NFL News

[Masspartan]

I’ve been saying for years that replay should be shown at regular slo mo and not super slow and shown only once from a couple different angles. If you can tell within those 20 seconds what the call is then leave it how it was called on the field and move on.
To me it’s not about getting it right ... they get it wrong anyway ... it should be about correcting egregiously wrong calls. Not nit picky close ones

[Mainevent]

Yeah, the whole concept of “indisputable visual evidence” is rarely ever applied.

[froot loops]

Long ago, you could legitimately argue the first iteration of replay correctly overturned calls that were indisputedly wrong and rarely overturned correctly called plays. Of course a lot just had the call stand. The catch rule screwed up everything and they try to add more and more things into replay it has turned it into a mess. The challenge system is and always will be dumb.

[froot loops]

As for the roughing the passer penalty, it is not consistently applied and leads to a lot of dumb calls but the league has achieved the objective of keeping the quarterbacks much safer. The 80s and 90s were really bad for quarterbacks as far as taking shots.

[Futureshock]

I’ve been saying for years that replay should be shown at regular slo mo and not super slow and shown only once from a couple different angles. If you can tell within those 20 seconds what the call is then leave it how it was called on the field and move on.
To me it’s not about getting it right ... they get it wrong anyway ... it should be about correcting egregiously wrong calls. Not nit picky close ones

I think some calls are made knowing the call would be reviewed. I do not think that is a wrong thing.

The fact they can't come to a clear call in a timely manner is what concerns me. IMHO it is the refs way of making the whole review system toxic to the fans and viewers.

Question: Why do we not have this (at least this level) much hate for the review system with college? Their system is just better and the refs aren't trying to make it worse.

Question: How are these lovely people supposed to make calls at the speed of the game in a fraction of a second, but can't make a decision in minutes of a slo-mo (super-slo-mo even) replay? It doesn't add up my friends. The inmates (with the stripes) are running the show.

Question: Is the increase in game times because of replay OR because they increased commercial times by 25%. In 2018, commercial breaks and time outs were generally 2 minutes. Now they are 2 minutes and 30 seconds. That may not seem like much, but if there is 20 commercial stops, the game is automatically 10 minutes longer.

The league would never out themselves so they just lay the burden at the feet of replay. And most people fall right into that trap.

They find a way to do it in college with a more broad review system that doesn't seem to kill the game. The NFL and its referee are the main culprits and they need to do it right or let it go. Then they can just admit to their fans why their games are so much longer, GREED.

I agree with everyone on this one.

[Fraquar]

Increase in game times is from both.
They probably waste 10 minutes or more every game with reviews - most which aren't needed.
They get double their pleasure from this, because every once in a while you see a post-possession review - they go to commercial break and by the time you come back they still haven't figured out what happened before the commercial barrage.

[Futureshock]

Daniel Snyder denies using bots or fake accounts for favorable news stories

Posted by Mike Florio on March 8, 2021, 4:39 PM EST

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On Friday, potential evidence emerged of someone arranging for Twitter bots and a Facebook ad for a column on an obscure website touting Washington owner Daniel Snyder. Snyder, through his lawyers, has denied such methods to boost the manner in which he is regarded or perceived.

“Dan Snyder unequivocally denies ever using bots or fake accounts to put out favorable news stories,” attorney Jordan Siev said in a statement issued to PFT. “In fact, over the past year, thousands of bots have popped up in a coordinated campaign to spread misinformation about Dan and the Washington Football Team, all of which have been reported as such to various social media sites.”

Bots and burner accounts present a thorny problem when it comes to figuring out who is arranging for clumsily transparent P.R. boosts. It’s become not-uncommon for some to create bots or burner accounts that are obviously trying to advance someone’s reputation or standing in order to create the impression that the person benefiting from the bots or burner accounts is behind it.

In this case, no bots or burner accounts will impact the NFL’s eventual decision on Snyder. Moreover, there is plenty of negative content regarding the longtime Washington owner, and it more than balances out anything that is naturally or artificially positive.

[Futureshock]

Gerald McCoy would love Tampa return, expects to be full go for camp

Posted by Josh Alper on March 8, 2021, 4:34 PM EST

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Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy did not play a down in the 2020 season because he tore his quadriceps while at Cowboys training camp in August, but he doesn’t think the injury should prevent him from finding work for the 2021 season.

McCoy said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he’s “working on running and getting strength back” and that he’s seeing a doctor this week for a check to make sure he’s well enough to pass physicals with teams interested in signing him as a free agent. Assuming that’s the case, McCoy thinks it “would be great” to return to his first NFL team.

McCoy spent nine seasons with the Buccaneers and said that a second stint with the team would suit him just fine.

“I would love to come back to Tampa,” McCoy said. “A lot of people kinda misunderstood what took place between me and Tampa. They think it was he left or Tampa released him. Nah, there was more to it to that. All the issues I had with Tampa, we worked out last season when I was with Carolina. . . . There’s no bad blood. I talk to Jason Licht, I talk to the Glazers.”

McCoy said he expects to be “full go” for training camp and the coming weeks may provide some hint about where he’ll be come the summer.

[Futureshock]

Duke Tobin thinks cap space gives Bengals “certain advantage” in free agency

Posted by Josh Alper on March 8, 2021, 1:39 PM EST

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Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin didn’t say at a Monday press conference whether the Bengals would use the franchise tag on pass rusher Carl Lawson or cornerback William Jackson III, but he does expect the team to be active in free agency.

The Bengals are projected to have more than $40 million in cap space and that space will grow if they part ways with defensive tackle Geno Atkins. Tobin said the team “is not going to sit on our hands” in free agency.

“The way we’ve managed our cap and coming into it the way that we are, I think we’ve got a certain advantage and we’re going to look to take advantage of that,” Tobin said.

Tobin said the team will build around quarterback Joe Burrow and the next couple of weeks will show how the team puts their advantage to work on that front.

[Futureshock]

A.J. Bouye visiting Raiders

Posted by Josh Alper on March 8, 2021, 1:10 PM EST

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Cornerback A.J. Bouye may be staying in the AFC West after being released by the Broncos last month.

Mike Klis of KUSA reports that Bouye is visiting with the Raiders on Monday. It’s the first reported visit for Bouye, who is at No. 43 on PFT’s list of the top free agents in the league.

Bouye joined the Broncos last March in a trade with the Jaguars, but only appeared in seven games due to a shoulder injury and a suspension for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy. He has two games left on that suspension that he will serve at the start of the regular season.

Bouye had 23 tackles and six passes defensed in those appearances.

The Raiders have Nevin Lawson and Daryl Worley set for free agency at cornerback. They are also expected to part ways with nickelback Lamarcus Joyner to clear cap space.

[Futureshock]

Seahawks will release Carlos Dunlap

Posted by Josh Alper on March 8, 2021, 12:51 PM EST

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Word last month was that the Seahawks were likely to cut defensive end Carlos Dunlap before a $3 million roster bonus came due early in the new league year and that move will come on Monday.

PFT has confirmed multiple reports that Dunlap will be released. The move will clear over $14 million in salary cap space for Seattle.

Dunlap was acquired in a trade with the Bengals last season and had five sacks in eight games with the team. He reworked his contract to convert around $3 million of 2020 salary into the bonus that he won’t be receiving.

The Seahawks traded a seventh-round pick and offensive lineman B.J. Finney for Dunlap. Finney was released by the Bengals last week.

Dunlap had six sacks overall last season and has 87.5 for his career. He’ll look to add to that total by catching on with a new team.

[Futureshock]

Micah Hyde: If you don’t want to be in Buffalo, don’t come

Posted by Myles Simmons on March 8, 2021, 12:29 PM EST

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With free agency beginning in a week, Buffalo defensive back Micah Hyde has developed a recruiting pitch.

The 30-year-old has played for the Bills since 2017 and just signed a two-year, $19.25 million extension with the club to keep him under contract through 2023. During a video conference late last week on the signing, Hyde shared his opinion of former free agents who didn’t even have Buffalo on their radar.

“They’re going on visits and I’d be like, ‘Hey man, come to Buffalo.’ They’d be like, ‘I’m cool. I’m gonna go somewhere else,'” Hyde said, via Matt Parrino of NewYorkUpstate.com. “Well you know what? At the end of the day I bet they’re pretty pissed off they didn’t take those visits to Buffalo. Now they’re probably sitting on their trash team or sitting on the couch somewhere else because they didn’t come to Buffalo.”

The Bills went 13-3 in 2020, winning the AFC East for the first time since 1995, and advancing to the AFC Championship Game for the fist time since 1993. With the team returning its core for 2021, Buffalo is ostensibly a solid destination for free agents who want a chance to win.

But Hyde says the city itself should be a draw.

“There’s just a lot of guys that think Buffalo is the old Buffalo, not winning and all that. It’s disrespect because the city is an amazing city. The team and organization are amazing,” Hyde said. “At the end of the day we’re trying to win football games, and if you don’t want to be in Buffalo, don’t come. … If I’m able to finish my career in Buffalo, that’s the ultimate plan.”

[Futureshock]

“How much is enough?” is a question that always gets asked of players, never gets asked of owners

Posted by Mike Florio on March 8, 2021, 12:25 PM EST

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How much is enough? It’s a question that often arises when a millionaire player tries to maximize his earnings. It’s a question that rarely arises when a billionaire owner tries to maximize his.

Simms and I addressed that point on Monday’s PFT Live, within the context of Dak Prescott‘s contractual situation in Dallas. The Cowboys, by not promptly offering Prescott a significant contract extension when he became eligible for one after the conclusion of the 2018 regular season, activated a process that has them on the brink of applying a one-year, $37.68 million franchise tender to Prescott, to be followed in 2022 by a third franchise tender (at $54.25 million), a right-to-match-only transition tender ($45.21 million), or a shot at the open market.

As recently explained, Prescott should happily cling to that large bird in the hand unless the Cowboys offer him another bird of equal or greater size. It’s that simple. And it’s not about what any other quarterback has made or will make. It’s about getting Dak to trade in rights that have been shaped and fueled by the team’s inability to persuade him to accept prior long-term offers.

So what will it take? With $37.68 million guaranteed for 2021 (unless they don’t tag him at all and let the market determine his value), what do the Cowboys need to offer in the form of a multi-year deal that, in most cases, is guaranteed for only two years with a team-held year-to-year option thereafter?

Prescott, given the $31.4 million he earned last year along with his off-field earnings, should be inclined to play it out. And if the Cowboys want to sign him next year, they’ll get to compete with other teams that may want to sign him, too. That’s not a bad thing; for a player, it’s a fair thing.

Open markets. That’s how Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made his money. Capitalism. Competition. Taking full advantage of every business opportunity that came his way. Jones reportedly “hit the jackpot” during a recent cold snap in Texas, thanks to his energy holdings. Does anyone think he’ll give any of that money back?

How much is enough? Everything isn’t enough. All of it isn’t enough. A $250 million yacht isn’t enough. That’s the attitude that has carried Jones his entire life, allowing him to buy an NFL team and to maximize that team’s earnings on and off the field (his $750 million lawsuit against the league from 1995 was aimed at getting more in advertising revenue).

Jones became an American oligarch by constantly taking calculated risks and manipulating the rules of the system to his advantage. When it comes to Prescott, the Cowboys have taken calculated risks and manipulated the rules of the system in a way that has kept Prescott off the open market. In turn, Prescott has taken calculated risks and manipulated the rules of the system to position himself for $37.68 million this year and, most likely, a clear shot at the open market in 2021.

No one should ask Prescott whether he’s being fair to Jones or to the team. No one should be asked Prescott how much is enough. For Jones, too much is never enough. Why should it be any different for Prescott or any other player?

[TheLondonLion]

Dak got paid:


[Ian Rapoport] Full terms on the Dak Prescott contract: 4 years, $160M, up to $164M. He gets a no-trade clause and no tag provision. The guarantee is $126M. Massive.

That’s a hell of a lot for someone coming off a big injury.

[froot loops]

It makes the bellyaching about Stafford's contract look rather quaint.