NFL News

[Forsh]

Was gonna say I'd look at Henderson ... but not sure he's an upgrade over Justin Jackson

[edindetroit]

I don’t see it with Love. He’s terrible

That's a good thing.

[edindetroit]

AP source: Saints fined for violating rule on faking injury

NEW YORK – The NFL has fined the New Orleans Saints $350,000 and gave additional fines to two coaches and a player for faking an injury during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a person familiar with the penalty told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Coach Dennis Allen received a $100,000 fine, co-defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen was fined $50,000 and defensive end Cameron Jordan was fined $50,000 for the delay in the fourth quarter of the Buccaneers’ 17-16 comeback win Monday night, according to the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the league does not announce fines.

Pro Football Talk was first to report the fines.

The Saints denied purposefully delaying the game in Tampa, describing medical attention Jordan sought before and afterward, and said they planned to appeal the fines.

Jordan expressed his displeasure with the fine on Twitter: “Most expensive fine to date from the @NFL came in yesterday… added stressor for no reason."

In another tweet, he said: “Are fines made by nfl open to public? I just feel like this should be public knowledge. ’Cause some of the fines are silly but this 1… ridiculous. Anyways & for what a ‘deliberate action to delay game’ before a tm punts? ...”

Jordan’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, posted on Twitter that he plans to appeal.

“We are appealing the idiotic fine by @NFL what a joke - @camjordan94 more details to follow… ,” Hendrickson wrote.

In a memo sent to teams on Dec. 2 and obtained by the AP, the NFL said the league “continues to emphasize the importance of upholding the integrity of the game and competitive fairness as our highest priority. We have observed multiple instances of clubs making a deliberate attempt to stop play unnecessarily this season.”

In their statement denying the NFL's assertion, the Saints detailed Jordan's injury:

“Defensive end Cameron Jordan felt foot pain following a third down play and sought medical attention,” the team said. “He entered the blue medical tent and was examined by the medical staff and following the examination he was taped and able to finish the game. He had an MRI performed the following day in New Orleans and was confirmed that he suffered an acute mid-foot sprain in his left foot. He has been at the facility each day receiving treatment for his injury he suffered on the play.”

A Week 14 bye gives the Saints (4-9) a brief reprieve before they try to avoid their first 10-loss season since 2005. New Orleans remains mathematically alive in the NFC South but traila Tampa Bay by 2 1/2 games with four to play


https://www.clickondetroit.com/sport...m_content=wdiv

[jaadam4]

That's a good thing.

Agreed

[Futureshock]

NFL contends Thanksgiving Day audience was 31 percent higher than previously reported

Posted by Mike Florio on December 13, 2022, 9:37 AM EST

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As fans find more and more ways to watch pro football live, it’s becoming harder and harder to properly calculate the number of fans who are actually watching live pro football.

As it relates to the triple header of NFL games from Thanksgiving, the NFL contends that the actual audience for the trio of contests was 31 percent higher than previously reported by Nielsen, the company that for decades has generated the ratings numbers for television.

The league has issued a statement in which it explains that it “collaborated” with Nielsen on a “survey” in order to “complement” Nielsen’s data, in order to provide a “detailed picture” of the number of people who watched the games “particularly in group settings.”

The survey of 5,800 households resulted in a conclusion that the average-minute audience for the three games was 44.1 million, a 31-percent bump over the 33.6 million that Nielsen initially reported.

“The results showcase the unique nature of Thanksgiving Day football, which for football fans has become intrinsically intertwined with a national holiday that brings families and friends together for a day of appreciation and gratitude,” the league said in a statement. “Many watch in larger-than-normal group settings such as an extended family member or friend’s home, bar, or restaurant. . . . With three games spread across the entire day, the opportunity to catch the games while preparing the big meal, visiting multiple households on the same afternoon, or perhaps even after the neighborhood’s touch-football game provides fans ample chance to catch NFL action.”

Numbers were not generated (or, more accurately, not released) as to the specific games. The Giants-Cowboys contest was the most-watched regular season game ever, with 42 million viewers watching, on average. Was it 31 percent higher than that? That would be an astonishing (and perhaps facially implausible) audience of 55 million.

The key word for all of this is “credible.” Surveys become extrapolations. Any calculation like this hinges on a series of assumptions and approximations. There’s simply no way of assessing the quality of the assumptions and approximations without: (1) having full access to all of the information that was collected; and (2) knowing enough about the industry to properly assess whether any, some, or all of the assumptions were conservative, aggressive, or somewhere in between.

I’m NOT saying that creative accounting was used here. But there’s always going to be a clear temptation to find ways to construct survey questions, to select geographic locations for implementing the survey, and to analyze the numbers in a way that gently pushes them higher. As pointed out earlier this year after the first wave of Amazon numbers, there’s always room for a healthy dose of skepticism when the fox is doing the official henhouse inventory.

That said, the combination of captive audience and three compelling games undoubtedly generated a very big TV audience. Was it 31 percent higher than 33.6 million? No one will ever know with certainty. Regardless, it’s fair to say it was massive, and impressive. The NFL is the one product that can consistently collect and deliver a gigantic audience, even at a time when fewer and fewer people gather around the TV (or the computer or the tablet or the phone) to watch the same thing at the same time.

[Futureshock]

Colt McCoy: Kyler Murray injury unfortunate, I’ll focus on finishing strong

Posted by Josh Alper on December 13, 2022, 6:33 AM EST

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Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray likely tore his ACL early in Monday night’s loss to the Patriots and that leaves Colt McCoy in position to start for the rest of the season.

McCoy wasn’t able to rally the team to a win while going 27-of-40 for 246 yards and an interception, but said he felt prepared to play despite limited work with the first team heading into the game. He started two games when Murray was injured earlier this year and outlined his view of what he will have to do the rest of the way during a postgame press conference.

“I don’t think I have anything to prove. I think I’ve just got to go out there and play good football. Distribute the ball, keep us in third and manageable situations, and score touchdowns in the red zone. . . . As a group we have to buckle down and play well together, practice well together, and finish these last four games out,” McCoy said. “That will be my focus. It sucks for Kyler. We’ve been together for two years. We’ve been together every day. I don’t ever want to see anything like that happen. I know how much he cares about the game, I know how hard he works. It’s just unfortunate. I think I’ll be able to put my arm around him with this because I’ve dealt with many in my career.”

McCoy has been in the NFL for more than a decade and he’s been a backup for almost all of that time, so it’s unlikely that these four games will be the springboard to a starting job. That should make it easier to keep the focus on the immediate future before what should be an interesting offseason in Arizona.

[Futureshock]

Peyton Manning says Bill Belichick once put Peter Boulware in the Pro Bowl to spite Art Modell

Posted by Michael David Smith on December 13, 2022, 6:14 AM EST

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On Monday night’s ManningCast, Peyton Manning said Bill Belichick once found an unusual way to get revenge on Art Modell, the owner who fired him as head coach of the Browns.

According to Manning, Belichick once added Ravens linebacker Peter Boulware to the AFC Pro Bowl team because Boulware was due a $1 million bonus if he played in the Pro Bowl. Belichick wanted to force Modell, who moved the Browns to Baltimore and changed their name to the Ravens after firing Belichick, to pay up.

“He picked Peter Boulware because he knew that Art Modell would have to pay Boulware a million-dollar bonus if Boulware made the Pro Bowl. Belichick hated Modell,” Manning said.

The Pro Bowl in question was after the 1998 season. Belichick was the Jets’ associate head coach and defensive coordinator at the time, and he coached the AFC Pro Bowl team that year after Jets head coach Bill Parcells stayed home, citing health reasons.

Boulware was, indeed, added to that year’s AFC Pro Bowl team as the AFC’s “need player.” After the AFC and NFC coaches were determined, each chose one player they felt they needed on their teams, and Boulware said at the time that he was surprised to learn he was the AFC’s need player.

“I’m kind of shocked. I had really given up on the Pro Bowl,” Boulware told the Baltimore Sun in January of 1999. “I was just focusing on the off-season, working out, getting ready for next season. I had put the Pro Bowl out of my mind. I take this as a blessing. I take this humbly. I’m just thankful to go.”

It’s worth noting that it’s not like Belichick chose Boulware out of the blue: The coaches could only choose a “need player” who had been named a first alternate at linebacker or defensive end in the initial round of Pro Bowl voting, so Belichick chose Boulware out of only a handful of options.

But once he saw that Boulware was one of his options, it’s certainly possible that Belichick was thinking about sticking it to Modell in making his decision. That’s exactly what Manning says happened.

[Futureshock]

After benching, Marcus Mariota leaves Falcons

Posted by Mike Florio on December 13, 2022, 7:48 PM EST

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Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota is out. Literally.

After being benched for rookie Desmond Ridder for performance reasons, Mariota has left the team. And the team doesn’t know if he’ll be back.

Coach Arthur Smith has said Mariota will be placed on injured reserve. The minimum four-game absence would knock him out for the rest of the regular season. Via Josh Kendall of TheAthletic.com, Smith said Tuesday that Mariota is currently not with the Falcons.

Smith told Mariota last Thursday that he’ll be benched for Ridder. On Friday, Smith learned that Mariota planned to “step away” from the team.

In lieu of placing Mariota on injured reserve, the Falcons could cut Mariota. He’d then head to waivers, like Baker Mayfield did last week.

Mariota was the second overall pick in the 2015 draft. The Titans benched him for Ryan Tannehill in 2019.

After two seasons with the Raiders, Mariota signed a two-year deal with the Falcons. He received a $5 million signing bonus, and a fully-guaranteed salary of $1.75 million for 2022.

Without Mariota, Logan Woodside will serve as the backup to Ridder, a third-round pick in April.

[CGVT]

I watched Mariota a couple of games this year. I was pulling for him to be a reclamation story the same as Geno Smith, but it is not the same.
Smith has played well and looks like a solid NFL QB. Mariota just doesn't get it. Bad reads, forced throws, poor decisions. He has not grown at all over the years.
He should walk away

[Mainevent]

He’s made $60M so he doesn’t need to stick around if he’s not into it anymore. You never know what might be going on in his personal life that impacted this decision. But if he’s just leaving because of the demotion, he may not have a career left in the NFL.

[chemiclord]

Why he was demoted could also be a factor. If he feels he's being demoted simply as a scapegoat for team (and coaching) failures, I could understand not wanting anything more to do with said leadership.

But if it's because he genuinely stunk on a personal level, and is being pissy about being demoted, that's a different issue. A savvy GM will be able to sort that out as they're considering Mariota's career path.

It's not a good look regardless... but it's not inherently a damning one, either.

[CGVT]

Why he was demoted could also be a factor. If he feels he's being demoted simply as a scapegoat for team (and coaching) failures, I could understand not wanting anything more to do with said leadership.

But if it's because he genuinely stunk on a personal level, and is being pissy about being demoted, that's a different issue. A savvy GM will be able to sort that out as they're considering Mariota's career path.

It's not a good look regardless... but it's not inherently a damning one, either.

Watching him play, it was pretty obvious that he was demoted because he was not good.

This was his shot to show that he could be an NFL QB.

He just doesn't have it.

[Nick Pappageorgio]

I watched Mariota a couple of games this year. I was pulling for him to be a reclamation story the same as Geno Smith, but it is not the same.
Smith has played well and looks like a solid NFL QB. Mariota just doesn't get it. Bad reads, forced throws, poor decisions. He has not grown at all over the years.
He should walk away

I was just gonna post that I wonder if this kid is thinking about walking away.

He should…he doesn’t have it. Plus he congenital and good looking enough to slide right into broadcasting.

[Futureshock]

He’s made $60M so he doesn’t need to stick around if he’s not into it anymore. You never know what might be going on in his personal life that impacted this decision. But if he’s just leaving because of the demotion, he may not have a career left in the NFL.

There's a lot of things going on here. Heis being put on IR and is scheduled for surgery. He just had his first child.

Prior to, the team said they wanted to get a look at Ridder for a few games. He HAD to know this was possible, or even probable when they drafted him.

[-Deborah-]

Plus he congenital and good looking enough to slide right into broadcasting.

That's one of the funnier typos lol. I assume you mean congenial?