NFL - NEWS & NOTES

I look forward to seeing Alshon Jeffery’s appearance on the today show.

 

Tough loss heartbreaking

 

Potential nightmare for Falcons fans - Saints vs Patriots in the Superbowl in the Falcons home stadium.

 

So close. I really wanted to see if Foles was keeping that magic alive. He was doing well that drive and that INT was another beauty until it went through his hands.

 

Report: Kyler Murray wants $15 million to commit to baseball...

I’m all about loyalty,” Dwight Schrute once said. “In fact, I feel like part of what I’m being paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued loyalty more highly. . . . I’m going wherever they value loyalty the most.”

Kyler Murray is Dwight Schrute.

According to Mike Leslie of WFAA, Murray wants a $15 million contract from the A’s. Otherwise, Murray will enter the NFL draft.

That’s a risky position for Murray. If the A’s say yes, he gets the money. If the A’s say no, does that really close the door on the A’s changing their mind later? That’s the dilemma any NFL team that drafts Murray would face.

If $15 million is Murray’s financial goal, that would peg his NFL floor in the range of pick No. 11 or 12, based on the 2018 contracts given to first-round picks. If a team takes Murray below that spot, will the A’s step up and match or beat the slotted contract value that Murray would get from his NFL team?

But what if Murray goes higher than 11 or 12? Would the A’s match the value of Murray’s rookie deal?

None of this helps Murray maximize his NFL earnings, because it introduces another factor — a short-term focus on what he’ll make via his initial baseball or football contract. The NFL team that drafts Murray will be limited by the slot in which he’s taken, and Murray’s decision to sell his loyalty to the highest bidder means that the team that takes Murray in round one could lose him to the A’s, if the A’s ultimately are willing to pay more for his loyalty. (PFT)

 

Report: Browns hire Todd Monken as offensive coordinator...

The Browns have agreed to terms with Todd Monken to become their new offensive coordinator, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports. Monken will join Freddie Kitchens’ staff after three seasons in Tampa Bay.

The Bucs finished third in yards and 12th in points this season with Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback.

Monken, 52, had drawn interest from the Packers, Lions and Jaguars as well. He also interviewed for the head coaching jobs with the Packers, Bengals and Jets.

He was the head coach at Southern Mississippi before joining the Buccaneers, and Monken coached the Jaguars’ receivers from 2007-2010.

The Browns are close to hiring former Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks as their defensive coordinator, Rapoport adds. (PFT)

 

Steve Wilks will become Browns’ defensive coordinator...

Steve Wilks wasn’t out of work long.

The Browns have hired Wilks as defensive coordinator, per multiple reports, and are expected to introduce him Monday.

The Cardinals fired him as head coach Dec. 31 after only one season as head coach. The Cardinals finished 3-13, their worst record in 31 years in Arizona.

He joins Freddie Kitchens’ staff, along with Todd Monken, who reportedly will become the team’s offensive coordinator. James Campen is leaving the Packers to become the Browns’ associate head coach/offensive line.

Wilks, 49, served as defensive backs coach and later defensive coordinator for the Panthers. The Cardinals gave him his first head coaching job, but it didn’t last long.

Now, he’s on the move again, replacing Gregg Williams. (PFT)

 

Loyalty there's no loyalty in baseball or football players get traded all the time,you have to make up your mind baseball or football!

 

It's unfortunate that drops that become INTs still count against the quarterback. As usual, Foles was on target in the clutch situation, but this time it simply didn't happen for Philly.

I have always been impressed with that QB class, thinking at the time of that draft that it was a Year Of The Quarterback much like 1983. Some of them have disappointed, but it's worth noting that after seven seasons the eight QBs taken in the first four rounds are all still in the NFL.

 

Who's giving this kid career advice? LeVeon Bell ???

 

Did You Know?



NFL's top 4 scoring teams reach conference title games...

We've done an exaggerated version of the NFL's annual dance this season: explosive scoring early, followed by the rise of defensive football.

This is 2018, though. Things are different.

With New Orleans' win over Philadelphia, the league's top four scoring offenses all found themselves still alive heading into Championship Weekend. It's no coincidence those four teams also double as each of the conference's top two seeds.

Yes, it's No. 1 vs. No. 2, times two. And if their earlier meetings are any indicator, you better bring your track spikes.

New England and Kansas City tussled in Foxborough in a Sunday night thriller that produced 83 total points and ended on a game-winning field goal. Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes went punch for punch in that one, until a few missed swings by Mahomes ended up leaving the Chiefs to get knocked out. They'll meet again, this time in Kansas City.

The Chiefs spent much of the season as the model franchise in terms of offensive innovation, led by sage playcaller Andy Reid and the new sensation Mahomes, who morphed into an MVP candidate in just one season of work. That didn't change Saturday when the Chiefs took down the Colts, 31-13.

While the Chiefs maintain their cruising altitude, the Patriots are reaching their own new height. Consider: A New England offense that averaged 393.4 yards per game and 27.3 points just dropped 41 points and 498 yards on the Los Angeles Chargers, the No. 9 defense in the NFL in yards per game allowed. Their running game racked up 155 yards and four touchdowns. New England can beat you in a variety of ways.

The answer? Kansas City's strategy employed in its Divisional Round win over the Colts, who were similarly productive and boasted a better offensive line that was overwhelmed on one side by the Chiefs' pass rush.

In the other matchup, you have the Rams and Saints, who put up just as many points (80 combined) in their exciting regular-season meeting, but were limited to 50 in their separate Divisional Round contests. No matter, though: Each team was in the top three in points per game, top eight in total yards per game. top six in rushing yards per game and top seven in third down percentage. The Rams just racked up 273 yards of rushing in their win over the Cowboys. Michael Thomas exploded for 171 yards and a touchdown Sunday versus the Eagles.

They're meeting again in a domed stadium.

And should we get a rematch of Rams-Chiefs in the Super Bowl...well, we all remember what happened on that Monday night in Los Angeles.

Let the scoring continue. (NFL.com)

 

If Kris Richard stays and they get rid of Scott Linehan...I'll take that as a small victory.

 

what sport is it harder to make it ? you could play MLB baseball for a very long time if successful or even moderately successful. in football you can play for a long time at specific positions - see Drew Brees and Tom Brady. it's getting max dollars before you get hurt is key.

 

There's a report out this morning that he never demanded $15mil and that his concerns are more around being able to make it to an MLB roster sooner rather than later.

His ceiling is higher in football and if it is true that it has always been his preference to be in the NFL then I expect him to declare today and be selected in the early portion of the first round.

 

That's a good question to play either baseball or football Drew Brees and Tom Brady are rare players,it is all about the money before you get hurt argee 100% but the loyalty thing got me cause there is no loyalty it's all business

 

That's just it, he gets drafted to the NFL, his career starts NOW, working towards that first official contract.

Baseball, you could spend 5 years in the minors before you even get a shot. He is already one of the top prospects, but he could be used as trade bait every year if the team that drafted him/is traded to is in playoff contention and needs an extra arm or bat for the push.

The life of a minor league baseball player is a hard one... He would immediately start his professional life if he chooses football.

 

If he was a RB or WR, baseball would be a no-brainer option, but while the shelf life for a baseball player might be longer, it also takes longer to get to the big money. Even a mediocre starting QB will make a lot more on his second contract and get it by year 3 or 4 in the NFL than an elite MLB player will make in arbitration at the same point in his MLB career (and that's likely going to be following at least 2-3 years in the minors making next to nothing). Example - Derek Carr 4 years $125MM at age 26, Mookie Betts 1 year $20MM at age 26.

 

Jeff Samardzija could've went to the NFL Draft as a WR but he took his $5 signing bonus and went to the Cubs to pitch one a week for baseball. He later signed a huge $100+ deal with the SF Giants.

 

$100+ million for a guy who's had two winning seasons out of 11.

 

Power pitcher with a career 4.1 ERA...Pitcher win/loss records often don't tell the story...