NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Arizona Cardinals

Pro: Play in University of Phoenix Stadium.
Con: Have been practicing online all season.
Pro: Hottest offense in the NFL.
Con: Their very unattractive defense is jealous and bitter.
Pro: Have a good mix of veteran leadership and exciting youth.
Con: They constantly fight about what music to listen to in the locker room.

 

Carolina Panthers

Pro: An angry, intimidating Panther logo.
Con: Wussy baby blue color jerseys.
Pro: Only lost one game all season.
Con: They played most of their games against the Buccaneers.
Pro: Cam Newton is the best player in the NFL
Con: He can (and probably will) be injured.

 

LMAO that is right up there with if the Pats lose this weekend and go blaming the Homefield Advantage they should have rightfully earned if not for injury or complacency.

 

Probably hosted the best collection of neutral site games in football history. Amazing Super Bowls, Boise State vs Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl, some great NCGs including the last one.

 

Pro: Cam Newton is the best player in the NFL

I think JJ Watt might argue that point

 

Sorry to change the subject...just thought I'd throw it out there that Josh Gordon applied for reinstatement today. The NFL has 60 days to act on it. Gordpn is still under contract with Cleveland thru 2016.

That is all. Carry on.

 

NFL Network...

 

last time i saw JJ Watt, he was on the ground in pain...and now needs surgery. Superman he is not. haha.

 

Josh Gordon, this is Robert Kraft, do you want to get out of that stinkhole Cleveland Browns team?

 

That is a very Krafty thing to do.

 

Bills hire Kathryn Smith, first full-time female coach

The Buffalo Bills have become the second team to be on the right side of gender progress in the NFL.

Kathryn Smith was named the Bills' quality control-special teams coach on Wednesday, the team announced.

The move comes less than a year after the Arizona Cardinals hired Jen Welter to serve as a training-camp assistant coach. Smith's role is a full-time gig, the first for a woman in the NFL.

"Kathryn Smith has done an outstanding job in the seven years that she has worked with our staff," Bills coach Rex Ryan said in a statement released by the team. "She certainly deserves this promotion based on her knowledge and strong commitment, just to name a couple of her outstanding qualities, and I just know she's going to do a great job serving in the role of quality control-special teams.

"I consulted with (Cardinals coach) Bruce Arians on this since he was really the first NFL head coach to make this kind of move when he hired a female linebackers coach through the summer," Ryan continued. "You can see the success some of these young ladies are having in the coaching profession, such as the young lady (Becky Hammon) that is an assistant to Coach (Greg) Popovich at the San Antonio Spurs, and realize how exciting this is for women like Kathryn Smith as well as the Bills organization."

According to the team's website, Smith served as an administrative assistant under Ryan this past season. She held the same role with Ryan in his final season as Jets coach in 2014. She also worked as a player personnel assistant with the Jets for seven years.

Smith has her foot in the door and hopefully gets the opportunity to climb up the coaching ladder. If she does, she'll break ground each step of the way. (NFL.com)

 

The eccentric Chip Kelly is kicking off his tenure in San Francisco with an unorthodox move.

The 49ers are signing Canadian Football League wide receiver Eric Rogers to a two-year deal, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Rogers will receive a $125,000 signing bonus, $75K in bonuses and a $100K base salary guarantee, making him the NFL's most expensive CFL signing since the Dolphins signed defensive end Cameron Wake from the British Columbia Lions.

Rogers played college ball at Cal Lutheran before signing a contract with the Cowboys in 2013 as an undrafted free agent. Rogers did not make the roster and, following a nine-game stint with the Portland Thunder of the Arena Football League, was signed by the Calgary Stampeders in 2014. His performance in the 2014 postseason led Calgary to a Grey Cup victory and the wideout led the league in 2015 with 1,448 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Rogers had previously seen tryouts with the Patriots, Colts and Giants.

The 24-year-old big-bodied target will be a welcome addition to a barren cupboard of wide receivers in Santa Clara. The 49ers' leading receiver -- Anquan Boldin -- is 35 years old, finished with just 789 yards in 2015, his lowest total since 2004, and has one year left on his deal. In his first season by the Bay, Torrey Smith finished with a career-low 33 receptions and 663 yards. (NFL.com)

 

didn't the cardinals fire jen welter before the 15 season started and it was preseason only ?

 

Very aggressive - he's the guy who almost fought Jim Harbaugh over a handshake that was too hard.

Eagles will have an aggressive defense, susceptible to lapses in discipline and personal foul penalties.

 

that nut?

oh like every eagles team since 1999?? no problem.

 

axe-u asked yesterday how much i would give bradford etc.

i saw on cbs he wants $25 mil a year! so obviously that crack ship has sailed!

i don't think brady or peyton make $25 mil a year. what is bradford thinking? he already robbed the rams of the money he got out his first few years and now he wants to rob the eagles. get bent!

 

Might be nice if Bradford could stay on the field and get the Eagles to the playoffs before he starts asking for what the top QB's are making! And I wouldn't exactly call him a great QB anyways. He plays 1 full season and wants top money? The guy is a freakin joke!

 

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater showed some significant improvement in his second NFL season. Although he's still a game-manager for an offense that's powered by All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson, Bridgewater keeps the chains moving with his accurate arm.

In fact, Pro Football Focus (PFF) found him to be the league's most accurate passer in 2015 with an "accuracy percentage" of 79.3.

PFF's unique accuracy percentage is different than traditional completion percentage. It counts dropped passes as accurate attempts and excludes throwaways, spikes, passes batted at the line and released while being hit. As a result, accuracy percentage is typically much higher than completion percentage.

When analyzing quarterbacks by completion percentage, Bridgewater posted the NFL's ninth best rate at 65.3 percent -- almost a full percentage point higher than his rookie rate. His accuracy is more a result of his safe style of play than it is a laser-sharp arm. This is evidenced by his average of 7.23 yards per attempt, which ranked 17th in the league.

As Bridgewater gains experience, he will take more risks and his accuracy may drop off a bit. If that happens, it will be a sign of progression rather than regression.

 

Marshawn Lynch leaning on retirement. Seattle at this point is likely hoping for it so they get money to work with.