NFL - NEWS & NOTES

IrishDawg42 is right there will be more who's next?

 

Lions Put Matthew Stafford On COVID-19 List

 

Stephen Jones hasn't 'seen anything like' Cowboys WR corps

Long before the 2020 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys boasted a talent-rich offense able to do a great many things with little, if any, in the area of glaring needs.

When potential star wideout CeeDee Lamb dropped to the Cowboys at No. 17, however, the enthusiasm at the prospects of what could become wouldn't allow Dallas to move past him.

And that excitement is growing as the season draws closer, with Cowboys chief operating officer/executive vice president Stephen Jones thrilled at the notion of what astounding fortune may come with receivers Lamb, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup at Dak Prescott's disposal.

"We feel so good about this football team in general," Jones said Friday, via the team website. "But I must say, with jumping on CeeDee Lamb in the first round, that this receiving corps is going to be something else."

A star-studded trio of wideouts in the Lone Star State is seemingly an offensive wonderland that no doubt has Prescott, the Cowboys brass and fans and fantasy pundits, alike, salivating at the possible statistical splendor.

Cooper and Gallup each had 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 for an offense that also boasts one of the elite running backs in the game in Ezekiel Elliott. All told, Dallas averaged a whopping 431.5 yards per game, marking the first time since 1977 in which the Cowboys were the No. 1 offense in football.

Lamb enters the fray having posted back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns for Oklahoma with his 3,292 receiving yards over his past three seasons tops in the Power 5, according to NFL Research.


"I know Dak [Prescott] has thrown with them in the offseason with CeeDee, with Michael Gallup and [Amari] Cooper and the rest of the crew," Jones said. "I think it's a very unique receiving corps. I don't think we've seen anything like it."

Of course, having the top offense in the NFL certainly wasn't all that much reason for celebration at last season's early end. Despite the offensive histrionics, Dallas failed to make the postseason even though it was in an NFC East that was seen by most as the worst division in the league.

If adding Lamb adds wins in 2020, that will be the biggest reason for excitement.

Still, just like Jones, imagining how prosperous the Cowboys' receiving trio can be in 2020 is most certainly intriguing.

"Our fans haven't seen anything like it in terms of the depth that we have," Jones said, "and the weapons that these three guys represent."

NFL.com

 

Teams worry that opt-out privilege isn’t being used in good faith



The NFL reportedly wants to shorten the deadline for opting out. The desire to give players less time to decide on playing in 2020 comes from at least two specific concerns.

As one source explained it to PFT, teams are concerned that some players who think they won’t make the team are choosing to opt out and to take the six-figure stipend. While players apparently would owe the money back to the teams if they fail to make the roster in 2021, no team wants to have to chase a former player around next year in an effort to retrieve $150,000 or $350,000.

Another concern comes from an issue we’ve previously flagged: Some agents, per the source, are using the threat of an opt out as leverage to get their clients new contracts.

That’s not a surprise, and it’s not necessarily a sign of bad faith. For some players, consideration of the various risks that must be navigated before making a final decision definitely includes the reward. For plenty of players, a significant bump in compensation could be the difference between opting out and opting in.

We’ve yet to hear of any specific agents or players who are using a potential opt out as leverage for a new contact. That’s probably because the agents who are making these requests are being discreet, given the potential fan and media reaction to the perception that a shield is being transformed into a sword.

Still, if a player is truly on the fence about playing, the compensation the player will receive for assuming the added risk of playing in a pandemic definitely should be a factor. There’s nothing wrong in those situations for making it known to the team that more money would make a player more willing to embrace the problems of playing pro football in a pandemic.

NBC

 

Wow it's all about the money now this is becoming very confusing to me

 

I'm sure the NFL is closely watching what's happening to MLB. If they can't get thru their season, I don't see how the NFL can possibly do it.

 

Rosters are a lot bigger. If 5 baseball players on the same team contract the virus the team is done for awhile. That's nothing for a football roster. Eight players don't dress anyway.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...n-of-practice-squad-and-here-are-the-details/

NFL practice squads have already expanded from 10 to 12 players for the 2020 season as part of the league's new collective bargaining agreement and could be increasing even more.

Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the NFL has proposed to the NFLPA an expansion of the practice squad from 12 to 16 players. The practice squad rules would look a bit different than in previous seasons.

• Practice squad jumps from 12 to 16 players, increasing overall roster size from 67 players (55 active roster, 12 practice squad) to 71.
• Up to six members of the practice squad will have no limitation on number of accrued seasons (basically a team can have veterans on the practice squad, no matter how many years they played).
• In the event of an outbreak, the minimum amount of six practice-squad players that can be promoted would be removed. An unlimited amount of players from the practice squad would be eligible for promotion to the active roster, at any point up to 90 minutes before kickoff.

For practice squad players to get promoted immediately, the positive diagnosis of COVID-19 must occur after the 4.p.m. ET roster transaction deadline. Teams can adjust their rosters to compensate for the positive test accordingly.

 

Somebody get my lawyer. This is getting too complicated.

 

Eagles coach Doug Pederson has become the first NFL coach to test positive for the coronavirus during training camp.

Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports that Pederson has informed his players that he has COVID-19. Pederson has had two positive test results.

Per McManus, Pederson is asymptomatic. A staff member who was in close contact with Pederson has been sent home.

It’s believed that Pederson caught the virus outside of the team facility.

In the offseason, Saints coach Sean Payton tested positive for the virus, and enduring some symptoms before becoming healthy again.

NBC

 

Jaguars place QB Minshew on reserve/COVID-19 list...

 

So Peterson won’t be able to help get the eagles ready for the season. Probably just cost them a chance for the playoffs

 

The Jags starting QB won’t get any practice before the season starts.
The NFL is sliding down the baseball side. They need to find a bubble approach

 

They aren’t even able to have a padded practice yet, nowhere near as dire as MLB. Pederson can still be involved virtually. Not the same I realize but the sky isn’t falling there. Minshew hurts, but he already has a season under his belt, and again he’ll be back before they get into pads. Everyone on the COVID list right now will likely be available come the first practice in pads. Will they be practicing with the team that first one? Possibly, but definitely also possible they take a few extra days to get their conditioning up again. I tested positive a few weeks ago, this past week was my first week back at work and gotta say those first couple days back were way worse than the 14 days prior lol. Also understand that this hits people differently. Me, my wife and one of her coworkers all got it the same time and all three of us had different symptoms, but also pretty mild. People with underlying medical problems, or coaches who are up there in age face more severe symptoms.

Playing in a bubble is not feasible for the NFL. NHL and NBA have 30 people max? NFL under normal circumstances have 70+ players and staff. How would they do it? Maybe have 4 hubs, lock 2 divisions in a bubble and play 14 games, have a two week break to set up playoffs in a different bubble? Then a final 2 week break to set the Super Bowl in a bubble? Actually that doesn’t sound too bad to be honest. Still a logistical nightmare with 8 NFL teams in a single city is a lot of people. That’s roughly 600 people to get rooms for plus locating training facilities and such.

 

The NBA can get away with something like that. Not a lot of people involved in getting a team on the floor. An NFL team has 50+ players then coaches, assistants, trainers, doctors, equipment guys, etc. That a lot of people in that bubble !!!

 

Steelersking ? You beat me to it.

 

One: The players going on the Covid Reserve list now reported to camp testing positive. A bubble wouldn't have prevented that.

Two: The NBA roster size is 15 players plus a handful of coaches. MLB rosters are 25 players plus a handful of coaches. Forget the NBA bubble model. They have every team in the NBA inside a single bubble. And the jury is still out on the MLB model. They may or may not finish their season. But, if they do . . . the World Series champion will probably have an asterisk.

So, Gid, exactly how would you put over 2,700 players plus 32 sets of coaches, trainers, & assorted support personnel in a bubble?

 

Cruise ship ?? Oh wait. That didn't work either.

 

The NHL is succeeding so far, but is no comparison to the NFL in terms of populace. The NFL would have big problems if they were to think they could mimic the NHL and do a copy on a much greater scale... it would be next to impossible in my opinion.

The players themselves are going to have to be totally responsible and do their part as the info allows at the present time.

 

THAT's ^^^^^^ a novel approach.