NFL News

[Futureshock]

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26. Chicago Bears (3-14)


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Good news: Chicago got a king’s ransom, including Moore, from the Panthers in exchange for the first pick in the draft, and are still going to get a plug-and-play guy at No. 9. The Bears have seven of the first 150 picks in the draft.

Bad news: If the Bears are wrong about Justin Fields, they’re screwed.

[Futureshock]

NFL looking at XFL, USFL and NCAA rules to improve kickoffs and punts

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 24, 2023, 10:50 AM EDT

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The NFL is open to any potential improvements to its rules, with kickoffs and punts of particular interest, and the league is looking at minor leagues and college football in its quest to make those plays safer and more competitive.

NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent said today that the league is studying the XFL, the USFL and the NCAA to see whether the league should model its own rules on those other rulebooks.

“What can we learn from the XFL, the USFL?” Vincent said. “We look at college, the NCAA fair catch.”

The Competition Committee has recommended adopting the college fair catch rule on kickoffs, which puts the ball on the 25-yard line after a fair catch anywhere inside the 25. That results in more fair catches, fewer kickoff returners being tackled, and therefore fewer injuries.

But the rule that will draw the most interest is the potential to adopt the XFL’s kickoff rule, which includes 10 players on the kicking team and 10 players on the receiving team lining up just five yards apart, meaning that players don’t get running starts and run full-speed into each other. The XFL has boasted that its kickoffs have fewer injuries and more returns than NFL kickoffs.

So far the NFL hasn’t weighed a proposal to adopt the XFL kickoff rule. But it’s good to see that the league is at least taking a look at an outside idea.

[ghandi]

I keep expecting them to get rid of kickoffs and just start from the 20 or 25 yard line.

[Futureshock]

I keep expecting them to get rid of kickoffs and just start from the 20 or 25 yard line.

At this point they might as well

[Futureshock]

Ravens agree to sign Nelson Agholor

Posted by Myles Simmons on March 24, 2023, 12:48 PM EDT

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The Ravens may not have things settled with their quarterback. But they’re still adding a veteran receiver.

Baltimore is signing Nelson Agholor to a one-year deal worth $3.25 million, according to multiple reports.

Agholor can also earn an additional $3 million in incentives.

A first-round pick in the 2015 draft, Agholor spent his last two seasons with the Patriots. He caught 31 passes for 362 passes with two touchdowns in 2022.

After playing his first five years with the Eagles, Agholor put up his best season with the Raiders in 2020 when he caught 48 passes for 896 yards with eight touchdowns.

In eight seasons, Agholor has caught 340 passes for 4,246 yards with 31 TDs.

Agholor went on a free-agent visit with Baltimore earlier this week.

Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta ruffled some feathers when he talked about his team’s record in drafting receivers at the scouting combine. We’ll see if this latest free agent signing ends up providing some consistency at the position.

[ghandi]

At this point they might as well

Well they still need the 5 minues after TD, and the 5 minutes after kickoffs for commercials

[The King]

Zeke could be a 3rd RB who gets tough yds. He looked pretty washed to me, though. I can’t see a huge market for him.

[jaadam4]

Zeke could be a 3rd RB who gets tough yds. He looked pretty washed to me, though. I can’t see a huge market for him.

He’ll sign a vet min for a SB contender.

He should wait until mid season to do it

[jaadam4]

Also in that piece...

They’re screwed. He’s terrible and he wears a weird helmet. He reminds me of Mary’s brother from There’s Something About Mary

[edindetroit]

Competition Committee proposes spotting the ball at the 25 after a fair catch on a kickoff

Posted by Charean Williams on March 23, 2023, 8:13 PM EDT

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The NFL Competition Committee is proposing to spot the ball at the 25-yard line on a fair catch on a kickoff inside the 25-yard line. It follows the college rule.

Per Article 4, on a fair catch on a kickoff, the receiving team would have the choice of putting the ball in play at the spot or at the 25-yard line. Under the current NFL rule, the ball is put in play at the spot of the fair catch on a kickoff, though a touchback results in the ball being placed at the 25 for the start of the possession.

The Competition Committee has cited player safety as the reason for the proposed rule change.

The NFL has wrestled with how to make kickoffs and punts safer in recent years, with a disproportionate number of injuries occurring on special teams.

The proposed rules change for special teams on the docket this year will result in fewer high-speed collisions.

It takes the approval of 24 owners for any rule change.

Horrible idea.

[froot loops]

They do it in college and it's not a big deal.

[Trickalicious]

What if the ref doesn't complete the process of spotting the ball? There needs to be a rainbow challenge flag to request a four minute review. That way, they can determine if all of the ref's hooves were out of bounds at the time of the spot and if he completed a referee move after spotting the ball. Once that's confirmed, the incompetent fuck can spot it on the 26 if it benefits Green Bay somehow.

Inevitably it will change back after the Lions lose the superbowl due to what is now called the Amon Ra metric conversion rule.

[Futureshock]

What in the world is wrong with Florio? Every day he's chasing Aaron Rodgers. And he's finding another, "Someone Else" to take Goff's spot in Detroit. A far distant third in the division, he even writes some stuff on Justin Fields. You know who he seldom writes about? HIS favorite team's QB, Kirk Cousins.

Why would the league get involved with this? Dumb

Roger Goodell should urge Woody Johnson, Mark Murphy to make a deal

Posted by Mike Florio on March 27, 2023, 10:09 AM EDT

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For two weeks, an impasse has existed between the Packers and the Jets over the terms of a trade for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. It could linger for at least another 31 days, when the draft begins.

Or it could end right now.

It could end right now if Commissioner Roger Goodell invites Packers CEO Mark Murphy and Jets owner Woody Johnson to the patio at Goodell’s villa suite at the Biltmore for a glass or two of wine, a cigar, and a heart-to-heart conversation about the practicalities that hinge on getting this deal done.

The NFL has a TV schedule to make. Two hundred and seventy-two games. With Rodgers, the Jets become the hottest commodity on the 2023 slate.

Until it’s done, it’s not done. It could fall apart. Rodgers’s “intention” could change.

It makes sense to finish it now. It makes sense for Goodell to take advantage of the presence of Johnson and Murphy in Arizona to get it done.

There’s something tangibly valuable about having people present. Put them in a room, make them stay there, and they tend to figure out a way to resolve their differences.

If Goodell wants this thing to be done, it will be done by the middle of the week. If it isn’t, who knows when it will be done?

It eventually will be. Unless, again, Rodgers experiences a change in his “intention.”

[chemiclord]

I'd counter that Rodgers's "intentions" are likely a massive part of the reason why things are still held up.

The last thing the Jets want is to trade for the guy, then have him Andrew Luck them in the preseason, so they are no doubt trying to talk the Packers down of the asking price to reduce the risk and potential damage. Meanwhile, the Packers are leaning back and saying, "That's not our problem anymore. This is our price. Take it or leave it."

Goodell sitting them down and talking it out isn't going to change that impasse.

[Cody_Russell]

I want Rodgers to show up to the Packers practice and collect $60M. He can sit on the bench. That’s the best outcome for us Lions fans.

…

Lol Lamar officially requested a trade during a live John Harbaugh press conference. Love the timing. Chaos!