NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Joe Burrow says his accuracy is his best attribute



Quarterback Joe Burrow, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the draft, can do everything incredibly well. So what does he do the best?

Burrow answered that question during a Monday visit with #PFTPM.

“I would say my accuracy is probably the best thing that I can do,” Burrow said. “I have always been a pretty accurate quarterback going back to high school and it is something that I have prided myself on. My junior year, when I completed 57 percent of my balls, I was very very frustrated in myself. I had always prided myself in completing a high percentage of my passes and there are several reasons that that number was so low, but the biggest one was that I just wasn’t as accurate as I had always been so I worked really, really hard on getting my feet set again after off-platform situations, getting my feet set to an on-platform situation as fast as I could and I think that really helped my accuracy this year.”

It made a huge difference. Burrow rocketed from a 57.8 completion percentage during his first year at LSU to 76.3 percent during his final season. And the sheer volume of throws was dramatically greater during his season year with LSU. In 2018, he threw 379 passes, completing 219. In 2019, Burrow connected on 402 of 527 throws.

Along the way, Burrow’s yards per attempt increased from 7.6 to 10.8, his passing yards nearly doubled, from 2,894 to 5,671, his touchdown passes skyrocketed from 16 to 60, and his interceptions increased by only one — from five to six.

So it’s no surprise that, with one of the very best seasons and college quarterback ever has had, Burrow is poised to be the first overall pick, and by all appearances to quickly become a short-list NFL franchise quarterback.

NBC - PFT

 

The Chargers are going back to the future with their new uniforms.

The team has unveiled six potential combinations of uniform options, with the powder blues as the primary uniform and, for the first time since 1973, the player’s number appearing on the base helmet, under the lightning bolt.

From powder blue jerseys with white pants to powder blue jerseys with gold pants to white jerseys with white pants to white jerseys to gold pants, the Chargers have four basic combinations.

They also have a pair of color-rush alternative options, one with a deeper blue-on-blue combination and one with a dark blue that harkens back to the uniforms that Chargers wore when their helmet was dark blue, not white.

As it relates to the effort to thrive in the L.A. market, it’s a start. Who is wearing those uniforms also is a major factor, and the ongoing unwillingness to consider Cam Newton continues to be mind boggling. Eventually, the Chargers need to win games in order to sustain success. Whether that’s with Tyrod Taylor or Cam Newton or a quarterback they draft on Thursday night, the Chargers need to move in that direction in order to justify their move from San Diego.

NBC

 

Patriots to send Gronk and seventh-round pick to Bucs for fourth-round pick

Rob Gronkowski is ready to return.

Gronk, who is planning to un-retire and facilitate a trade to the Buccaneers, will be packaged along with a seventh-round pick to Tampa Bay for a fourth-round pick, according to multiple reports.

Gronk told his fellow FOX Sports employee Jay Glazer that he already took his physical for the Bucs. Physicals have been the holdup for some players this offseason thanks to the coronavirus shutdown, but Gronkowski and the Buccaneers apparently found a doctor who was ready to go.

And so Gronk will be playing in Tampa Bay this season. Now the only question is whether he’ll be able to defend his WWE belt.

NBC

 

Tom Brady: I want to prove that I'm the best, and I don't need anyone to prop me up.

Also Tom Brady: Please go get my cheat code tight end, because I can't do it without him.

 

lol!!

 

Brady better talk some olinemen out of retirement now

 

Percy Harvin says he wants to return to the NFL



Three and a half years after he last played in the NFL, Percy Harvin wants to return.

Harvin told Josina Anderson of ESPN that he is working out, in good shape and eager to play again.

“I’m ready to return to the NFL,” Harvin said. “I thought I was done, but that itch came back. I’ve been training with a former Olympian. My body is feeling good. Mentally I’m better. My family is good. The timing is right.”

Harvin last played in 2016, when he appeared in two games for the Bills. Injuries and migraines plagued his NFL career, and he hasn’t played more than nine games in a season since 2011.

With those caveats aside, if Harvin is serious he’d likely get at least some level of NFL interest. He’s a phenomenal athlete and a big-time playmaker with the ball in his hands — or at least he was when he was healthy and motivated. He’ll be 32 years old next month, and if he’s lost a step, he probably won’t make it. But he’s shown enough on the field that NFL teams are at least likely to give him a chance to prove he hasn’t lost a step.

NBC

 

Brady wants more retirees to come back in Tampa

 

Roger Goodell reiterates plan to proceed with full season on time

The NFL draft sells hope to fans of every team when it comes to their chances for the 2020 season. The NFL Commissioner has been selling hope to fans of all teams when it comes to the chances that there will be a 2020 season.

Via Sports Business Daily, Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated in an appearance on ESPN that the league is operating under the notion that it will be “ready to go” for the 2020 football season, with no delays. He declined to speculate regarding “things that could happen that can prevent that from occurring.”

“We obviously put public safety as a priority one,” Goodell added. “We’ve demonstrated that when we have natural tragedies such as hurricanes that we always make sure we’re doing the right things.”

Goodell explained that the league is working with the CDC and the NIH regarding the establishment of work procedures, acknowledging that, ultimately, the league and the owners would decide whether the start of the season will be delayed.

Whenever games can be played, the separate question becomes whether fans can attend.

“We’re going to do the things we need to do to make sure we’re operating safely, and that includes our fans,” Goodell said. “Everything’s on the table. We’ve got to be smart. We want to try to do what we can to continue playing football, but doing it correctly and safely.”

He’s right. Everything is on the table, and a specific plan needs to be in place for whatever it is that goes from being on the table to becoming the NFL’s reality for the months of September through early February.

The next clue as to contingency planning will come from the regular-season schedule, which will be released May 9. Some believe that the schedule will be front loaded with interconference games, making it easy to ditch the first four games of the season, if the season ultimately shrinks from 16 to 12 games.

NBC

 

Tight end Trey Burton didn’t need long to find a new team.

Five days after the Bears released him, Burton has agreed to terms with the Colts. His representation, EnterSports Management, announced the deal on social media.

The Bears signed Burton to a four-year deal in 2018 with $4 million in guaranteed money this season.

He had 54 catches for 569 yards and six touchdowns in his first year with the Bears. A core muscle injury limited him to eight games, 14 catches and 84 yards last season.

Bears General Manager Ryan Pace said this week that injuries added up for Burton in Chicago, leading to the team cutting ties.

Burton, 28, spent his first four seasons in Philadelphia, so he will reunite with Frank Reich in Indianapolis.

Burton has 131 catches for 1,282 yards and 12 touchdowns in his six-year career.

NBC-PFT

 

This was my expectation with the Colts. It was too easy to predict with Reich and the TE situation in Indy.

 

As receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s fourth season approaches, some have wondered aloud whether the 2018 Steelers MVP won’t get a big-money second contract in Pittsburgh. That chatter possibly has fueled rumors that Smith-Schuster could be traded as his fourth NFL season approaches, to the 49ers.

With those rumors barely registering on the NFL rumor-mill radar screen, the Steelers mobilized, letting multiple reporters know that Smith-Schuster won’t be traded to the 49ers.

A second-round pick in 2017, Smith-Schuster is due to make $1.037 million this year, the final one of his rookie deal.

Smith-Schuster had a dramatic decline in production last year, dropping from 1,426 receiving yards to 552. Factors included quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffering a season-ending injury in Week Two, the absence of Antonio Brown to draw attention away from Smith-Schuster, and (frankly) Smith-Schuster’s struggles to become an all-around threat with the speed to stretch a defense.

Given the subpar third season and tenuous contract status, Smith-Schuster doesn’t seem to fall into the “untouchable” category when it comes to a potential trade. Regardless, they’re making it clear (without going on the record) that Smith-Schuster won’t be traded to the 49ers, who have two first-round picks but none in rounds two through four. Last year, the 49ers gave up a third- and fourth-round pick for receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who left via free agency for the Saints.

Smith-Schuster’s longest play of the 2019 season — a 76-yard touchdown catch — came during a Week Three meeting against the 49ers.

NBC

 

Jaguars’ demands may prevent Yannick Ngakoue trade to Raiders



The Jaguars have found a potential taker for Yannick Ngakoue. However, the suitor currently isn’t willing to give Jacksonville what they want for the franchise-tagged pass rusher.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Jaguars “want too much” for Ngakoue. Hope remains that a deal will be finalized before or during the draft, which starts tonight.

Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com first reported the possibility of Ngakoue to Las Vegas, with the Raiders offering the 19th pick in round one. The Jaguars, per the report, want pick No. 12.

Ngakoue sacked Raiders quarterback Derek Carr twice last December, in the team’s final home game in Oakland.

Last year, the Chiefs got a 2020 second-round pick for franchise-tagged pass rusher Dee Ford in a trade with the 49ers. The Chiefs then gave up the 29th overall pick and a 2020 second-round selection to the Seahawks to get franchise-tagged pass rusher Frank Clark. Both signed long-term deals with their new teams.

A compromise for Ngakoue could happen, with the Jaguars getting the 19th pick and something else, whether it’s a 2021 selection or a flip-flop of later selections in 2020.

Before Ngakoue could be traded, he’d have to accept his one-year franchise tender. Ideally for the Raiders, they’d also work out a new contract with Ngakoue, since they’d get Ngakoue’s rights for one year at $17.78 million. He could be tagged again in 2021, at a 20-percent increase ($21.3 million).

Multiple trades have happened in the past eight months of high-profile players with first-round compensation but without new contracts. Both the Texans (Laremy Tunsil) and Rams (Jalen Ramsey) were criticized for making trades without getting long-term deals done as part of the transaction.

The Raiders have two first-round picks due to the trade that sent Khalil Mack to the Bears. The Raiders didn’t want to pay Mack, the fifth-overall pick in 2014. They may now be paying a stranger to the organization instead, and giving up a first-round pick to get him.

If nothing else, the fact that talks are happening shows that owner Mark Davis has no fear about being on the wrong end of an eventual Twitter fight with Ngakoue.

NBC

 

The Patriots are set to add a wide receiver ahead of the start of the NFL Draft on Thursday night.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that they are signing former Jaguar Marqise Lee to their roster. Lee was released by the Jaguars earlier this week.

Lee missed the entire 2018 season and was limited to six games due to knee problems, so his ability to help the new quarterback in New England will be contingent on his ability to stay on the field. He had 119 catches for 1,553 yards and six touchdowns when he was able to do that in 2016 and 2017.

Lee joins Damiere Byrd as new additions to a receiver group that also includes Julian Edelman, N'Keal Harry, Mohamed Sanu, Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski.

NBC

 

lol...

Tom Brady is still finding his way around Tampa Bay. It must be hard to leave home after 20 years.

The new Buccaneers quarterback on Thursday acknowledged a report that he accidentally entered the wrong house earlier this month. Brady thought he'd arrived at the residence of Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich but instead went next door to Leftwich's neighbor's, per TMZ.

Tampa resident David Kramer told TMZ that Brady walked right through his front door holding duffel bags before realizing he was in the wrong place.

"I literally was just sitting here and I watch this tall guy just walk into my house," Kramer said. "... He didn't even look at me. He just like dropped his duffel bags down on the floor and just kind of like looked up at me and I'll never forget the look on his face.

"He just goes, 'Am I in the wrong house?!'"

Brady quickly apologized upon learning the mistake and left with a smile, Kramer said.

Earlier this week, Brady was asked to leave a local park in the midst of a workout because it was closed. The six-time Super Bowl champion has since expressed a good sense of humor over his humbling start to life outside of New England.

"Trespassing in parks, breaking and entering... Just making myself at home in Tompa Bay!"

NFL.com

 

You know, if the idea of quarantining / social distancing mattered even in the slightest to him, none of this would have happened. You wanna talk with Leftwich? The entire country is meeting with each other in plenty of ways besides showing up to someone's house. You moron.

I cannot wait until Brady is out of the league. What an insufferable person.

 

I was going to say I could almost appreciate the whole story, if not for the fact he tried to plug one of his self-created trademarks at the end. (Tompa)

 

Jeezus, I didn't even read that closely. How can anyone not hate this dude? What an absolute tool.

 

It’s already apparent that Brady needs Belichick more than Belichick needs him. Brady can’t get his head out of his ass without coaching

 

Why the F is David gettleman putting on a mask to sit at his desk by himself?