NFL News

[Cody_Russell]

Lions being a Bell trade candidate is the dumbest thing I've read this weekend.

Swift, Kerryon, Bo, Ty, and Huntley. Can call up ZZ or Joique off the couch any day.
Lions are set at RB.

[JGSpartan]

I hope Joique being on call as an example of being set is sarcasm

[Fraquar]

8-9 mil a year for Bell is a steal if he plays at his past level. I know the Jets offense lacked in talent besides him and I do believe he can bounce back but I'd rather be spending on defense than take the risk.

His past running level stayed in Pittsburgh, where he was running behind one of the best O-line's in the NFL. Pouncey, DeCastro and Foster - that is a wedge that the NFL has outlawed in the return game. He was basically Theo Riddick in NY.

[jaadam4]

Prior to the Swift pick I would have totally been down for the Lions adding Bell but Swift and Kerryon could be a really good backfield.

[Futureshock]

Bell hasn't lost a single step. That Jets OL (2019) was really bad. Terrible. Gase's play calling exasperated the situation even more.

Let this sink in for perspective, Cooter is the RB coach there.

[Futureshock]

Holy crap! (literally)

Will players use COVID-19 concerns to rattle opponents?

Posted by Mike Florio on July 12, 2020, 1:53 PM EDT

Consider this, from Donovan’s book, Fatso: “The circus had been at the stadium, had just packed up and left the day before the game. And there was elephant shit all over the field. So when the Giants offensive line got set and weren’t allowed to move, we all started throwin’ elephant shit in their faces. They got so many penalties called on ‘em for breaking their set and starting fights.”

[Futureshock]

NFL braces for a rash of positive COVID-19 tests when camp opens

Posted by Mike Florio on July 12, 2020, 11:23 AM EDT
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When players report for training camp, they’ll initially receive a COVID-19 test. The NFL is expecting a rash of positive results.

“We absolutely expect that, and I think that’s just reflective of the fact that this disease remains endemic in our society,” NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills told Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.

The goal will be catching those who test positive before they can enter the team facility, the locker room, the practice field, or a game.

“You don’t want anyone who is infected to come into that team environment,” Dr. Sills told Volin. “That is an absolutely crucial screening for us to try to start off with a very healthy environment, and also make sure we can give the appropriate treatment and care for those individuals who may be affected and not be aware. But I think we all anticipate that there will be those cases, and we’ve been very clear of that throughout.”

The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed that players who test positive but who are asymptomatic will be quarantined for at least five days and must generate two negative tests before returning. Symptomatic players must be quarantined for 10 days with two negative tests. For players who actually become ill, they may be off the field even longer than that after being cleared, given the potential impact of exercise on their recovery.

So how many will be positive from the get go? With other sports generating a positive test rate in the range of 2-5 percent as players report for duty, and with (as Volin estimates) roughly 4,500 NFL players, coaches, and staff, that’s a range of 90 to 225 positives. The challenge will be to identify all of them and to keep them away from others, to prevent the kind of outbreak that would cause the Jenga tower to collapse upon removal of its first brick.

[Cody_Russell]

Spending two 2nd RD picks on RBs in 2 years = you roll with those RBs. No need to waste extra resources on it unless there are significant injuries.

I hope Joique being on call as an example of being set is sarcasm

Yeah, joking. Joking to a lesser extent by mentioning ZZ (Zach Zenner).

[Futureshock]

They are in TROUBLE


Quinton Dunbar’s lawyer was, as of June, under criminal investigation over witness payoffs

Posted by Mike Florio on July 12, 2020, 10:30 AM EDT

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Yes, the case against Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar and Giants cornerback Deandre Baker is guaranteed to get stranger.

Friday night’s news that witnesses allegedly received $55,000 to recant their allegations against Dunbar and Baker has led to the seemingly inevitable disclosure that the lawyer who allegedly orchestrated the payments, Michael Grieco, was under criminal investigation for the incident, as of last month.

According to the Miami Herald, police reports filed in early June includes ominous statements about Grieco, a member of the Florida House of Representatives.

“Grieco’s office was the background that facilitated a cash transaction that later obstructed the integrity of an investigation,” one report said. The report also noted that evidence was still being collected and that “the final charging decision will rest with the Broward County State Attorney.” Per the Herald, however, the police reports indicate that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement did not believe that Grieco’s conduct amounted to criminal behavior.

A spokesperson for the Miramar police department told the Herald that she could not comment on whether Grieco remains under investigation.

Still, there’s evidence that isn’t great for Grieco. One of the police reports includes quotes from one of the witnesses, who claims to have gotten $5,000 in Grieco’s office.

“The lawyer said, you know, I’m not supposed to be in any of this type of situation . . . so whatever you guys have going on . . . you know, that’s between you guys. I’m just here for the affidavit,” the witness told police regarding Grieco. “He said that he was going to step out because he couldn’t take any part in it.” The witness then confirmed that Grieco stepped out because he knew that the payment was about to be made.

Another witness said Grieco returned to the room at one point, when “the money was like being just dumped out.”

Here’s where it gets even weirder: Although a Seattle Times story regarding the statement Grieco issued to reporters on Friday claims that he denies payments were made, the story from the Miami Herald characterizes the same statement as follows: “Grieco did not deny that a meeting had taken place in his office or that money changed hands.”

And so the case will continue. Per the Herald, Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva said he would “follow the case closely,” given the possibility that Oliva and the House of Representatives may have to eventually take action against Grieco.

Another member of the House, Miami-Dade County Legislative Delegation chairman Joseph Geller, defended Grieco in comments to the Herald.

“Mike Grieco is a valued member of our delegation,” Geller said. “He does a great job in Tallahassee. I think the fact that in a very turbulent Miami-Dade political world he was re-elected unopposed says something about the way he’s viewed politically. I tend to be skeptical about wild accusations against defense lawyers as a general rule. They have a habit of making people in authority uncomfortable.”

Regardless, Grieco himself has to be feeling a little uncomfortable given the possibility that someone in authority eventually will claim that his role in the alleged payments creates either criminal jeopardy or a threat to his license to practice law.

[Futureshock]

Patriots coincidentally gain $7 million in cap space after signing Cam Newton

Posted by Mike Florio on July 11, 2020, 8:36 PM EDT

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Some would say it’s a coincidence that the Patriots signed quarterback Cam Newton before resolving a pair of grievances that freed up $7 million in cap space, at a time when the Patriots were cap strapped. Others would say that, with the Patriots, there are no coincidences.

Consider the timeline. Newton’s bargain-basement deal, with a base salary of $1.05 million and an upside of $7.5 million that requires him to essentially be both the regular-season MVP and the Super Bowl MVP to earn all of it, gets finalized, and then the Antonio Brown and Aaron Hernandez grievances get resolved.

As one source with extensive knowledge regarding the way the NFL’s sausage gets made explained it to PFT, the Patriots likely told Newton’s agents — repeatedly — that they could offer nothing more than what they were offering because they had nothing more. Then, days after the contract with Cam became official, they got another $7 million in cap space that, if they’d had it before signing Newton, would have made it harder to sell the idea that the contract Cam accepted is the best the Patriots could do.

Of course, this doesn’t mean the Patriots will spend that $7 million in 2020. They’ll need up to $5.75 million of it for 2021, to address Newton’s incentives. Given the possibility that the cap will drop next year, the surplus could come in handy if carried over. The Patriots already are in good shape for 2021 in the event the cap drops; the $7 million (if saved) puts them in even better shape.

And that’s another reason why the Patriots are the Patriots. Other teams would have resolved the grievances, created the cap space, and then gotten squeezed into paying Newton more money. The Patriots likely had a strategy, they implemented it, and they got Newton to agree to terms at a time when there truly wasn’t enough cap space. Now, there’s more.

It’s just one of the various reasons why they’ve won six Super Bowls in the past 20 seasons.

[Futureshock]

NFL-NFLPA talks proceed “as expected,” with not much progress

Posted by Mike Florio on July 13, 2020, 9:42 PM EDT

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The NFL continues to be a deadline-driven business, and with no immediate deadline for striking a deal as to the various issues lingering between the league and the NFL Players Association on the COVID-19 rules, the two sides did not strike any deals during a bargaining session on Monday.

Per a source with knowledge of the discussions, they proceeded “as expected” without “not really” any news coming from the conversations.

NFLPA Executive Committee member and 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman shared this upate on Twitter: “Good meeting today with management. We were blunt and honest with them we will not compromise our players health in these discussions.”

Again, the league has no obligation to agree to anything when it comes to the protocols for pro football in a pandemic. The league can implement rules, and the players can challenge the overall safety of the workplace via a non-injury grievance filed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

For now, the league is refraining from playing hardball, presumably because it wants the players to fully and completely buy in. If the players don’t agree with the procedures, maybe they become less diligent about avoiding the virus and maybe they secretly root for the kind of outbreak that would shut football down without the players doing something they will not do — launch a wildcat strike.

At some point, decisions will nevertheless need to be made. The league’s patience and cooperation therefore will not be unlimited. Eventually an impasse will be declared and rules will be implemented, if an agreement cant be reached.

[Futureshock]

One group of players has clear opt-out rights for 2020: Unsigned draft picks

Posted by Mike Florio on July 13, 2020, 4:43 PM EDT

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As the NFL and NFL Players Association discusses the rules, regulations, and circumstances that would apply to players who choose not to play in 2020, one group of players has an undeniable right to opt out of the coming season: Players currently not under contract.

More specifically for these purposes, rookie draft picks who have yet to sign contracts can choose not to sign contracts while they monitor the overall pandemic and the NFL’s handling of it. They also can choose to not sign at all for 2020, sitting out the full season and re-entering the draft in 2021.

As of Friday, fewer than a third of all draft picks had signed contracts. Only 25 percent, including Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah, have agreed to terms. To date, the delay has been attributed largely to teams that have had no real urgency to get players under contract. As training camp looms, however, it makes sense to pay attention to the possibility that one or more players — especially those with first-round talent — will opt to skip the season due to concerns about the pandemic and to try it again in 2021.

Alternatively, the unsigned rookies, particularly the first-round picks, could attempt to secure specific terms that would give them more flexibility in deciding whether to skip the season with only their 2020 base salary forfeited (typically, the rookie minimum) and no other financial consequences. If, for example, the NFL ultimately concludes that a final decision must be made before training camp, unsigned rookies could attempt to negotiate a different deadline, or perhaps the ability to choose to press pause if they become uncomfortable, with the ability to remain on the roster and to return whenever they choose.

There’s a chance teams will refuse to even entertain such discussions, but the players hold the ultimate leverage: Give me flexibility and protection on this point, or I simply won’t sign at all.

At this point, there’s no reason for any unsigned draft pick to rush to sign a contract that doesn’t give them appropriate protections in the event they decide to stop playing or at a minimum to take a break in the event of an outbreak. Indeed, there’s a strong argument to be made for waiting to sign anything until the first few weeks of training camp have unfolded, in order to ensure that safe and appropriate protocols have been implemented and are working before entering that environment.

[Futureshock]

Oakley Mouth Shield will limit virus spread, if players will wear it

Posted by Mike Florio on July 13, 2020, 1:41 PM EDT

AP

Despite testing and social distancing and anything else done before or after games, the playing of football will entail multiple men in close proximity for three hours at a time. And so the league wants to try to keep them safe when on the field.

One way to do that comes from a device developed by Oakley and distributed to the NFL’s 32 teams. Via Tim McManus of ESPN.com, the Oakley Mouth Shield was designed by doctors and engineers from the NFL and NFL Players Association, in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

The NFLPA opposes mandatory use of a face shield. Last week, Texans defensive end J.J. Watt said on the #PFTPM podcast that, after experimenting briefly with a visor in 2012, he will not wear a shield that covers his mouth.

“My second year in the league I thought it’d be cool, I put a visor on my helmet,” Watt said. “I was like, ‘It looks so cool, I wanna put a visor on.’ I had it on for about three periods of practice and I said, ‘Take this sucker off I’m gonna die out here.’ . . . So now you’re gonna put something around my mouth? You can keep that. If that comes into play, I don’t think you’re gonna see me on the field.”

The mouth shield has airways and openings, but it supposedly prevents the direct transmission of droplets that may carry the virus.

“We’ve only had it on a few players — we have 2,500 players in the league — but I was surprised that . . . claustrophobia has not been an issue yet,” NFLPA medical director Thom Mayer told McManus. “I think it will be when we [have more players testing them].”

The first step will be for the league and the union to reach agreement on whether and to what extent the mouth shield will be mandatory. If the NFL chooses to make it mandatory over the NFLPA’s objection, the NFLPA would have to accept it in the same way that the NFLPA accepts the fact that only certain helmets can be used, only certain face masks can be used, knee pads must be worn, etc.

[Futureshock]

Top 2021 draft prospects may bail on 2020 college football season

Posted by Mike Florio on July 14, 2020, 9:27 AM EDT

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Although the decision eventually may be made for them, some of the nation’s top college football prospects could be planning to ditch the 2020 season and focus on the 2021 draft.

“If this [pandemic] really continues down the path that I think it’s going down, there is a very likely chance that there’s going to be some high-profile kids signing with agents in the next 60 days,” an unnamed NFL agent told Ben Standig of TheAthletic.com.

Signing with agents would end their eligibility to play college football.

“They’re gonna bail,” another unnamed agent told Standig. “I mean, I’m recruiting some high-end kids. I talked to probably four of them last night, and they all echoed the same thing. Like, they’re done. This is over.”

The reality is that college football may be over before any player decides to end his college football career. The decision by multiple conferences to play only conference games feels less like a viable plan and more like the “bargaining” phase of the five stages.

Moving college football to the spring will only exacerbate the exodus, especially since the NFL isn’t inclined to move the draft from April.

For top prospects, missing the season won’t matter. The problem is that players, fueled by the praise of friends, family, and agents, tends to overrate themselves, resulting in 80 or 90 guys genuinely believing they’ll be among the top 20 players selected.

All it may take is one major domino to fall. If, for example, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (pictured) or Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields say, “I’m out,” plenty could quickly follow.

Again, it may not matter. Given the unrestrained growth in infection rates fueled by people who refuse to take the situation seriously and their special-place-in-hell media enablers who shamelessly have been downplaying the situation from the get go, it’s becoming more and more obvious that it will be ridiculously expensive at best and impossible at worst to ensure that all major college programs can conduct the kind of testing and turnaround needed to prevent the kind of outbreaks that will stop college football season before it even starts.

In this regard, it feels like “acceptance” is a week or two away, at the latest.

[Futureshock]

Oakley Mouth Shield will limit virus spread, if players will wear it

Posted by Mike Florio on July 13, 2020, 1:41 PM EDT

AP

That picture was my screen saver for years.