NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Steelers must break one of NFL's longest streaks in 2023



There is a lot of optimism surrounding the Steelers after an uncharacteristically active offseason. However, there are still questions abound, mainly about the offense, which must break one of the NFL's longest streaks this season.

The last time Pittsburgh scored 30+ points and won a game was on November 15, 2020, in a 36-10 win over the Bengals. It's the NFL's longest such streak.



The Steelers have only scored 30+ points three times since (regular and post-season) with all three matchups resulting in losses.

Those in Pittsburgh have a right to be optimistic for the 2023 season after the team's 7-2 finish last season.

However, for the offense to have success, second year QB Kenny Pickett will have to take the leap, especially after the Steelers decided to retain Matt Canada as their offensive coordinator.

Pittsburgh finished as the sixth worst team in points per game (18.1) in 2022. For comparison, the Chiefs, who are the reigning Super Bowl champions, had over 10 more points per game than the Steelers last season, posting a league-best 29.2 points per game average.

Pittsburgh doesn't need to put up 30+ points every week, but if the team wants to contend this year, it must find a way to score more points.

YARDBARKER

 

Come to the Vikings there in need of leadership you can never have enough of that

 

Add David Pollack to the list... former Bengals Linebacker who did College Gameday.

 

Agree with Cam. The running game under Roman was the catalyst to their passing game. Lamar has been poor at 3rd and long. Guess we'll see.

 

Yea I just saw this ESPN oh man it's a blood bath over there what the hell is going on quess it's changing of the guard don't know

 

Chase Claypool expects “night and day difference” from last year

Wide receiver Chase Claypool’s time with the Bears in 2022 wasn’t terribly successful, but he thinks things are heading in a better direction in 2023.

Claypool only had 14 catches for 140 yards in seven games after joining the Bears in a trade with the Steelers and there was a report this offseason that the team has not been happy with the way Claypool has been working. During a visit to the United Kingdom this week, Claypool had a more positive take on where things stand with him and the team.

The wideout called the Bears “an exciting and dynamic team” that he thinks is moving in a much better direction than the one they were on last year.

“I truly believe that this year from last year will be a night and day difference ,” Claypool said. “Fans will be loving next year. I’m excited. Obviously, with the additions we had in the offseason, but also being able to stack that knowledge from last season, all those learning and those growth spurts that we had to go through, I think it’s going to be great.”

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said last month that Claypool is in a better place after having time to settle into the team and that should serve him well come training camp. The wideout is in the final year of his contract, so there’s plenty riding on turnarounds for him individually and for the team.

NBC

 

Robert Kraft says spending money “will never be the issue” for the Patriots

The Patriots haven’t won a playoff game since capturing their sixth Super Bowl title. They’ve missed the playoffs two of the last three years.

So what’s wrong with the team that became the first true dynasty of the salary-cap era? Via Khari Thompson of MassLive.com, Patriots owner Robert Kraft believes the problem never should be blamed on a willingness to pay for players.

The issue emerged after Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal asked Kraft about comments from coach Bill Belichick that seemed to explain the team’s struggles on failure to spend.

“Our spending in 2020, our spending in 2021, and our spending in 2022 — the aggregate of that — was we were 27th in the league in cash spending,” Belichick said in his 2022 end-of-season press conference. “Couple years we’re low, one year was high, but over a three-year period, we are one of the lowest spending teams in the league.”

What did Kraft have to say about comments that some interpreted as a shot by Belichick at Kraft.

“He says, ‘He has never come to me and not gotten everything he wanted from a cash-spending perspective,” Bedard said. “‘We have never set limits .’” Kraft also said, per Bedard, “‘Money spending will never be the issue, I promise you, or I’ll sell the team.’”

Belichick’s comments imply that spending hasn’t been where it needs to be. Kraft’s comments from late March imply that, unless things turn around in 2023, things could change in 2024.

The Patriots are currently closer to mediocre than great. They could finish fourth in the AFC East, for the first time since Belichick’s first season, in 2000. It will be very interesting to see what that might do to the dynamic between Belichick and Kraft.

NBC

 

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans aiming for Jerry Rice's consecutive 1,000-yard season mark: 'It's right there'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans already owns the record to begin an NFL career with nine 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

Now he's coming for Jerry Rice's mark of 11 straight such seasons in general.

"I think about. It's right there, so I'm gonna definitely try to go get that," Evans told KPRC 2 Houston’s Ari Alexander at his youth football camp this week. "I'm already one of one right now. I hope I can pass the great Jerry Rice and his record. Obviously, nobody will pass his records probably, like ever, total. But that 1,000-yard streak record would be cool to have."

Rice fell 73 receiving yards short of 1,000 during his 1985 rookie season before eclipsing the mark in each year from 1986-1996, six times leading the league during that span. He also holds the record for most 1,000-yard seasons overall with 14.

That's the bar Evans is chasing. Currently in a five-way tie for third-most 1,000-yard campaigns in a career, Evans can pass Randy Moss (10) for second-most overall and tie Jerry Rice's record of consecutive such seasons if he keeps his streak going through 2023 and 2024.

He's shown the consistency to do so.

Evans has somehow become a quiet superstar as he nears a full decade in the NFL, never leading the league in receiving yards as Rice so often did, but already totaling 10,425 before his age-30 season.

His annual delivery of 1,000-yard seasons has by now become the expectation -- practically on the back burner.

"I should get 1,000 yards if I'm healthy. Every year," Evans said. "It ain't that. I want to be one of the tops in the league. I want to be winning games. That's what I care about."

Some might question the likelihood that Evans continues on his pace to surpass Rice in the wake of Tom Brady's retirement, but he was putting up numbers long before TB12 arrived to rejuvenate the franchise.

Five seasons of his streak came with Jameis Winston at starting quarterback -- one of those saw Ryan Fitzpatrick make seven starts -- and Evans kicked off his career with 1,051 yards while catching passes from Josh McCown and Mike Glennon his rookie year.

2023 will mark Kyle Trask or Baker Mayfield's turn to work with Evans. Just like in himself, he has expressed confidence in both.

"Kyle's improved a lot," Evans said. "I'm really impressed with what I've seen from Baker. Whoever the quarterback will be, I'm positive they're going to make the right choice and we're going to win some games."

NFL.com

 

Is Baker Mayfield still in the NFL amazing

 

He signed a 1 year deal with Tampa Bay. He will be battling Trask for the QB1 position. In my opinion, this is his last chance in getting a starting gig... no evidence of that, but just a gut feeling.

 

Kinda sad, but i just wanted to post this...

27-year-old carpenter died recently after incident at Lambeau Field

The recent column from Packers CEO Mark Murphy, in which he seems to say the Jets will be the featured team on Hard Knocks , mentions an incident of which many were not previously aware.

Joshua Shaw, 27, died last month following an incident at Lambeau Field, where construction was occurring in connection with upgrades to the videoboards. Via WBAY.com, Joshua Shaw was critically injured at the stadium on a Thursday and passed on Saturday.

The Clintonville, Wisconsin resident worked as a carpenter with Mavid Construction, with his father and brother. They were not present when the incident occurred.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating , as it always does when a serious injury happens in the workplace.

Shaw was an organ donor; his heart, liver, and lungs have gone to others in need. “He’s going to be saving six lives with his organs and they said he also will be . . . enhancing, helping others’ health with many other tissues so there will be even more than the six with the organs,” his mother, Bobbie Joe Jarvenpaa, told WBAY.com.

Joshua Shaw’s mother also said that, in high school, he helped encourage a girl who was being bullied . The girl later told Joshua’s mother that, without his assistance and attention, she would have attempted suicide. The girl, who now lives elsewhere, immediately drove back to Wisconsin upon hearing that Joshua Shaw had died.

NBC
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He is now, at least thought of on this website. Sounds like a family oriented guy who probably perished doing what he liked. RIP, carpenter man.

 

Jaguars WR Jamal Agnew on impact of adding Calvin Ridley: 'The league gotta watch out'

Calvin Ridley has only been practicing with his new Jaguars teammates for a few weeks, but already they're seeing the skills that made the wide receiver such an anticipated addition to the roster.

"Just the way he moves, you can see. His route running, he can run, catch anything you throw to him, he's just different, man," wide receiver Jamal Agnew told talkSPORT this week. "You just watch him out there, he's a mismatch nightmare. In my opinion I don't think anybody can guard him in the league."

The Jaguars acquired Ridley from the Falcons at the trade deadline with the understanding that he wouldn't see the field until the receiver finished serving his indefinite suspension for violating the league's gambling policies. Ridley petitioned for reinstatement at the conclusion of the 2022 season, the earliest he could do so, and was fully reinstated in March, opening the door for him to finally participate in his new team's offseason activities.

The 28-year-old receiver had accumulated 3,342 receiving yards in four years in Atlanta, including a 1,374-yard showing in his last full season of play in 2020, and will now be taking his skills to Duval for the upcoming season.

He'll join an already dangerous Jaguars offense that got even more potent towards the end of the season as Jacksonville made its late push to overtake Tennessee and win the AFC South for the first time since 2017. The Jags had four regular season wins in which they scored over 30 points, including three in the final five weeks of the year. They also scored 31 points in their comeback victory over the Chargers in the Wild Card Round.

And most of the weapons who contributed to that worst-to-first Jaguars season will be returning to catch passes alongside Ridley. Marvin Jones moved on to the Lions, but in addition to Agnew, wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones and tight end Evan Engram are all still in Jacksonville, a trio which accounted for 2,697 receiving yards last year.

So adding Ridley to the mix should only be a benefit for quarterback Trevor Lawrence as he looks to build on his eye-opening sophomore season and first under head coach Doug Pederson.

"We've got an explosive offense, obviously we've got Kirk, Zay, Evan, Travis (Etienne), myself, and then obviously Trevor playing quarterback," Agnew said. "But add Calvin into that offense off of what we built last year already? The league gotta watch out."

NFL.com

 

The Chargers brought in offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to improve a unit that already finished in the top half of the league in 2022, ranking 13th in points and ninth in yards.

One of the ways Moore looks forward to doing so is entrusting rocket-armed quarterback Justin Herbert with taking big shots.

"Justin's such a smart decision maker," Moore said on The Season with Peter Schrager podcast. "It allows you to really call it in an aggressive manner. He does such a great job. We always say, aggressively take what they give us. Like if they give us these shots, they give us something vertical, we got these skill players that we feel really really good about. Just take them. Just go for it. And if not, take the completion. Take the checkdown. … I think the mentality of that has been the way we've been kind of training this entire offseason, and certainly I think we've got the guys to be able to execute those things."

Although Herbert's average depth of target (7.2 yards) last season placed him 45th in the league, per PFF, that number is artificially diminished to an extent by Los Angeles' tendency to pepper running back Austin Ekeler in the short-area passing game.

Herbert was by no means scared to uncork the long ball, and as Moore alluded to, he was one of the best in the NFL at choosing his spots safely.

He attempted 68 passes of 20-plus yards in 2022, seventh-most of any QB, connecting for seven of his 25 touchdowns on deep throws -- and just 2.6% of his attempts were considered turnover-worthy plays.

Still, Herbert took a slight step back last year overall despite leading Los Angeles to a playoff berth and setting a new career high with a 68.2 completion percentage. He finished the regular season with the worst passer rating (93.2) and lowest TD total of his three-year career, and he allowed his offense to disappear in the second half of a historic wild-card collapse against the Jaguars.

Moore comes to L.A. a seemingly perfect fit to help Herbert and the Chargers offensive recover to new heights. He spent four years coordinating a Cowboys offense that ranked sixth or better in scoring three times and twice led the NFL in yards.

Beyond pointing to Herbert's physical and leadership capabilities as a reason to be excited for a full-throttle offense in the coming months, Moore also referenced the roster's height advantage.

The Chargers' top three wide receivers are now all 6-foot-2 or taller after the team spent the No. 21 overall pick in April's draft on Quentin Johnston, who matches Mike Williams as the club's tallest wideout at 6-4. Keenan Allen stands 6-2. Josh Palmer and Jalen Guyton, likely the fourth and fifth options, are both 6-1.

There's also the 6-8 Donald Parham backing up Gerald Everett, 6-3, at tight end.

It doesn't guarantee success, of course, but having a group of pass catchers with their heads above the clouds is something Moore is planning on taking full advantage of.

"Having versatility on the offense, which I think we're really, really excited about being able to use guys in different positions," Moore said. "Align them in different ways and utilize all that. We like to say we've got so much height on this team, we're going to be throwing in a different jet stream. These guys … it's gonna be a lot of fun."

NFL.com

 

Vince Tobin, who coached the Arizona Cardinals from 1996 into the 2000 season, has died. He was 79.

Tobin led the Cardinals to a playoff appearance in 1998, capped by the franchise’s first postseason victory since the Truman administration.

“As head coach of the Cardinals, his steady leadership was a constant and a big part of the success the team enjoyed during his tenure,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in a statement. “His football legacy with us is highlighted by the thrilling 1998 season, return to the postseason, and upset playoff win at Dallas. He will also be remembered for his instrumental role in key decisions like drafting Jake Plummer and Pat Tillman.”

The Cardinals fired Tobin after a 2-5 start in 2000. He had a record of 28-43.

Tobin, who went to college at the University of Missouri, started his coaching career there in 1965. He worked as defensive coordinator from 1971 to 1976. He then coordinated the defensive of the BC Lions of the CFL from 1977 through 1982.

Next came a stint in the USFL, as defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia (and then Baltimore) Stars, from 1983 through 1985.

His NFL career started in 1986, as the defensive coordinator — and successor to Buddy Ryan — in Chicago. He held that job for seven years, was out of football in 1993, and then became the Colts’ defensive coordinator in 1994. He got the job in Arizona after the Colts nearly made it to the Super Bowl to cap the 1995 season.

After leaving Arizona, Tobin served as Lions defensive coordinator in 2001, and as Packers defensive coordinator in 2004.

Tobin actually followed Ryan twice. Tobin took over the dominant Bears’ defense in 1986 after Ryan became coach of the Eagles, and Tobin replaced Ryan as head coach of the Cardinals.

We extend our condolences to Tobin’s family, friends, players, and colleagues.

NBC

 

Bills feel Nyheim Hines can function in all aspects of their offense in 2023

The Bills acquired Nyheim Hines in a midseason trade last year, but the running back was most effective as a special teams player.

He memorably returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns in Buffalo’s regular-season finale against New England. But Hines didn’t receive an offensive touch in that contest.

In his nine regular-season games with Buffalo, Hines took six carries for -3 yards and caught five passes for 53 yards with a TD.

Running backs coach Kelly Skipper recently noted that Hines’ transition to the Bills’ offense was more challenging than it may have seemed from afar. But after taking a pay cut to remain with the club, Hines is in a much better position to be an offensive contributor in 2023.

“When you slow it down — and he’s learning it from the beginning — everything makes sense for him now,” Skipper said, via Ryan O’Halloran of The Buffalo News. “[Last year] he was trying to connect what was familiar to him in Indy to here and trying to function.

“He’s definitely explosive, but you’ll see him a little more experienced in the run game. … We showed him off in the pass game mostly [last year]. Now, he can function in anything we do.”

At his best with the Colts in 2020, Hines rushed for 380 yards with three touchdowns and caught 63 passes for 482 yards with four TDs — good for a total of 862 yards from scrimmage.

Fellow Bills running back James Cook recently said that he’s expecting to be the team’s lead back in 2023. But if Hines can be a dual-threat contributor like he was in Indianapolis, then that will definitely benefit Buffalo’s offense.

PFT

 

Foster Moreau in full remission from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Saints tight end Foster Moreau announced today that he is in full remission, just months after a routine team physical revealed that he has cancer.

“After a few tumultuous months, I’ve been blessed with the news that I am in full remission from Hodgkin Lymphoma! I’m so grateful to everyone who reached out to offer their love and support; our prayers were answered. From here I will continue to live my life as God intended,” Moreau wrote on social media.

The 26-year-old Moreau played his first four NFL seasons with the Raiders before agreeing to a contract with the Saints in March. But the Saints’ team doctors recognized troubling signs, referred him for more tests, and he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Although he was initially designated as having failed his physical, his prognosis was good enough that the Saints signed him in May to a three-year, $12 million contract with $8 million guaranteed.

Moreau participated in offseason practices with the Saints and expects to play this season.

PFT

 

Happy 4th of July!

Love you all. Fly your freak flags high and proud, just remember the Ol' Glory that made this all possible.

(and keep all your fingers)

 

Tension seems to be on the rise for Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft

The Patriots are at a crossroads. The relationship between owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick seems to be at a crossroads, too.

And even with six Super Bowl trophies delivered by Belichick having full control over the football operations, there’s a shelf life for everyone who isn’t winning. Since winning Super Bowl LIII, Belichick hasn’t been winning.

No postseason victories. Two playoff appearances, two failures to qualify for the postseason.

And since Tom Brady left after the 2019 season, it’s even worse. Three years, one playoff berth — a 47-17 blowout loss to the Bills.

Entering the 2023 season, the Patriots are the worst team on paper in the AFC East, and decidedly a middle-of-the-pack member of the conference. While Belichick has a proven knack of making a team better than it appears to be on paper, he’s the one who puts the team together. So even if he’s good at digging a team out of a pre-existing hole, he’s the one responsible for the oversized divot from which he has to dig.

In March, not nearly enough attention was paid to ominous remarks from Kraft regarding Belichick’s job security.

Meeting with reporters at the league meetings in Arizona, Kraft was asked a simple question: “You guys have posted a losing record two of the last three seasons . . . if that happens again, could Bill [Belichick’s] job be in jeopardy, or is he here to break Don Shula’s all-time wins record and beyond?”

“Look, I’d like him to break Don Shula’s record,” Kraft replied, “but I’m not looking for any our players to get great stats. We’re about winning, and doing whatever we can to win. And that’s what our focus is now. And I -- it’s very important to me that we make the playoffs, and that’s what I hope happens next year.”

As we explained at the time, the question wasn’t about stats. It was about wins. But Kraft doesn’t seem to be willing to let Belichick linger until he gets more Ws than Shula, if there are too many Ls along the way.

Last week, Kraft said that one thing will satisfy him in 2023: Winning “number seven .” While falling just short of winning a seventh Super Bowl triumph likely won’t be enough to prompt a change, another failure to make the playoffs could. Or perhaps another one-and-done postseason capped by a blowout loss on the road as a wild-card team, after a failure to win the division.

Does anyone really think the Patriots will win the division? It’s not impossible. But it’s far more improbable than it ever was when the Patriots were the Globetrotters and the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets each played the role of Washington Generals. Now, each of those three teams is better than the Patriots, on paper. Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, and Tua Tagovailoa (if he can stay healthy) are MVP candidates.

The perception of the Patriots isn’t aided by last year’s failed experiment to put the offense under the control of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. We said as the season approached and it became more and more clear that Belichick was actually going to go through with it that, if any other coach was trying to do it, the consensus would be that the head coach had lost his damn mind.

Belichick got the benefit of the doubt, thanks to his track record. The end result was that his track record was diminished.

Then came the remarks that prompted the recent quotes from Kraft . At his final press conference of the most recent season, Belichick pointed out that, from 2020 through 2022, the Patriots ranked twenty-seventh in spending. Kraft pointed out that spending will never be “the issue” with the Patriots, and that Kraft always gives Belichick whatever he asks for.

Hidden in this back-and-forth is an old-fashioned pissing match, with Belichick trying to subtly shift blame for post-Brady struggles to Kraft for not spending, and with Kraft pushing it back to Belichick for not asking for the money to be spent.

We all know how these things will go. In the ultimate game of rock, scissors, paper, Kraft owns all three. He’s in charge. What he says, goes. Who he says goes. And if Belichick fails to deliver a playoff appearance or if he runs the postseason victory drought to half of a decade, he’s the one who could be going.

It sounds crazy, I know. Belichick is one of the great coaches in NFL history. Since Brady, however, his teams have been just above ordinary. At some point, a sufficient stretch of failure wipes out a history of excellence. At some point, the past will have faded from the rear-view mirror. At some point, Kraft will decide to turn the page.

And he’ll be more likely to do it sooner than later if Belichick keeps trying to blame Kraft for failures that, in Kraft’s mind, trace only to Belichick.

NBC
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Obviously there should be some tension. The Patriots are not the same Patriots they were recently and Kraft and Belichick arnt accustomed to losing nor do they tolerate it. I little angst can be a useful tool and motivator if handled properly.