NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Interesting tweet I just saw...

Adam Schefter‏Verified account @AdamSchefter
Los Angeles running back Melvin Gordon has informed the Chargers that unless he receives a new contract, he will not report to training camp and he will demand a trade, his agent Fletcher Smith told ESPN.

 

LeVeon Bell set the bar for RBS alright, just hold out.

 

With legalized gambling spreading, it’s more important than ever for the NFL to create the impression that it’s doing everything it can to ensure that officials get as many calls right as possible. And so, of course, the NFL has put its full-time officiating program on ice.

Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports that the league has shelved full-time officiating as part of ongoing labor discussions with the NFL Referees Association. This means that NFL officials will revert to being part-time employees, which presumably stinks for those NFL officials who had become full-time employees (and in turn given up their other part-time gigs).

It’s undoubtedly a bargaining tactic by the NFL, which showed in 2012 that it’s more than willing to compromise the quality of officiating (and in turn the integrity of the game) by locking out the officials and hiring replacements. After three embarrassing weekends, the league resolved the work stoppage.

The current labor deal between the NFL and its officials runs through March 2020. Which likely means that the NFL will once again be pennywise and pound foolish, undervaluing a function that become far more important as the NFL is poised to make millions more from the legalization of sports wagering.

(PFT)

 

His pro football career over, Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Kendrick Norton is choosing to focus on what he still has in the aftermath of a serious car accident last week in which he lost his left arm.

"I am alive," he told CBS Miami's Peter D'Oench. "To be here, I am alive. One thing keeps me going and that is that I am still able to be here. Seeing my family is so important. It is very good that I have this support system. It keeps me strong and it keeps me tall.

"But I realize that I will not be able to play for anyone. We are working past that, you know. That reality is sinking in. I am alive and I am grateful. Now I want to organize a blood drive."

Norton on Thursday was cited for an improper lane change and pulling out in front of a vehicle during his July 4 crash, Florida Highway Patrol announced. The 22-year-old Jacksonville native remains at Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, in the company of family and his agent.

"I am ok. I am as comfortable as I can be with the situation. I am doing fine and the best I can," Norton said. "I am staying strong because all of the support from all of the fans, all of the teams, my family and everyone. That is what is pushing me, my faith and the support from my family, my grandparents, my sports agent.

"Everyone is going above and beyond with nothing in return. Just to see people who have been supporting me is just great."

After being selected in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Miami, Norton spent last season on the Carolina Panthers' practice squad before being signed by the Dolphins in December. He did not appear in a game for either team.

(NFL.com)

 

My Goodness what an awful thing to have happened,your 22 yrs old

 

The winner is whoever blinks first!!! from what i have read it's either pay me or trade me

 

Browns fans quickly snap up every free ticket to training camp...



In a sign of how excited Cleveland is for the upcoming Browns season, tickets to the Browns’ 15 training camp practices were gone almost as soon as they were made available.

The Browns’ practices are free and open to the public, but fans have to acquire free tickets in advance for crowd control reasons. The Browns made the last batch of tickets available on Wednesday, and they were gone in 90 minutes, according to cleveland.com.

With 15 free practices, the Browns are tied for sixth in the NFL in the most practices available to fans. And the fans are excited about it.

After the Browns came on strong late last year with Baker Mayfield at quarterback, hired Freddie Kitchens as head coach, and traded for Odell Beckham, their fans are more excited for this season than any other since the franchise returned to Cleveland in 1999. They’ll be there in large numbers well before the season starts.

(PFT)

 

Bang it here for all the player updates... its located on the header under the 'NFL' tab.

https://live4sportnetwork.com/nfl-player-updates/

 

Surprise!

Richie Incognito suspended two games...

Raiders guard Richie Incognito‘s career has featured many off-field issues, but he’d been able to avoid being suspended by the NFL for any of them until Friday.

Incognito has been suspended for the first two games of the regular season for violating the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. Incognito will be permitted to practice with the team during training camp and can play in the preseason before the suspension goes into effect at the start of the regular season.

Incognito pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct related to an August 2018 incident at the funeral home after the death of his father. He also pleaded guilty to charges of criminal damage and disorderly conduct from another arrest earlier that month. Incognito punched a hole in the wall of his grandmother’s house and also ripped a security system control box off the wall.

After signing Incognito in May, Raiders General Manager Mike Mayock said the team knew that a suspension was possible and pledged to help Incognito “help himself” avoid further trouble.

 

NFL suspends Jets’ Chris Herndon four games...

The Jets have indicated this offseason that they think tight end Chris Herndon is going to have a big role in the new offense, but that won’t come until the fifth game of the season.

The NFL announced today that Herndon is suspended for the first four games of the season.

Herndon’s suspension comes as a result of his guilty plea to a DUI case. His suspension is longer than most for first-time DUI offenders, which suggests that there were some extenuating circumstances that led the NFL to view this case as more serious than most.

As a rookie out of Miami last year, Herndon caught 39 passes for 502 yards and four touchdowns. He played all 16 games in 2018, but he won’t be eligible to join the active roster this season until Monday, October 7. Herndon will participate in training camp and the preseason but go on the suspended list in Week One.

 

Defensive tackle Malik McDowell hasn’t found a new team since being released by the Seahawks in March and news from the league office on Friday probably won’t help that effort.

According to multiple reports, McDowell has been suspended for the first two games of the 2019 season. McDowell was arrested for disorderly conduct after an altercation with police in December 2017 and was arrested after another incident with law enforcement last month.

McDowell never played a game for the Seahawks after being picked in the second round of the 2017 draft. He was injured in an ATV accident before training camp and never received clearance from team doctors to resume playing.

McDowell said he was cleared by another doctor, but a visit with the Cowboys has been the only sign of potential interest from another club since his release.

 

Report: Owners have proposed 18 games, with a 16-game limit for each player...

The idea is hardly new, but it’s emergence as a formal concept in collective bargaining is.

Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal reports that, as part of the NFL’s push for 18 regular-season games, the league has advanced the possibility of an 18-game season with a per-player limit of 16 games per year.

That idea has been percolating for years; it’s been the subject of multiple PFT stories, PFT Live discussions, and #PFTPM monologues.

Most recently, the topic was discussed during an interview with Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy last month, the video of which is attached to this blurb (the question is asked at the 9:37 mark).

The next day, Coach Dungy called after the show with another important observation: Some fans will revolt against an 18/16 approach. For example, this year the Browns play at Arizona in Week 15; it’s Cleveland’s once-per-eight-years trip to the desert. Browns fans in Phoenix who want (and who paid) to see Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham, and Jarvis Landry play would be upset if they found out 90 minutes before kickoff that one or more of them is healthy, but not playing.

As to Mayfield and all other quarterbacks, the problem could be solved by an exception for that position, given the enhanced safety rules that apply to them. (Kickers, punters, holders, and long-snappers would/should get similar treatment.) Still, the NFL has plenty of stars who aren’t quarterbacks, and plenty of fans would be plenty pissed off if they show up for a game hoping to see a star player who isn’t playing because this is one of the two games that he won’t be playing.

The fact that the NFL would even suggest such a revolutionary concept, one that oozes with unintended consequences, shows how desperate the league is to expand the regular season — and how effectively the NFL Players Association has rebuffed those efforts. At this point, the league may get 18 games only by making the players a financial offer they can’t refuse.

 

I don't like the 16 game player limit...

 

This part accurately sums up my thoughts. This is a terrible idea, and if it's something the NFL is seriously considering or discussing, then they want the 18 game regular season far worse than they should. This is going to be a really interesting battle to watch...

 

If players have to sit the 18 game schedule doesn’t make sense. Of course the owners would probably have a trick up their sleeves to change that rule and then have everyone play all 18 games.

 

That’s a seriously terrible idea

 

Offensive linemen hold their own summit to try to counter pass rushers...



Broncos linebacker Von Miller started a pass-rushing summit three years ago. It prompted the league’s offensive linemen to start their own get together two years ago.

Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson and 50 current and future offensive linemen, including Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz and Saints left tackle Terron Armstead, began their Offensive Line Masterminds Conference on Friday in Frisco, Texas. Johnson’s former college offensive line coach, Duke Mayweather, led the group.

“Hey, we’re talking it all,” Johnson told ESPN. “We’re talking about the O-line life in general, which not a whole lot of people really know about. We had a lot of people there in the room, a lot of pro guys, a lot of college guys, and really we’re just talking ball. We’re talking technique. We’re talking what should we do against this opponent? Training and then really everything. It was really just to get all the guys in one room and really just talk ball, something that’s never really happened. It was a good day today, a really good day.”

The Masterminds also heard from those who came before them.

“We’re trying to cultivate wisdom,” Johnson said. “We love hearing from the guys who have done it before. I love listening to the legends, really just trying to be a sponge and soak up what you can. Really, I think the whole message behind here is to try to be the best player you can.”

(PFT)

 

Matt Nagy excited for Bears to be in prime position...

In prime time with all the world watching, the Chicago Bears will kick off the NFL's 100th season against the rival Green Bay Packers.

The NFL's annual Thursday Night Kickoff will not only start the centennial season, but one in which the Bears will play a league-high five prime time contests.

And Bears coach Matt Nagy is plenty pumped to be playing under the lights.

"So, what I learned from coach [Andy] Reid when we were in Philadelphia and Kansas City is that you don't want to be a team that has a bunch of 12 or 1 o'clock games," Nagy said Friday on Total Access from the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in Nevada. "You want to have as many prime time games as possible. We're excited to be in that position."

Following his days as an assistant under Reid for five seasons in Philadelphia and five in Kansas City, Nagy's first campaign as a head coach was a memorable one. The Bears pulled off a worst-to-first turnaround as they posted a 12-4 record that included the NFC North title.

Thus, they will go from two prime time games in 2018 to a scheduled five in 2019.

Last season, the Bears also began their slate against the Packers, losing in heartbreaking fashion when an injured Aaron Rodgers rallied Green Bay.

"What a rivalry. It goes back to George Halas and Vince Lombardi," Nagy said. "For me, personally, selfishly, to be a part of that, I'm completely honored. I can't wait. I know our guys will be ready and our city and our fans are just so stoked."

Nagy will also face Reid for the first time, standing off sideline-to-sideline in Week 16 on Sunday night.

"We have tons of respect for the teams that we're playing," said Nagy, whose team is one of 10 with five prime time games. "We have a tough schedule, but our guys know that. We wouldn't want it any other way."

2019 Chicago Bears prime time schedule

» Bears vs. Packers, 8:20 p.m. Thursday night Sept. 5

» Bears at Redskins, 8:15 p.m. Monday night Sept. 23

» Bears at Rams, 8:20 p.m. Sunday night Nov. 24

» Bears vs. Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. Sunday night Dec. 5

» Bears vs. Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. Sunday night Dec. 22

(NFL.com)

 

The NFL and its owners want an 18-game regular season. The players don’t.

NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith made that clear Friday night after confirming a report that the league broached the possibility of an 18-game season with a maximum per-player limit of 16 games.

“I don’t see an 18-game schedule — under any circumstance — being in the best interest of our players,” Smith told Cameron Wolfe of ESPN. “If somebody wants to make an 18-game proposal, we’ll look at it. I haven’t seen anything that makes me think that it would be good for the players.”

The NFL long has wanted 18 games. The NFLPA long has opposed it.

To get to 18 games, the NFL needs the NFLPA’s approval. That likely means a financial offer the players can’t refuse.

Smith, though, sounds as if no amount of money will prompt a change of heart from the NFLPA.

“Fans and media discuss what would happen to ratings and revenue or whether [18 games] is a good idea or bad idea,” Smith told ESPN. “For us, it comes down to who players are as men and is it good for us. If a coal miner is willing to spend more time in the hole, does it likely result in more money? Yeah. Is that a good thing for him as a person? Probably not. That’s the question nobody confronts. It’s easy to say it’s more money. But is it good for us? The answer is no.”

The 18/16 proposal has left many questions, including roster sizes and how teams would competitively manage players.

“Why is it our job to figure out how to make 18 games work as players?” Smith said. “You tell someone you’re going to work longer and you figure out how to make it work? That doesn’t work. It’s not our job to put that square peg in the round hole.”

The NFL and NFLPA will continue their CBA negotiating sessions next weekend, Josina Anderson of ESPN reports. The current CBA expires after the 2020 season.

(PFT)

 

Mahomes, chucked a football out of Arowhead...