NFL News

[Forsh]

Bring back Turner

[whatever_gong82]

Paywall article from The Athletic a few days ago.

I thought that it's of some interest NFL wise.

Deshaun Watson is acting like a victim, but he brought this all on himself


By Jason Lloyd
Jul 29, 2024


WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — I’ve tried. I’ve really tried with Deshaun Watson. I defended the Browns pursuing him because Baker Mayfield wasn’t good enough and they needed to upgrade the most important position. Despite all his legal issues, Watson was the best quarterback available at the time.


But Watson isn’t and has never been a victim in any of this.

More than two dozen women said he harassed or assaulted them during massage appointments. More than two dozen civil lawsuits against him or the Houston Texans were settled in confidential agreements.

Shortly after arriving at the Greenbrier this week for the start of training camp, Watson was asked a standard, mundane camp question about rehab from his shoulder surgery and if anything has changed with his approach. Here was his answer.



“I think, honestly, it’s really just blocking out all the bull—-,” he said. “It was tough coming in two years ago, different environment, different team, different all that. So you come in and your character’s been mentioned this way and then kind of flip on you and the biggest thing, you’re trying to get people to like you or improve. But now it’s like, at the end of the day, it’s two years in and if you don’t like me or you have your own opinions, then, yeah, it is what it is. So, I think blocking out all the noise and focusing on me and focusing on what I need to do to be the best Deshaun Watson I could be for myself, my family and my teammates.”

Blocking out the noise is fine and necessary for successful quarterback play. Playing the victim card because people question his character and pouting because people may not like him is nauseating and unnecessary. He did this to himself.

I realize last year was incredibly difficult on Watson, first with the season-ending shoulder injury and then the way the city fell hard for Joe Flacco.

Cleveland fans have never really embraced Watson, and certainly not to the level they swooned for Flacco during his incredible month of December. For Watson, that had to be tough and perhaps a bit embarrassing to endure.


But here’s the part he can control: Flacco arrived and immediately thrived in Kevin Stefanski’s play-action offense. He made it look exactly how it’s supposed to look. There were too many interceptions, yes, but Flacco ran the offense better than Watson. He had so much success in the system that he walked away with the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year based on five games.

So what did the Browns do in response? Fired the offensive coordinator and overhauled an offense that was finally thriving because it wasn’t the franchise quarterback who was making it go. It was the retired guy off the pickleball court. Can’t have that. Can’t embarrass the $230 million man like that.


The Browns are all the way in this now. They have to do whatever it takes to appease Watson and cater to him, even if it means scrapping an offense that we finally saw for a month perform optimally when run effectively.

The problem is Watson never really looked comfortable doing it. So Ken Dorsey is here as the new offensive coordinator to bring some of the shotgun/spread concepts that made Cam Newton and Josh Allen great quarterbacks. At least Stefanski held onto play-calling duties. He is now a two-time Coach of the Year. He should be calling plays as long as he wants the job.

The more troubling theme, beyond the scheme and on-field performance, is the way Watson spoke like a man who somehow has been wronged in all of this.

“My character was getting challenged,” Watson said. “I know who I am, and a lot of people never really knew my history. I knew who I really was, so they’re going based off other people’s opinions and whatever other people are saying. But yeah, I’m a person. I like to have people like me, and I feel like a lot of people are like that. So sometimes things are in your brain, you just gotta turn and just gotta forget it. It is what it is.”



Watson has never really shown much remorse or taken enough accountability for his alleged predatory actions.

Only once did Watson show any type of contrition, which was in a pregame interview before his first preseason game as a member of the Browns.



“I want to say that I’m truly sorry to all of the women that I have impacted in this situation,” Watson said before his debut at Jacksonville. “The decisions that I made in my life that put me in this position I would definitely like to have back, but I want to continue to move forward and grow and learn and show that I am a true person of character and I am going to keep pushing forward.”

It was a necessary and prudent first step — but unfortunately, the only time he has ever shown remorse. He walked back much of his apology at his next media availability the following week and has remained defiant and unapologetic ever since.

That lack of remorse is what Judge Sue L. Robinson noted when she initially suspended Watson for six games.


I believe Watson has gotten some really bad advice through all of this. His team, at least to my knowledge, never hired a crisis management team to begin mitigating the PR damage. He never was out front on any charity work involving women’s abuse victims.

Instead, he went to Saudi Arabia over the offseason — a country with a horrific record on human rights and specifically women’s rights — and took to social media to rave about what a good time he had there.

Watson’s involvement in numerous lawsuits certainly was a factor in what he could or couldn’t say publicly. But two years later, he still can’t understand why people may not like him? Or understand why the community has been slow to embrace him? Really?


The uncomfortable truth in all of this is that if Watson can stay healthy and return to the form he showed in Houston — if he can thrive in this new offense — many Browns fans will eventually embrace him. Winning is a deodorant, as Stefanski has often said. Even when it comes to covering up sexual misconduct.


Until then, we get gems like this from Watson: “I don’t give two f—s what other people say, to be honest.”

Then let’s be honest. Most NFL fans don’t care what he has to say, either. Until he says “I’m sorry.”


Jason Lloyd is a senior columnist for The Athletic, focusing on the Browns, Cavs and Guardians. Follow Jason on Twitter @ByJasonLloyd

[Tom]

Maybe Watson is just misunderstood.

[mason reese]

JJ McCarthy out for the year

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/40860002/sources-vikings-rookie-qb-jj-mccarthy-miss-2024-season

[CGVT]

Too bad for J.J.

But...Fuck the Vikings

[Iron Lion]

Buttf**k the Vikings

[El Axe]

From the Athletic (5 Lions in top 25)

Who are the NFL’s top players 25 and under? How execs, coaches rank Stroud, Jefferson and others
Mike Jones
Aug 14, 2024

As another NFL season nears its kickoff, the league’s best young players are working hard to continue their ascents. Some are already among the NFL’s elite. Others have exhibited promise and appear destined for stardom.

So, who are the NFL’s top 25 players who are 25 and younger? We reached out to 12 league front-office members, coaches or scouts for their thoughts, and they were granted anonymity so they could speak freely about the players. The participants were given a list of 35 potential players for inclusion and asked for feedback on where each might rank. Any player who met our age qualification and had earned All-Rookie, All-Pro or Pro Bowl honors was included for consideration.

Players had to be 25 or younger as of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL regular season. That criteria eliminated some talented young stars, including quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts, who both made this team last year but turned 26 in recent months.

Competition was thick, as every talent evaluator views players differently. But we narrowed it down to this robust group of players who have already established themselves as the game’s best, or are the closest to this accolade.

We also assembled an All-25-and-Under team, since the overall top 25 didn’t include a player at every position. You can find the All-25-and-Under team below as well.

Top 25

1. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings. Age: 25 (DOB: 6/16/99)
A hamstring injury caused him to miss seven games last year, and Jefferson still posted the fourth 1,000-yard season of his career. That helped him earn a four-year, $140 million deal from the Vikings this summer, which made him the highest-paid wideout in the league. Jefferson was No. 1 on the 25-and-under list last year as well.

2. Micah Parsons, LB/DE, Dallas Cowboys. Age: 25 (5/26/99)
The unstoppable Parsons last season recorded a career-high 14 sacks. That brought him up to 40 1/2 for his career, and put him in elite company: Reggie White, Derrick Thomas, Aldon Smith and Dwight Freeney are the only other players in NFL history to tally 40 sacks in their first three NFL seasons. Parsons was No. 2 on last year’s 25-and-under list but, like Jefferson, he will age out next year.

3. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals. Age: 24 (3/1/00)
Despite Joe Burrow’s injury-shortened 2023, Chase still delivered his third consecutive 1,000-yard season. He and Jefferson belong to an extremely exclusive club of game-changing wide receivers.

4. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys. Age: 25 (4/8/99)
Lamb led the NFL with 135 catches while recording a career-best 1,749 yards last season, helping him earn first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his four-year career.

5. Pat Surtain II, CB, Denver Broncos. Age: 24 (4/14/00)
Three straight seasons of 10-plus passes defended and two Pro Bowl appearances top Surtain’s resume. He is the definition of a shutdown corner.

6. Penei Sewell, RT, Detroit Lions. Age: 23 (10/9/00)
A true franchise cornerstone and catalyst for Detroit’s turnaround, Sewell garnered first-team All-Pro honors last season. He also appeared in his second Pro Bowl, and this offseason signed a four-year, $112 million contract extension.

7. Tristan Wirfs, LT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Age: 25 (1/24/99)
Wirfs was asked last season to move from right tackle to left. He did so without batting an eye, and delivered the same elite-level production protecting Baker Mayfield’s blindside as he did while blocking for Tom Brady on the right. Tampa Bay rewarded Wirfs this offseason with a five-year, $140.6 million contract, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the game.

8. C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans. Age: 22 (10/3/01)
The reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Stroud took the league by storm in 2023. He not only rewrote the rookie record books, he also ranked among the league leaders in passing yards, passer rating and completion percentage while directing a surprising playoff run.

9. Kyle Hamilton, S, Baltimore Ravens. Age: 23 (3/16/01)
A first-team All-Pro in only his second season in the league, Hamilton is a difference-maker whether in pass coverage, lining up in the box or rushing the passer. He had 81 tackles, three sacks and four interceptions last season.

10. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions. Age: 24 (10/24/99)
As a third-year pro, St. Brown racked up career highs in catches (119), yards (1,515) and touchdowns (10). That helped him earn Pro Bowl honors for a second straight season and All-Pro status for the first time. He enters Year 4 on a mission to join Jefferson, Chase and Lamb as one of the truly elite wideouts in the game.

11. Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers. Age: 25 (11/2/98)
Love went on a tear to close out his first season as a starter and propelled the Packers into the playoffs, where they upset the Cowboys in the wild-card round, then suffered a narrow 24-21 loss to the 49ers in the divisional round. Love (4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, 11 interceptions) appears poised to take another massive leap forward in 2024.

12. Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers. Age: 24 (12/27/99)
Purdy is 17-4 as a regular-season starter and 4-2 in the postseason, where he has appeared in the NFC Championship Game twice. The 49ers pushed the Chiefs to overtime in February’s Super Bowl before losing 25-22. Last season, Purdy carved up defenses for 31 touchdowns.

13. Sauce Gardner, CB, New York Jets. Age: 23 (8/31/00)
Some critics question Gardner’s chops because the Jets play zone coverage so often. But Gardner is still a fantastic cover man, with 31 pass breakups (20 as a rookie) the last two seasons combined. He has earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors in each of his first two NFL seasons.

14. Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Detroit Lions. Age: 24 (8/9/00)
Hutchinson followed up a solid rookie season with a Pro Bowl campaign that featured 11 1/2 sacks and 33 quarterback hits. Hutchinson also recorded a combined three sacks in three Lions playoff games last season. Look for another leap forward in Year 3 as the Lions aim to make another deep playoff run.

15. Trent McDuffie, CB, Kansas City Chiefs. Age: 23 (9/13/00)
The versatile young corner is already one of the best at his position after just two seasons. Last season, in addition to his prowess in pass coverage, the All-Pro recorded five forced fumbles, three sacks, nine quarterback hits and three tackles for loss.

16. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins. Age: 25 (11/25/98)
Despite his pairing with the prolific Tyreek Hill, Waddle has recorded 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons in the league. If not for injury, which limited him to 14 games last season, Waddle likely would have topped the 1,356 yards he recorded in 2022.

17. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars. Age: 24 (10/6/99)
The first pick of the 2021 draft reached his first Pro Bowl in 2022, then regressed slightly as Jacksonville went 9-8 and missed the playoffs. But Lawrence has all of the tools necessary to continue to ascend and should capitalize on another offseason and year under head coach Doug Pederson.

18. Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions. Age: 23 (1/12/01)
Talk about an immediate impact — LaPorta, drafted in the second round, posted one of the best seasons for a rookie tight end in NFL history with his 86 catches, 889 yards and 10 touchdowns.

19. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions. Age: 22 (3/20/22)
The Lions’ other instant-impact star, Gibbs started just three games in 2023 but still rushed for 945 yards and 10 touchdowns and also caught 52 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown en route to Pro Bowl honors. We’ll have to watch the hamstring injury he suffered in practice on Monday.

20. Jalen Carter, DT, Philadelphia Eagles. Age: 23 (4/4/01)
Carter made a seamless transition from the University of Georgia to the NFL, accumulating six sacks and 33 tackles (eight for loss) while serving as a rotational player. With Fletcher Cox retired, the Eagles will lean heavily on Carter and Jordan Davis to anchor their defensive line this season.

21. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets. Age: 24 (7/22/00)
Wilson owns a pair of 1,000-yard seasons despite the Jets’ well-documented quarterback woes, so what might he accomplish with a healthy Aaron Rodgers throwing to him? The Jets hope to quickly find out. Talent evaluators around the league predict Wilson will make another big leap forward in 2024 and join the ranks of the elite young wide receivers.

22. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons. Age: 22 (1/30/02)
After just one season, Robinson looks like one of the most well-rounded backs in the league. He rushed for 976 yards and four touchdowns and added 58 catches for 487 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie.

23. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams. Age: 23 (5/29/01)
The 2023 fifth-round pick may have been the steal of the draft. All he did was shatter the rookie record books with 105 catches for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns while helping the Rams go 10-7 and return to the playoffs after 2022’s losing campaign.

24. Creed Humphrey, C, Kansas City Chiefs. Age: 25 (6/28/99)
One of the toughest and smartest young interior linemen in the NFL, Humphrey has never missed a game in three seasons with the Chiefs and has garnered Pro Bowl honors in each of the last two campaigns (both of which ended with Super Bowl victories).

25. Will Anderson Jr., DE, Houston Texans. Age: 22 (9/2/01)
The Alabama product recorded seven sacks, 22 quarterback hits and 45 tackles last season as the tone-setter for Houston’s defense, and he earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl honors.

All-25-and-Under Team

QB: C.J. Stroud
Stroud was one of the most effective passers in the league regardless of experience last season, executing with a level of precision and poise that stunned the NFL. Now, thanks to the Texans’ additions of wide receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon, Stroud could take another step forward. He obviously faced stiff competition for the top QB spot here. Love must show he can play at a high level for an entire season, but he also seems poised for another leap forward. And though Purdy is as steady as they come, Stroud has a few more tricks in his bag.

RB: Jahmyr Gibbs
The electrifying Gibbs delivered 1,261 all-purpose yards and 11 touchdowns for the Lions, despite sharing the backfield with David Montgomery. Robinson also put up great numbers but did so with more touches than Gibbs. What will Year 2 hold for these two rising stars?

WRs: Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb
It’s tough to keep St. Brown off, but Jefferson, Chase and Lamb truly are the cream of the crop at wide receiver.

TE: Sam LaPorta
It’s scary to consider just how high LaPorta’s ceiling is based on the instant impact he had on the Lions.

Offensive line: LT Tristan Wirfs, LG Tyler Smith, C Creed Humphrey, RG O’Cyrus Torrence, RT Penei Sewell
Wirfs and Sewell are already among the best at their positions, as is Humphrey. The 23-year-old Smith turned into a Pro Bowl left guard for Carolina last season after beginning his career as a tackle. Buffalo’s Torrence (age 24) stepped right in as a rookie last season and played like a seasoned vet.


Defensive ends: Will Anderson Jr. and Aidan Hutchinson
These two are on their way to joining the ranks of the league’s elite edge rushers.

Defensive tackles: Jalen Carter and Kobie Turner
Big, powerful, athletic and well-rounded, Carter and Turner make their presences felt against the run and the pass. The Rams’ Turner turned 25 in April.

Linebackers: Micah Parsons and Quay Walker
Dallas’ Parsons terrorizes offensive linemen and quarterbacks regardless of where he lines up. Green Bay’s Walker, 23, has great range and makes plays all over the field. Walker has 239 tackles (12 for loss), nine quarterback hits, 10 pass deflections, three forced fumbles and an interception in two seasons.

CB/DBs: Pat Surtain II, Sauce Gardner, Trent McDuffie
Good luck against this trio of crafty cover guys, who already are among the best in the league despite their youth.

Safeties: Kyle Hamilton and Jevon Holland
Hamilton is already a star, and if the Dolphins’ Holland (age 24) can capitalize on a full season of health, he won’t be too far behind his Ravens counterpart.

Specialists: K Cameron Dicker, P Ryan Stonehouse, KR/PR Marvin Mims
The Chargers’ Dicker, at 24, is among the most accurate kickers in the league. The Titans’ Stonehouse (age 25) is already one of the NFL’s best punters. The 22-year-old Mims shined as a rookie kick and punt returner last season for the Broncos.

[El Axe]

Personally, Sewell should be 2nd or 3rd. Ceedee Lamb is really over-rated to me, though I respect the numbers he's put up.

If I were GM and was offered either JJ or Chase for St Brown, I'd probably say yes. I'd hang up fast if I were offered Lamb.

[Coop]

Dallas is going to be in Salary cap hell soon......

[Cody_Russell]

I’m not too high on the Cowboys this season. Maybe that’s just me. I’ve seen a lot of negativity coming from their fanbase. The loss of Dan Quinn on defense. Zeke is sooooo washed and he’s expected to be involved in their offense. Being afraid to pay your starting QB. 8-9 or 9-8 Cowboys maybe?

…

Had no idea Daniel Jones is on year 6 of being the Giants QB. Wow, he made it that far?! I would have guessed year 4 for Jones. Tom Brady made a joke about Jones the other day and he comes out with a poor preseason performance yesterday. Steaming hot pressure of a situation. Interesting to follow…

[chemiclord]

What's sad about Jones is that I'm not even entirely willing to say that he's even the biggest problem for the Giants. For example, on his pick six... sure, he makes a terrible decision to throw the ball rather than just eat the sack (even if it would have been a safety), but Christ, the defender was on him almost before he could even set his feet to find his primary read. The weak side receiver (who could have been a safety valve) makes his first cut and then basically slows to a jog as Jones is pressured. The tackle who gave up the pressure got beat so bad after the initial contact at the line of scrimmage that I had to check I wasn't watching a Lions highlight from 2008.

Yes, Jones certainly needs to be a lot better... but fuck, he needs teammates that can help him out too.

[El Axe]

I didn't watch many Giants games last year, but in the couple I watched casually, I had the same take. Jones was turning lemons into lemonade with that offense. If he had much to work with, he could be a decent to good NFL QB.

[chemiclord]

Oh, I wouldn't go that far. He's dropped more than a handful of lemons himself. On that play I mentioned, for example, he absolutely makes an absolutely dipshit decision to attempt a throw that only maybe Mahomes and Allen could get away with. I'm merely noting that with so many points of failure on that team, scapegoating Jones is the too easy answer.

[Iron Lion]

Commies cut Riley Patterson

[whatever_gong82]

Commies cut Riley Patterson

We can probably sign him and put him on the practice squad.

Just in case.