NFL News

[Cody_Russell]

More news relating to the future of Sunday Ticket. I really like to see this news. YouTube (or Google)… nice!:

[The King]

Good to see Fields improvement. I thought it was impossible for that guy to fail. I just saw too much talent from him in college. Not every team is going to want to build around a running QB, but that dude is a playmaker.

[The King]

That Fields run on Sunday where he stepped out of bounds was one of the best rushes ever for a QB.

[Futureshock]

Matt LaFleur confirms, vaguely, that offense wasn’t watching practice film together

Posted by Mike Florio on December 21, 2022, 6:33 AM EST

USA TODAY Sports

Garbage time of the Monday night game between the Rams and the Packers included a conversation between the members of the broadcast booth that was anything but.

On Tuesday, Packers coach Matt LaFluer vaguely confirmed the accuracy of comments made on the air by Joe Buck and Troy Aikman of ESPN.

They said LaFleur had told them things began to change when the offense started watching practice film together, and not in individual groups. A reporter asked LaFleur about it.

“Yeah that’s something that just thinking back in previous years, we had done that, most of the time together and then after that first year, again we had a more veteran group of wideouts and we allowed it to, just from an efficiency standpoint and a detail standpoint, allowed the position groups to meet independently of one another in some instances,” LaFleur said, via Kalyh Kahler of TheAthletic.com. “Now, I would say, I can’t remember what week it was, but we decided to start watching . . . every practice together as a whole unit.”

Asked why it took so long, LaFleur said, “That’s just the way it transpired.”

And that directly contributed to the sluggish manner in which the season transpired.

Buck said, via Kahler, that the practice of watching film as an offensive unit helped make an overdue connection between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and rookie receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.

“LaFleur said it changed when we all started watching tape of both our Wednesday and Thursday practices together as a group, so we could talk and Aaron can hear what Christian Watson is thinking and Romeo Doubs, and not only that but get to know them as people which maybe humanized him and took a little bit of the pressure off,” Buck said.

“When LaFleur said that, I was shocked that they hadn’t been meeting all along,” Aikman replied. “I’ve been on both sides of it, I have had [offensive coordinators] who had it where you always met with your individual position coach and not as a group and I have had others where the whole offense, excluding linemen, met and that worked best. I think that’s the way to go and my guess is LaFleur will do it that way the rest of his time as a head coach. . . . The more time you can have with the skill players, the more you can be in the room watching the practices together and even the opponent film, the better off you are going to be, especially when you are talking about young receivers like Watson and Romeo Doubs.”

It’s obviously right. And it’s amazing that Rodgers wasn’t insisting on it — or (if true) that he was resisting it.

But no one should be surprised. It was Rodgers who stayed away from all of the offseason program, but for a cameo appearance in connection with the mandatory minicamp. And it was Rodgers who didn’t gather his new corps of receivers for informal workouts, like so many other quarterbacks do on an annual basis.

For as smart as Rodgers is (or at least pretends to be), it’s amazing he didn’t realize that young players who literally grew up watching his exploits (Watson was only 11 when Rodgers won his only Super Bowl, and Doubs was only 10) needed to get to know him before getting comfortable around him. Instead, and by all appearances, Rodgers opted to be absent and aloof and perhaps even standoffish in the early days of their NFL experience.

Then training camp started, Rodgers showed up with his Arthur Shelby haircut, and Watson and Doubs had to try to perform while also being naturally in awe of their new quarterback — and also probably a little (or more than a little) intimidated and even afraid of him. Especially after he started calling them out generally for making mistakes or not going above and beyond the call of duty and working when not at work.

It’s a jarring failure of Rodgers either to understand the importance of making a real human connection with his new teammates or to take steps to improve a situation that he actually knew would make it harder for Watson and Doubs to get as comfortable, and in turn as effective, as they can be.

The good news is that it’s finally working. So, better late than never. Unless it was so late that they’ll never make it to the playoffs this season.

[froot loops]

Justin Fields averages 13 completions per game this year. Not good enough.

[jaadam4]

Strange. Normally Suh gets flagged just for walking onto the field.

I thought the same thing. That’s absolutely crazy

[jaadam4]

Justin Fields averages 13 completions per game this year. Not good enough.

I’ll be curious to see how the Lions defend him. Chicago just isn’t good and if we win this week Ford Field will be a madhouse for that game

Fields will have his hands full

[Futureshock]

Justin Fields averages 13 completions per game this year. Not good enough.

Dam! That's awful.

[Futureshock]

I thought the same thing. That’s absolutely crazy

Only when he was with the Lions. This is the first time I've seen someone say this since he left Detroit. Of course it was started by Rodgers and the Packers because they were afraid of him. No team plays the refs better.

[Topweasel]

I’ll be curious to see how the Lions defend him. Chicago just isn’t good and if we win this week Ford Field will be a madhouse for that game

Fields will have his hands full

I'd basically put Rodrigo or Anzalone on shadowing him, someone quick, close, and can tackle him. Force him to throw. Sacrifice the coverage, sacrifice the RB running game a bit. But none of this cover the edge with our DE's because Fields is to quick for that and its hard for a couple of young guys to push in and stay wide at the same time.

[Futureshock]

Neither are fast enough. Best bet would be a safety like Elliot. They just need to be able to hold on until help comes.

[Futureshock]

T.J. Watt made Pro Bowl after missing seven games, Eddie Jackson missed two and was off the ballot

Posted by Michael David Smith on December 22, 2022, 5:09 AM EST

Getty Images

Bears safety Eddie Jackson is out for the season with a foot injury and wouldn’t be able to participate even if he made the Pro Bowl, but Jackson isn’t happy about his snub — especially compared to Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, who has missed more time than Jackson but still made the AFC Pro Bowl roster.

Jackson, who was leading all safeties in fan Pro Bowl voting before his season-ending injury two weeks ago, pointed out that he was immediately taken off the Pro Bowl ballot when he was placed on injured reserve. Watt, meanwhile, missed seven games but still made the Pro Bowl.

“How somebody miss 6 games but still make pro bowl I miss two games so far but taken off ballot,” Jackson wrote in a since-deleted tweet.

Jackson did not mention Watt by name and got the number of games that Watt missed wrong, but he appeared to be referring to Watt with his question. And Jackson makes a valid point: He played in 12 games this season before his injury. Watt will play, at most, 10 games this season, having missed seven of the Steelers’ 14 games so far this season.

It’s easy to see why Jackson is frustrated, and another reminder that Pro Bowl voting doesn’t make a lot of sense, and that many worthy players are snubbed while many unworthy players get in.

Still, while the traditional Pro Bowl game has been pushed aside for a flag football game and other events, the Pro Bowl does matter: It directly impacts players financially, as the Collective Bargaining Agreement ties increases in first-round draft picks’ fifth-year option salaries to Pro Bowl selections. And some players have Pro Bowl bonuses in their contracts.

So it would be nice if Pro Bowl selections better reflected how much players had actually contributed. In the case of Watt, who has only played half of the Steelers’ 14 games this year, it’s hard to justify him making it. And if Watt can make it after missing seven games, it doesn’t make a lot of sense that Jackson was taken off the ballot as soon as he went on injured reserve.

[Futureshock]

Despite leading all players in fan voting, Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t make the Pro Bowl

Posted by Mike Florio on December 21, 2022, 11:44 PM EST

Getty Images

The fans stuffed the ballot box for Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. In the end, getting the most votes of any NFL player wasn’t enough to propel him to the Pro Bowl. Or whatever it’s now called.

The AFC quarterbacks, based on the final voting consisting of one third fans, one third coaches, and one third players, are Josh Allen of the Bills, Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, and Joe Burrow of the Bengals.

Tagovailoa is a first alternate. He’ll definitely make it, if the Bills, Chiefs, or Bengals qualify for the Super Bowl.

Of course, the Dolphins could still qualify for the Super Bowl. And that’s a far bigger accomplishment for Tua, and for the team.

The Dolphins have three Pro Bowlers, for now: receiver Tyreek Hill, tackle Terron Armstead, and cornerback Xavien Howard.

[Futureshock]

I just want him to have his best day ever Sunday. Show out on those cheese munching fu(kers and put them out the playoffs.

[Futureshock]

Ex-Spartan dog...

Panthers claim Justin Layne off waivers

Posted by Josh Alper on December 21, 2022, 4:17 PM EST

Getty Images

The Panthers added a cornerback to their active roster on Wednesday.

The team announced that they have claimed Justin Layne off of waivers. Layne was dropped by the Bears on Tuesday.

Layne entered the NFL as a Steelers third-round pick in 2019 and played in 43 games for Pittsburgh over his first three seasons. He had 41 tackles and a fumble recovery in those appearances.

The Giants claimed Layne off of waivers early this season and he had four tackles in seven games before moving on to the Bears. He played in two games for Chicago.

Carolina has cornerbacks C.J. Henderson and Jaycee Horn on the injury report this week. Henderson has been a full participant in practice while Horn’s been limited.