

“I’m looking for that value of Dalvin Cook,” Cook said. “If I walk into a situation, it’s going to be a situation where I can help somebody go take that next step of trying to go get that Lombardi Trophy. That’s all I’ve got my mind on. The money part is going to come. That’s my agent’s part. Me, Dalvin Cook, I’m looking for somebody that’s ready to go win. I can be the piece to go help somebody to turn the page of go win and turn the franchise to go get a Lombardi Trophy. That’s all I want. I want to hold that trophy up, kiss it one time. That’s all I’m looking for right now.”

Cook was on injured reserve when the Vikings reached the NFC Championship Game in 2017. He played in three postseason games with the team and got as far as the divisional round before a 27-10 loss to the 49ers.

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I hope he gets what he's looking for. His skills will be missed in Minnesota, but its a mean business and things are perpetually changing.

 

Cardinals rookie Paris Johnson spent the offseason picking the brain of D.J. Humphries



The Cardinals used the sixth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft on Paris Johnson, who might be their left tackle of the future. But their left tackle of the present, D.J. Humphries, is happy to have Johnson around.

Humphries is rehabbing a back injury, which gave Johnson plenty of snaps at left tackle, and Humphries said he was impressed with how eager Johnson is to learn from him.

“I like him a lot, man. He’s a student. He got a lot of student to him,” Humphries said, via ESPN. “He’s not a young hunk that’s kind of like, ‘I got this figured out. You old guys get out the way and hold my water.’ He doesn’t have any of that to him. He’s very like, ‘I want to know, am I doing this right? How can I do this better? How do you do this? What are you thinking about when you’re doing this?'”

The Cardinals haven’t figured out where Johnson is going to play along their offensive line as a rookie, with both of last year’s starting tackles, Humphries and Kelvin Beachum, back this year. But Humphries thinks Johnson will do what it takes to fit in.

PFT

 

After 16-sack season, Eagles LB Haason Reddick says 'there's still more levels' for him to 'tap into'

Haason Reddick had a remarkable season with the Philadelphia Eagles and is eager to achieve even more in the upcoming year.

As Reddick enters his second campaign with Philadelphia, Reddick plans to build on his previous success and help lead the Eagles to another Super Bowl appearance in 2023.

"I'm in great shape," Reddick said this past weekend at his fifth annual youth camp, via The Philadelphia Inquirer. "As crazy as it sounds, I feel as if there's still more levels for me to tap into. I'm extremely excited and looking to build on another great year. I want to continue to progress on what I did and what the team did last year."

Last season was a career year for Reddick. After four seasons in Arizona followed by one in Carolina, Reddick signed a three-year, $45 million contract to return to his Philly roots. The 28-year-old linebacker finished his first season in Philly with career highs in sacks (16), QB hits (26) and forced fumbles (five). That led the Temple product to earn his first Pro Bowl honor.

Although Philadelphia didn't win the Super Bowl, the defensive unit had a historic run. With Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Javon Hargrave, Reddick and other contributors, the Eagles finished the 2022 season, including playoffs, with 78 sacks. Philadelphia was just five sacks shy of breaking the single-season record for most recorded by a defense (82) in the Super Bowl era.

With Hargrave going to San Francisco and former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon taking the head coaching job in Arizona, the defensive unit's success from 2022 to 2023 could be tough to repeat. Philadelphia drafted two defensive rookies in Round 1 by selecting defensive tackle Jalen Carter and linebacker Nolan Smith. Despite changes in the front line and coordinators, Reddick believes Philadelphia could still reach its goals.

"We know our ultimate goals," he said. "But it starts with us striving for constant success."

Reddick and Co. will look to continue to build steps of success in July at training camp.

NFL.com

 

Saquon Barkley, Giants have less than four weeks to do long-term deal



The NFL is a deadline-driven business. For the Giants and running back Saquon Barkley, the deadline is approaching.

In three weeks and six days, on July 17, the window closes on their ability to sign a multi-year deal, given the rules of the franchise tag.

The usual formula for translating a franchise tender into a long-term deal entails taking the first tag and the second one (a 20-percent raise), making them fully-guaranteed at signing, and filling out the final years of the contract from there.

For Barkley, whose position restricts him to a $10.1 million tag that fails to reflect his overall value to the offense, that formula leads to $22.22 million fully guaranteed to cover the first two years.

Barkley should want more than that. The Giants would be wise to offer it. But once team and player recognize that the normal formula for turning a franchise tender into a long-term deal doesn’t work in Barkley’s situation, they need to reach agreement on how much more he deserves.

To his credit, Barkley recently called out the Giants for leaking details aimed at making him look greedy. Someone did that several years ago, when it was leaked that quarterback Eli Manning expected to become the highest-paid quarterback in league history. While the realities of the market and Eli’s looming franchise tender led naturally to that result, the characterization made him seem unrealistic and overreaching, given that he wasn’t the best quarterback in the NFL at the time. (The fact that the current G.M. and head coach weren’t there when the Eli leaks happened suggest the leaks are coming from somewhere else in the organization.)

Things have gotten quiet since Barkley publicly complained about the tactics. He also has suggested that he might hold out into the season.

By then, however, there won’t be much for him to accomplish. After July 17, the two sides can only do a one-year deal. Barkley could seek more than $10.1 million for 2023. He also could request a commitment that the team won’t use the franchise tag again in 2024. The only limitation is that the deal would be one year in duration.

The problem for Barkley is that the system screws him and other running backs. While he made better money than most incoming tailbacks as the No. 2 overall pick in 2018, he’s got five years in the NFL. The franchise tag will extend it to six. A second tag would push it to seven. How, if he hits the market after seven seasons in the NFL at the running back position, will he ever get the kind of contract he would have gotten if he’d become a free agent in 2023?

It’s a frustrating and unfortunate situation. The players who are playing the most dangerous position in football can’t get a fair return for their efforts. They can’t get to the open market until it’s too late to matter.

And no one seems to care, other than the men who play the running back position. The NFL doesn’t care. The NFL Players Association doesn’t care. Why should they? The league and the union created the system that screws the league’s running backs.

PFT
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In my, not to knowledgeable opinion, the Giants need to realize their need for Barkley and do all they can to pay and sign him or the Giants just might fall back down to Earth. I understand the RB devaluation is in progress in the NFL, but in this case the Giants need to forget that and if Barkley is wanting to be a Giant he needs to come to middle ground also. Too many times and just recently, we see the GM's/owners not willing to pay RB's what they used to and RB's trying to counter by playing hard-ball... it just isnt working.

Someone kindly explain to me why the, in my opinion, 2nd most important position offensively/tied with the WR's, got trampled underfoot. Id be real curious to hear some idea's.