NFL - NEWS & NOTES

So the Raiders signed a guy and then released him before ever seeing him even practice for them? Jeez, I hope they had to pay him some guarantees for his waste of time.

 

Don’t feel too bad for him. He probably doubled his CFL salary for next year in 2 months signed with the Raiders

 

Report: Eagles have interest in Carlos Hyde

The Eagles have interest in adding a veteran running back with Jordan Howard having left in free agency.

Carlos Hyde remains among the veteran running backs still on the market, and one of the last remaining players on PFT’s original top-100 free agents list.

The Eagles are targeting Hyde, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

The Eagles currently have Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Elijah Holyfield, Corey Clement and undrafted rookies Adrian Killins and Michael Warren at the position.

Hyde, 29, had his first career 1,000-yard season in 2019, rushing for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns with Houston.

Hyde has played for the 49ers, Jaguars, Browns and Texans. He spent time with the Chiefs during training camp last year before they traded him to Houston.

NBC

 

Colts excited about chip on Xavier Rhodes’ shoulder



Things went south in a hurry for cornerback Xavier Rhodes over the last couple of years as he went from signing a five-year contract in 2017 to being released by the Vikings in March.

Rhodes signed a one-year deal with the Colts later in the month and called the rapid change in Minnesota a “reality check” as he prepares to move forward with his new team. Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who coached Rhodes at the 2013 Pro Bowl, thinks that change has also left a chip on Rhodes’ shoulder that the staff in Indianapolis thinks is a positive.

“I just fell in love with him in terms of his work patterns,” Eberflus said on a Monday conference call. “I was just amazed how the guy could move, how big he is. The guy looks like a big safety and he’s playing corner. He’s a physical, really good tackler. He’s played at a Pro Bowl level and we are excited to get him back to that point. . . . We are excited about where he is. I know we feel that. I know Chris has said this as well, but we feel he has a chip on his shoulder in lieu of the circumstances and we are excited about that.”

Eberflus isn’t the only coach who has worked with Rhodes in the past. Cornerbacks coach Jonathan Gannon and safeties coach Alan Williams both worked in Minnesota and Eberflus said the team “feels great” about the effect that can have on helping Rhodes’ attempt to get back on track.

NBC

 

Moncrief was on a futures contract. No signing bonus. No guarantees. He got bubkus from the Raiders.

 

Don’t feel too bad for him. He probably doubled his CFL salary for next year in 2 months signed with the Raiders


You got that right Ruth...........CFL (Cash Flow Low).......will probably be bankrupt before Kick-Off.

Will.......the Titans 4 NFC games are all the NFC North......WTF ???

 

Yeah that’s how scheduling works. You rotate divisions. You’ll play each NFC division once every 4 years

 

K............tks Stl.............I had my fingers they would come to Seattle in /20........lol

They are due next year.........but Vegas will probably get their spot ???

 

MLB owners propose starting baseball in July



Baseball took a step Monday to become the first major team sport to return to business after the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Associated Press, Major League Baseball owners approved a proposal to the players’ union which could put the game back on the field around the Fourth of July, with each team playing an 82-game schedule.

The proposal includes starting games in stadiums without fans, and would start “spring training” in mid-June. Teams were already in spring training when the sports world shut down in March.

The proposal also includes some non-health-related issues, including expanding the designated hitter to the National League, expanding rosters to around 30, and doubling the number of wild card teams to create a 14-team postseason.

League officials are expected to present the proposal to the union on Tuesday.

The time element is interesting as it pertains to football, since training camp generally starts in late July and the NFL has presented a full 17-game schedule for the fall.

NBC

 

The 17 game schedule will screw with that to some aspect. Not exactly sure how it’ll get figured in. I imagine some kind of rotational thing though.

 

I imagine it could be they pick a member of the opposite conference and play according to where they finished the previous year. For example, Steelers finished 2nd in the AFC North, so they play the 2nd place team from the NFC North and rotate it yearly...made sense in my head anyways lol

 

Report: Multiple teams exploring out-of-state training camp options



The NFL wants to make sure every team has the ability to gather, before they allow any of them to gather.

And because some teams reside in states with stricter rules than others, that’s led some teams to explore ways to find an equal footing.

According to Albert Breer of SI.com, multiple teams are exploring out-of-state training camp sites, in hopes of finding a place to put 150 or so people for a few weeks.

Primarily, teams in the Northeast and on the West Coast might struggle to find local facilities to host a gathering of 90 players, plus all the coaches, medical personnel, and support staff that make a camp run.

For instance, the mayor of Boston has banned festivals and parades through Labor Day, and in Washington state, gatherings of 50 or more people won’t be allowed until Phase Four of their reopening, which is projected for some time in mid-July.

The trend in the NFL has been for teams to work out in their own facilities, but as with so many things this year, it appears there will be many exceptions to conventional rules. The colleges that teams would normally rely on for such camps are having their own issues reopening, and they may not all be available to NFL teams.

NBC

 

Mike Evans: Tom Brady 'about to change the franchise'

Mike Evans built what he considers to be a lifelong bond with Jameis Winston, but that's not keeping him from getting giddy over his new quarterback.

Evans gushed over the arrival of Tom Brady to his Buccaneers during an Instagram Live session with former Tampa Bay receiver Louis Murphy.

"If we didn't get Tom? Then obviously we were going to keep Jameis. I don't know for sure. I'm not the GM. I'm not a coach. Obviously, I wanted Jameis back because that's my bro," Evans said, via the Tampa Bay Times. "The opportunity to get Tom Brady. Like, that's Tom Brady, bro. Like that's the greatest of all-time. He's franchise changer. Like he's about to change the franchise.

"Like, ticket sales are going through the roof. Like prime time games. And he understands the game of football to nobody else understands that level besides the greats and it's going to be great to work with him, you understand what I'm saying. The young receiving corps we got, the tight ends we've got, we've got Gronk coming in ... it's going to be great for the city. And it's going to be just great overall. Hopefully we have a great season, everybody stays healthy and it pans out the way we want."

Evans wasn't wrong about the primetime games. The Buccaneers are set for five dates with a national audience in 2020, with most of the credit for that due to the presence of Brady. Whether that produces wins remains to be seen, of course, but it was refreshing to hear Evans speak so highly of Winston when too often we cast aside human beings just because they didn't quite live up to the sky-high expectations placed upon them by the highest level of sport.

If Brady can end up on the same page as Evans and his teammates, the season could indeed end up being "great overall" as Evans said. After spending his college career with Johnny Manziel and his pro career with Josh McCown, Mike Glennon and Winston, there's no question this will be the best quarterback the receiver has played with.

NFL.com

 

Colts call Marlon Mack, Jonathan Taylor a “1-1 punch”



Plenty of NFL teams refer to their top two running backs as a 1-2 punch, but the Colts see theirs as something a little different.

Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni said he views Marlon Mack and rookie Jonathan Taylor as a “1-1 punch” because they’re going to be co-starters in the offense in Indianapolis.

“We know we want to run the football. We know a lot of the good running teams in this league and in the past have had good one-two punches,” Sirianni said. “It feels like it’s just a one-one punch though because we have two such exceptional backs.”

Sirianni said he thinks both running backs can do whatever is asked of them in the Colts’ offense.

“They both have exceptional speed, and they both have ability to make you miss, and they both have the ability to break arm-tackles and run with power,” Sirianni said. “They have some different running styles, but again they’re both complete backs. I think that’s a fantastic problem to have, is to have two guys like that you can feed the football to. It’s only going to help our running game.”

Mack and Taylor are both accustomed to being their teams’ primary ballcarriers: Last year Mack had 247 carries for 1,091 yards for the Colts, more than triple the production of anyone else on the team. Taylor, meanwhile, is one of the most productive backs in college football history, averaging more than 2,000 yards a season at Wisconsin. Calling them a one-one punch may make both running backs feel like they can continue to be workhorses.

NBC

 

Owners to push back rules change votes

Since deciding to less pass interference review to die a quiet death, the NFL doesn’t have a long list of rule changes to vote on.

So they may wait to vote.

According to Mark Maske of the Washington Post, the NFL plans to delay voting on any rules changes until a May 28 videoconference.

There was supposed to be a meeting next week at a California resort, but that was changed to a virtual meeting.

They don’t have another scheduled meeting until October, but it seems reasonable that they’d meet at some point — with so many important decisions to make before starting training camps or a season in the middle of a pandemic.

The league’s competition committee has suggested just two rules changes — expansion of defenseless-player protections and closure of the Bill Belichick dead-ball loophole. The Ravens and Chargers have proposed adding a “booth umpire” or a senior technology advisor to officiating crews, but those don’t seem to have much traction at the moment.

NBC

 

With Jimmy Graham in Chicago, Jace Sternberger ready for bigger role



Packers tight end Jace Sternberger missed the first eight games of his rookie season on injured reserve with an ankle injury and played only six games. He didn’t make his first reception until the divisional round victory over the Seahawks.

The third-round choice caught his first touchdown in the NFC Championship Game.

“I just got the first one out of the way,” Sternberger told Matt Schneidman of TheAthletic.com. “I was more worried about, after I scored, ‘OK, we’re only down two possessions. We gotta go.’ It was onto the next one pretty quick. But it was definitely good momentum. I mean I practice to do those things at the same time, so this is what I signed up for. This is what I’m really trying to do. Not trying to be the too-cool-for-school guy, but definitely, I was happy it happened, glad I got it out of the way. It was good momentum for sure, but I’m all ready for this season.”

With Jimmy Graham now with the Bears, the expectation in Green Bay is the starting tight end job is Sternberger’s to lose. Marcedes Lewis and Robert Tonyan also are in the team’s tight ends room and expected to have roles.

“That’s one thing that we’ve all discussed, that I will have the opportunity for my role to be bigger,” Sternberger said. “It’s all how I handle it and what I can prove. It goes back to me and this opportunity. I’m just really excited about it, and I’m just definitely ready for it.”

NBC

 

Just read an article from the Los Angeles Times. They are reporting that the Los Angeles County Health Department is recommending extending the lock down for three more months !

If true - kiss the 2020 NFL schedule (and probably the NCAA football schedule) good bye.

 

Thats really messed up, if it unfolds like it sounds it will, wtf.

 

That's misleading, though. The county has already been relaxing measures, including opening businesses, etc. I would hope any article you read included that. This is an issue with a lot of nuance and moving parts.

Anyone who thought this COVID issue was simply going to be done by the time the NFL season started has been buying someone's lies. This has always been a long-term thing. The question is, how we handle it in that time. So far, the US is failing that test.

Other countries are showing the path forward - sports leagues reopening without fans, etc.

The problem is, America is just too selfish to get this right (thanks to fellow poster Ev for that correct perspective). My boss will have been quarantined in the UK as part of a national shutdown for two months, this week. We've got rioters in the streets because the gyms aren't open. If we'd stop shooting ourselves in the foot, this might have a much better outlook...

 

I said it before and everyone laughed at me. If the players want their money, they don’t get paid until the regular season starts, they have to play football. If they can agree to stay locked away with their teammates for the whole season tv they can get their money. Teams are not going to play in front of fans period. I don’t know about you but if I stood to lose millions I would agree to lock away to get mine. They aren’t going to enjoy not making money. Laugh if you want, but if you want to watch some sports you better get onboard with what I’m saying.