NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Owners authorize Competition Committee to “tweak” replay review for pass interference...

The Competition Committee has gotten a blank check, of sorts.

Via Judy Battista of NFL Media, the NFL’s owners have authorized the Competition Committee to “tweak” the new rule that extends replay review to pass interference.

The Competition Committee will now have the power to revise the rule to eliminate automatic review of pass interference in the final two minutes of either half and to replace it with replay review sparked by a coach’s challenge. The Competition Committee needs that power, because the Competition Committee wasn’t adequately prepared for the onslaught of support for changing the rules to prevent another Rams-Saints outcome, resulting in a change that may have gone too far.

It’s unclear whether the Competition Committee also has the power to eliminate automatic review in all instances (overtime, touchdowns, turnovers). The obvious concern comes from the fairly low standard for initiating replay review — if the ruling on the field is not clearly and obviously correct, replay review is required to explore whether it is clearly and obviously wrong. With pass interference, the jostling and shoving and incidental contact would potentially require every play involving two or more tangled bodies to be sorted out via replay review within the window of automatic review.

Instead, it will be for coaches to throw the red flag when they believe that it’s clear and obvious interference happened (or didn’t happen). It will become even more important for coaches to save their challenges and time outs; otherwise, a late-game debacle like the one that happened in the Rams-Saints NFC title game may not be fixable.

That’s why the Sky Judge option continues to be the best option, by far. Coaches shouldn’t have to extend the guessing-game-within-a-game exercise of wondering whether an early officiating error should be rectified and whether the perceived incompetence of a given crew requires holding a challenge as insurance.

Maybe after the NFL bumbles around for a year with replay review for pass interference (the rule change is temporary, not permanent), the league will decide to make the investment of time and money needed to add an eighth member to each officiating crew, to put that eighth crew member in a booth with every available camera angle, and to authorize the eighth crew member to communicate with the referee as part of the first look at the play, bridging the gap between what the on-field officials see (while trying not to be trampled) and what the rest of us see at home. (PFT)

 

The NFL has announced that the 2021 draft will be held in Cleveland.

 

Jon Gruden on Antonio Brown in Oakland: I’m not in the relationship business...

Antonio Brown was traded from the Steelers to the Raiders in part because of his relationships with coaches and teammates in Pittsburgh. In Oakland, his coach says he’s not going to concern himself with that.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden said Brown and Derek Carr will build a relationship in time, and Gruden isn’t worried about it.


“I’m not going to get into the relationship business,” Gruden said. “I think Brown is a great guy. I love having him here. Derek is a great guy. You can’t rush a relationship. You just don’t have a great relationship in three weeks or two months. It’s something that you’ve got to earn and you’ve got to really work and, and that’s why it’s important that we spend time together. I’m a little worn out with all the relationships and all the things that really don’t matter right now.”

Brown declined to attend the start of Organized Team Activities in Oakland, which Gruden also said was not a problem. - per PFT

 

Ex-Bucs DT Gerald McCoy visiting Browns on Friday...
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Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett believes the defense is in a good spot without Gerald McCoy, but that's not stopping the Browns from bringing McCoy in.

McCoy has told teams interested in his services that he will first visit the Cleveland Browns, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport reported. Garofolo adds the Carolina Panthers and Cincinnati Bengals are interested in meeting with McCoy.

Browns general manager John Dorsey later confirmed a Friday visit with McCoy during a Thursday afternoon session with reporters.

The defensive tackle finds himself a wanted man after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released him earlier in the week, and for good reason.

In nine seasons with the Buccaneers, McCoy started 123 games and amassed 296 tackles, 54.5 sacks and 140 quarterback hits. Along the way, he was selected as a first-team All-Pro in 2013 and made six Pro Bowls.

If Dorsey believes McCoy is a good fit, the Browns have money to spend if they really want him. As of Thursday, the Browns sit on $33.3 million in available salary cap space.

In the event of a signing, the Browns interior defensive line would boast McCoy, Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi, giving the unit flexibility for a rotation.
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The Browns are appealing to players these days.

 

Do you agree with this assessment?

 

I agree - I don't think McNabb is a Hall of Famer. I don't even think he's all that close. If you're looking at titles, he has zero. If you're looking at numbers, he isn't in the Top 20 in any major passing category (attempts, completions, yards, TDs, rating...). His completion percentage is a pretty paltry 59%; his yards per attempt isn't in the top 100 of all time.

 

Not in the least. The HOF is an individual accomplishment. NFL Chamionships are a team accomplishment. If McNabb's individual accomplishments exceed existing HOF QB's, then he should be in.

{edit} I wouldn't vote him in but if his numbers are better . . .

 

After Nashville and then Vegas that's gonna feel like a letdown.

 

They shouldn't have to exceed existing HOF QBs.

They should exceed players that played in the same era as him.

And....they don't.

 

Fair enough.

 

That's impressive, is it not? Does he have to be the best in his era or just among the best?

 

McNabb's career numbers are only slightly better than Tony Romo's...and McNabb started about two more full seasons worth of games. And even the Dallas fan in me can't in good conscience nominate Tony for the Hall.

 

Truly sad news... brace yourselves !

 

In my opinion he was good...I never thought he was great.

And I think you need to be great to be in the Hall.

 

Or at least do something great. Like Joe Namath. His career stats suck but he had the first 4000 yard season by a QB and guaranteed a SB victory over the highly favored Colts. Two great things got him the nod. I don’t think puking in front of 500 million people at the fifty yard line doesn’t count.

 

Over under on how long before Pacman Jones ends up in prison for life now that he’s done with football? 3.5 years

 

Under or the Raiders.

 

Under

 

People need to explain how in the hell Kurt Warner is in the Hall of Fame then. Yes, I know he had like 4 great seasons (the 2 Rams Super Bowl seasons and the year he took the Cards to the SB) but he lost 2 of those. He was a backup with the Rams and IF Trent Green hadn't have blown his knee out in the first game of the year, would Kurt even have ever seen the field? The bottom line is this guy got voted in on like 4-5 years of pretty great work, they over-looked the fact that he was benched not once, not twice, but three times in his career for what those teams perceived as being a better QB..... Benched for Marc Bulger (Rams), Benched for Eli Manning (Giants), and for Matt Leinhart in Arizona.

Yet, he is in the Hall of Fame.

Donovan McNabb is in the Hall of the very good, I don't think he is a Hall of Famer either, but then we have to explain how in the hell Kurt Warner got in when he, in my personal opinion, is in the same place that McNabb is......