NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Interesting. Not sure Dallas is going to hold onto Alfred Morris, and if Zeke is suspended, they'll need a little insurance behind the fragile Darren McFadden.

Beyond that, Hillman could serve as Dallas' replacement for Lance Dunbar. I like this signing.

 

John Urschel retired this morning and abruptly left the Ravens facility without practicing after learning about the CTE study.

As a Ravens fan, Urschel simply wasn't very good, but he was in line to have a legit competition at being the starting center this year. The Ravens have a real bit of uncertainty at the position still.

 

Does anyone else see shorter careers on the horizon in the NFL? I could see guys coming in, getting their $3-10M over 4 years and deciding to use that to live on. The ones that stay longer will be those that piss away money being young.

 

I think we've definitely already seen signs of this in the past 2-3 seasons. We'll be seeing a lot more surprise retirements,

 

*** RUMOR ***

John Harbaugh / Ozzie Newsom considering signing QB Colin Kaepernick. Starter Joe Flacco is reported to be experiencing some problems with his back (ala Tony Romo?).

John's brother, Jim, was Colin's Head Coach and Greg Roman, currently the Ravens' senior offensive assistant, was Colin's OC with the 49ers.

 

I have to admit, the way these guy's get paid, there will always be the guy who would just keeps on playing even if he knew he had CTE issues. ( I would if I could, lol)

 

Seems about every other day we can hear a rumor about Kap... by camps end or the start of the season he just might well be playing somewhere considering all of the injuries around.

 

While Colin's "political stand" grew some legs in the San Francisco / Berkley area, I doubt he would recekve a very warm welcome in the predominately blue collar cities in the AFC North.

Your thoughts?

 

That's interesting... off the top of my head, I would think that it would be tough to play in the North with all the backups and depth charts being the way they are, but ultimately, people would trade their political idea's for a W in a heartbeat probably. I think if he failed early on he would be run outa town... he kinda made a bed he has to sleep in.

 

Funny you should mention depth charts / back ups . . . I can't recall who Flacco's back up is.

Would Kaep be an upgrade?

 

Ryan Mallett and Dustin Vaughan are the 2nd and 3rd QB's. So, I guess Kap would be an upgrade as conditions stand right now. They need someone to step in ASAP.

 

Hell, Brock Osweiller would be an upgrade but I can't see Sashi giving Ozzie a helping hand.

 

Man, the Ravens are taking some hits. Flacco, Pitta, Dixon, now Urschel.

 

I don't think Kaepernick would even remotely be doing anything like that on the field. Harbaugh and the Ravens were one of the few teams to publicly speak up about the situation and basically said they aren't against people having their own opinions, but it has to be in the right time and place and it's not going to be a game day distraction.

That being said, I think he's still a terrible QB who needs to pass off bootlegs because he can only see half the field.

 

Steelers sign Alejandro Villanueva to 4-year, $24M deal

The incredible NFL journey of Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Alejandro Villanueva hit a high mark Thursday with a new four-year contract.

The Steelers announced the deal for the 28-year-old, who had previously passed on signing a one-year tender offer as an exclusive rights free agent. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports the deal is worth $24 million.

A Bronze Star recipient during his time as an Army Ranger, Villanueva found his way into professional football for good as a 25-year-old defensive end in 2014 with the Philadelphia Eagles following three tours of duty in Afghanistan.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says he spotted Villanueva during a preseason game because of the way he stood during the national anthem, and the team later picked Villanueva up and converted him to tackle, where he became a starter during the 2015 season. He's surprised many by stabilizing the position in Pittsburgh as part of one of the best offensive lines in football.

Pittsburgh returns all five starters of a group that ranked second in pass protection by Pro Football Focus in 2016, a far cry from early in Ben Roethlisberger's career when the quarterback was routinely under siege.

 

Nice to see Antonio Brown slide into camp with his 1931 Rolls-Royce. LeVeon Bell on the other hand missed his bus (awol). This power tactic doesn't usually work well with the Steelers.

 

yeah the steelers don't take kindly to holding out. they cut, release or trade guys for doing this. bell is too good to be removed from the team, but this is a bad issue for the steelers.

 

i don't think the car was his. i read on 2 sources, it was a loaner. the car's value is $500,000.

 

The Steelers haven't traded cut or released anyone for holding out that I can remember & I have been watching them since 1972. They just refuse to negotiate while they are holding out. But Bell can't negotiate now because of the Franchise Tag.