NFL News

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Harrison Smith: Having Patrick Peterson come in at corner is big

Posted by Myles Simmons on June 28, 2021, 8:38 AM EDT

USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings’ secondary struggled through last season, leading the club to make some significant changes for 2021.

One move that should have a positive impact was signing former Cardinals corner Patrick Peterson.

The eight-time Pro Bowler signed with Minnesota after 10 seasons in Arizona and his experience is an asset for a team seeking a bounce-back year. That’s at least how safety Harrison Smith saw things when he spoke to reporters during minicamp.

“We were pretty young at corner last year. A lot of good players but just young,” Smith said, via Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star-Tribune. “There’s not a ton of guys like Pat out there, but having a guy like that come in at corner is big, not only his play, which is top notch, but just his presence and his knowledge, he can pass on to the young guys. Obviously safeties, corners, we’re always working together, so having vets on the outside and deep and young guys, it’s a good mix and we can learn a lot from each other.”

The Vikings also brought back Mackensie Alexander, signed Xavier Woods, and most recently signed Bashaud Breeland to re-vamp the secondary. With the talent acquired, Minnesota’s secondary should be in position to have a much better 2021.

[Futureshock]

Eric Bieniemy: Head coaching job will happen at right place with right people

Posted by Josh Alper on June 28, 2021, 3:13 PM EDT

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Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s name has been up for many of the head coaching vacancies around the league the last two years, but he has failed to land any of those jobs.

The reasons why Bieniemy has not taken the next step up the coaching ladder have been questioned by Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and others have expressed frustration with the inability of Bieniemy and other Black assistants to get top jobs around the league.

In a recent appearance on 105.7 The Fan, Bieniemy said he remains focused on the job he has now and noted how good a job it is thanks to the presence of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He also said he remains confident that he will get the opportunity to become a head coach.

“At the end of the day like I always tell folks, I don’t allow anything to dictate my outcome or my future,” Bieniemy said, via Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports. “So the only thing we can do, alright, is to continue going back to work and to continue chopping wood. And when it’s all said and done we all are blessed to be placed in the situations that we are in because — first and foremost — we do have a job. I am blessed and fortunate to be working with a Hall of Fame head coach. On top of that, the quarterback ain’t bad, either. And we’ve had a great deal of success since we’ve been here. So I’m not complaining at all. Would I like to be a head coach? Yes I would. But you know what, it’s going to happen, at the right place, with the right people, at the right time.”

As long as the Chiefs remain one of the league’s best teams, Bieniemy’s name is sure to continue appearing on lists of head coaching candidates. Whether the pieces fall into place for him to move beyond that point will remain up in the air through the end of the year.

[Futureshock]

NCAA waves white flag on NIL issue

Posted by Mike Florio on June 28, 2021, 8:13 PM EDT

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Yes, the NCAA is dead. And the NCAA is beginning to realize it.

Via Sports Business Daily, the NCAA has decided (wisely) to throw its hands in the air and to allow schools to make their own decisions about the question of whether and to what extent athletes may generate revenue from their names, images, and likenesses.

It’s the only thing the NCAA could have done, in the wake of this week’s enactment of NIL laws in multiple states and last week’s ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that, essentially, the entire business model constitutes one giant antitrust violation. Restricting the ability of adult men and women to profit from their fame in a clumsy effort to support the façade of amateurism in order to justify not sharing with the players a chunk of the substantial revenue they generate has been, and would be, a flagrant and blatant infringement on the rights of these individuals.

So the NCAA will punt to the schools. As it should. And now it will be critical for the schools to make their own decisions, without influence or pressure from the NCAA or the conferences.

The rules adopted by the schools become critical to recruiting. The greater the rights to generate revenue from name, image, and likeness, the better the chance the school will have to land the player.

The NCAA still wants Congress to save the inherently corrupt business model through a national NIL law. But before Congress places artificial limits on the power of young football and basketball players to make money based on who they are, Congress needs to ask itself why no such limits are placed on young actors, musicians, and anyone else who finds a way to capitalize on the inherently capitalistic U.S. economic system. Once Congress answers that question, maybe Congress will conclude (rightly) that it has far better things to do.

[Futureshock]

ROGER GOODELLCOM, NFL
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports 65 percent of NFL players have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot.


Schefter added "that’s approximately the same percent as rest of the country," and higher if only comparing people in the age 25-39 range. About 46 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated. It's good news for coaches, players, and fans who desire a more normal training camp and regular season after 2020's COVID chaos. Some NFL coaches have brought in medical experts to talk to players about getting vaccinated against COVID-19, and the league and player's union have released protocols for players who head into training camp unvaccinated. These rules -- including daily testing and restrictions on travel -- have drawn the ire of some players, most notably Bills WR Cole Beasley, who has threatened to retire rather than vaccinate himself against the virus. The continuation of strict COVID protocols will likely entice more players to sign up for the vaccine in the coming weeks.

... See More
SOURCE: Adam Schefter on Twitter
Jun 25, 2021, 11:40 AM

[Futureshock]

NFL decides not to hold the supplemental draft in 2021


For the second year in a row there will not be a supplemental draft

[LightninBoy]

Remember ... college sports is a cesspool.

But it looks like people are finally catching on.

[Futureshock]

Bucs lend Lombardi Trophy to vaccination campaign, get a shot and a picture with the trophy

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 30, 2021, 6:19 AM EDT

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The Buccaneers have come up with a good incentive to get the COVID-19 vaccine: A shot comes with a picture with the Lombardi Trophy.

A vaccination clinic in Tampa today will have the Lombardi Trophy on hand, and anyone who gets the shot can take a picture with the trophy.

NFL teams have been promoting the vaccine across the country, and with good reason: The COVID-19 vaccines are the reason that NFL games will once again be played in full stadiums this season.

The vaccines have proven safe and effective, and nearly everyone who dies of COVID-19 is unvaccinated.

[Futureshock]

Well. that bar wasn't too high....


Patrick Mahomes could move into third in team history in passing yards this season

Posted by Charean Williams on June 29, 2021, 7:31 PM EDT

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Patrick Mahomes has started for the Chiefs full time only three seasons, having played but one game as a rookie in 2017. Yet, the star quarterback quickly is ascending in the team record book.

Mahomes, 25, already has thrown for 14,152 yards, and as Charles Goldman of USA Today points out, Mahomes should climb into the top three this season barring the unforeseen.

Mahomes currently ranks fifth in franchise history in passing yards.

He has averaged 4,623 yards per season the past three seasons. If he passed for that in 2021, his 18,775 career yards could move him to third in team history.

Bill Kenney, who started games for the Chiefs from 1980-88, threw for 17,277 yards with the team to rank fourth. Alex Smith passed for 17,608 yards in his five seasons as a Chiefs’ starter, ranking him third.

Mahomes should have a chance to pass Trent Green, who threw for 21,459 yards with the Chiefs, for second on the team’s all-time list after 2022.

Len Dawson’s team record of 28,507 passing yards remains a few seasons away for Mahomes, but Mahomes surely will obliterate that before he is done.

Mahomes already has the best career completion percentage (66 percent) among franchise quarterbacks who have thrown at least 100 passes. He ranks third in franchise history in passing touchdowns with 114.

[Futureshock]

Meh... Details?



Tom Brady has a Subway deal, despite reportedly never entering a Subway

Posted by Mike Florio on June 29, 2021, 4:55 PM EDT

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Tom Brady has a notoriously strict diet. Tom Brady nevertheless will endorse Subway, one of the most prevalent fast-food purveyors in the nation.

Terry Lefton of Sports Business Journal reports that Brady has never even entered a Subway, which has more than 22,000 locations in the United States alone. Brady’s TV ad, which will debut later this month, also reportedly will not show Brady holding Subway products, per Lefton.

The Subway endorsement deal nevertheless represents an attempted pivot by Subway back to the perception that it’s a healthier alternative to other fast-food options. It’s also an effort to beat back competition from sub chains like Jersey Mike’s; Subway, according to Lefton, reportedly has closed “thousands” of stores over the past three years.

Still, not many will buy the link between Brady and Subway. Earlier this month, for example, Brady endorsed Ronaldo’s very public disavowal of Coke products. Coke, by the way, has been the exclusive soda provider for Subway since wresting the deal from Pepsi in 2003. Absent a TB12 product line and/or an avocado ice cream desert option, no one who knows anything about Tom Brady is going to think that he’d swing by Subway on the way home for practice or a game — or ever.

[Futureshock]

Eventual disappearance of federal marijuana prohibition would pressure NFL to scrap its own ban

Posted by Mike Florio on June 29, 2021, 2:16 PM EDT

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On Monday, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the federal government’s prohibition on the use of marijuana may no longer make sense. That raised plenty of eyebrows, from sea to shining sea.

It definitely should raise eyebrows at 345 Park Avenue.

As more and more states in which the NFL does business began to legalize marijuana both for medicinal and/or for recreational purposes, the league’s ongoing rules and regulations against marijuana use became more and more confusing. From the moment the first state (Colorado) legalized marijuana, the league continued to hide behind the federal prohibition. It still does. The moment the federal prohibition evaporates will be the moment that the league will be required to come up with some other justification for adhering to its anti-marijuana rules.

Yes, the NFL dramatically overhauled the rules as part of the 2020 CBA, wiping out suspensions for positive marijuana results. However, players are still fined for testing positive — and they can still end up being suspended. If/when the federal law changes, the league will have to confront its ongoing obsession with policing the private lives of players when it comes to their use of marijuana.

It’s a matter of when, not if. It would be nice, given that reality, if the league would simply pull the plug now. That won’t happen, not as long as the broader rights and responsibilities fall within the scope of collective bargaining. Because the league will never give up anything to the players without getting something in return.

[Futureshock]

Jeremy Chinn: You can use me wherever as long as you’re using me

Posted by Josh Alper on June 29, 2021, 12:58 PM EDT

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Jeremy Chinn finished second in voting for the defensive rookie of the year award in 2020 and his versatility played a big role in that result.

Chinn explained on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he didn’t have a clearly defined position when he spoke to defensive coordinator Phil Snow after being drafted with the final pick of the second round. Chinn said Snow did divulge the team’s “plans on me starting early” and that was enough for the rookie to come in with an open mind about anything Snow might ask him to do.

“He really didn’t have a position for me, whether it be linebacker or safety,” Chinn said. “He actually kinda had like a flex position. You’re gonna have to learn this position. I was like, ‘Alright, whatever it is I’ll be ready for it.’ I come in and they actually play me at SAM linebacker primarily, I moved back to safety as well throughout the season. Really I just came in with a mindset that you can use me wherever as long as you’re using me.”

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said that the plan is for Chinn to play safety this year, but added that Chinn “can fill a lot of different roles” so any definition of his primary position may continue to be a loose one.

[Futureshock]

Missouri DOT creates Joe Delaney Memorial Highway

Posted by Mike Florio on June 30, 2021, 10:40 AM EDT

USA TODAY Sports

The man whose gave his life 38 years ago on Tuesday has received another honor commemorating his sacrifice.

Via Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star, the Missouri Department of Transportation unveiled the Joe Delaney Memorial Highway on Tuesday. The road runs along Interstate 435, near the Truman Sports Complex, site of Arrowhead Stadium.

Adam Jassey pushed for the naming of the road for Delaney. Jassey was nine years old when Delaney drowned trying to save three children, and Jassey has tried in various ways to honor Delaney’s memory. The news that a memorial to Delaney would be placed at the site of his death in Louisiana spurred Jassey to do more, with the Joe Delaney Memorial Highway becoming the product of Jassey’s work.

It’s a fitting tribute, one that’s way overdue. More should be done to recognize the sacrifice Delaney made, so that more will be aware of what he did. Here’s hoping the NFL and/or the Pro Football Hall of Fame will find a way to properly remember Delaney, either through the crafting of an award in his name or some other permanent and/or recurring reminder to football fans now and in the future of Delaney’s heroism.

In the NFL, every award that bears someone’s name requires no explanation as to who the person is and why the honor was deserved. For Delaney, who spent only two years in the NFL, people need to hear his name before they can ever learn his story. HIs name needs to be every bit as recognizable among football fans as Walter Payton and Vince Lombardi.

[Futureshock]

By protecting Dan Snyder, the NFL potentially protected other owners

Posted by Mike Florio on July 2, 2021, 8:47 AM EDT

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The NFL, based on Beth Wilkinson’s investigation, generally found serious misconduct within the Washington Football Team. The NFL will not be sharing specific details about the behavior that resulted in the broad-brush findings that culminated in a $10 million fine, up to $7 million in attorneys’ fees, and a “voluntary” relinquishment of day-to-day control of the team by owner Daniel Snyder, which reportedly will end only when Commissioner Roger Goodell authorizes it.

The league’s refusal to even commission a written report from investigator Beth Wilkinson — which obviously prevents the written report from ever being released or leaked — shows that the league (in my opinion) wants to avoid the dissemination of any specific factual findings regarding things said and done. Those specifics easily would ignite social media and potentially inflame the situation, possibly resulting in the league ultimately forcing Snyder to sell the team.

Obviously, bad things happened. Bad enough to get Goodell to conclude “that for many years the workplace environment at the Washington Football Team, both generally and particularly for women, was highly unprofessional.” Goodell concluded that “[b]ullying and intimidation frequently took place and many described the culture as one of fear, and numerous female employees reported having experienced sexual harassment and a general lack of respect in the workplace.” Goodell also found that “[o]wnership and senior management paid little or no attention to these issues,” that “senior executives engaged in inappropriate conduct themselves, including use of demeaning language and public embarrassment.”

So what caused Goodell to reach these conclusions? If the league has its way, we will never know. If we ever do know, it’s not just Snyder who will have to worry about being forced to sell — it’s Goodell who will have to worry about being forced out, like in 2014 after the Ray Rice fiasco.

The league justifies its anti-transparency position by citing the promise of confidentiality that was given to reluctant witnesses. That’s a convenient, and bogus, excuse. Information can be shared without individuals being named. Also, with no transparency about who does or doesn’t want transparency, it’s impossible to know whether and to what extent these fears of coming forward were truly an issue. All we know is that, for a relatively brief media conference call on Thursday, Lisa Friel available (not Beth Wilkinson or Goodell) filibustered through self-serving talking points that undoubtedly were crafted meticulously by NFL general counsel Jeff Pash.

Attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, who represent numerous former employees of the team, have accused the league of protecting Snyder. It definitely is. But the league isn’t doing it because Snyder is particularly powerful (he isn’t) or particularly popular (he isn’t) or particularly respected (he isn’t) among his peers. They’re doing it, in my opinion, because other owners don’t want to be held to a similar standard if other situations like this emerge with other teams.

Remember when Panthers owner Jerry Richardson abruptly sold the team after stories surfaced of past confidential settlements directed at his workplace behavior? As explained by Mark Leibovich in Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times, a very real fear emerged that this was the tip of the iceberg. Some were surprised it took as long as it did for the chickens to roost in Washington. Although no other owners currently are embroiled in similar controversies, they don’t want to be. If those who would make accusations against other owners with other teams realize that the brass ring isn’t an eight-figure fine and a temporary timeout but a forced sale, they may be more likely to make accusations. (Or to settle those accusations confidentially for a major cash payment.)

Bottom line? The owners still run the league. And there may be other owners sitting in a lounge chair on the front porch of a glass house. Any stones thrown at Snyder eventually could be thrown right back at them.

Thus, in protecting Snyder, the NFL also has potentially protected any other owners who would be the next in line to be permanently canceled by the league, if that’s what had happened to Snyder.

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2021 opt out deadline arrives today

Posted by Mike Florio on July 2, 2021, 7:22 AM EDT

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The window closes at 4:00 p.m. ET. No one has passed through it yet, and there’s no indication that anyone will.

The negotiated deadline for opting out arrives today. Any player who signed his latest contract before October 1, 2020 may opt out for the season. (In theory, any unsigned draft pick may opt out, too, by simply refusing to sign his contract.)

There have been no rumblings that any player is seriously considering it. Once activated, it’s irrevocable for 2021. That’s one of the main reasons why Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers isn’t expected to do it, despite the significant financial benefits he would realize by doing so.

Others have suggested that perhaps Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will opt out. That’s highly unlikely as well.

One potential source of opt outs could be players who have no desire to be vaccinated and no desire to live under 2020 rules while the vaccinated players are working like it’s 2019. Bills receiver Cole Beasley, for example, could press pause on his career for a year, if he’s as miffed as he claimed to be in recent weeks about the situation.

For players who opted out for 2020 or who have been diagnosed with a higher-risk condition since October 1, a $350,000 stipend is available. Any other player who opts out gets nothing this year, other than payments that already have been earned. For all opt outs, their contracts would simply toll for a year.

It will be a shock if anyone chooses to do it. By the end of the day, we’ll know whether anyone has done it.

[Futureshock]

NFL bans Dwight Schar from future ownership interest in any NFL team

Posted by Mike Florio on July 1, 2021, 7:31 PM EDT

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It’s not part of the outcome of the Washington Football Team investigation that culminated in Thursday’s significant announcement of an eight-figure fine, legal-fee reimbursements that could reach $7 million, and a “voluntary” decision by Daniel Snyder to turn day-to-day operations of the team over to his wife on an indefinite basis.

But with plenty of news and nuggets flying around in the aftermath of the announcement, here’s one that previously wasn’t known. The league previously has banned former Washington limited partner Dwight Schar (pictured in the middle of the attached photo) from ever owning any portion of any NFL team again, per multiple league sources.

Schar, Fred Smith, and Robert Rathman had been trying for an extended period of time to sell their interest in the team. Eventually, Snyder bought them out, after the league allowed Snyder to exceed the per-team debt limit.

Along the way, allegations and litigation and accusations emerged, with clear acrimony between Snyder and Schar. The NFL frowned upon the filing of a lawsuit by the limited partners over Snyder’s effort to selectively apply his right of first refusal after a buyer for the minority interest was found, and it was believed that the league eventually would take against against one or more of the limited partners.

Per one source, only Schar faces the ban. Smith and Rothman were not affected.