Ol' Assface won't be happy!!

Pass interference replay review looks to be one-and-done.

In the annual postseason survey taken by the nine-member NFL Competition Committee, teams came out overwhelmingly agent retaining the PI replay rule that was instituted for the 2019 season, NFL Network's Judy Battista reported Tuesday night.

According to Battista, when asked if they were favor of making the rule permanent, 21 teams said no and eight said yes. When asked if the rule should be extended for one more year, 17 teams said no and five said yes.

While the survey does not officially change the rule, it indicates that the competition committee and the league are trending toward killing the rule for the 2020 season.

The decision to either make the PI replay rule permanent or to extend it one more year will be put to a vote during the Annual League Meeting at the end of March. For the rule to pass, it would need 24 affirmative votes, or three-quarters of the league. If the survey is any indication, support for the rule is hovering around one-quarter of teams.

So here (likely) lies the pass interference review rule (July 2019 - March 2020). We hardly knew ye, but hardly was enough.

Instituted last summer just for the 2019 season, the rule allows offensive and defensive pass interference calls and non-calls to be challenged, and for pass interference reviews after the two-minute warning of each half and during overtime to be initiated by the replay official. Calls for such a rule were amplified following the controversial conclusion to the 2018 NFC title game between the Rams and Saints.

The results confused and frustrated coaches and players alike. The standards for overturning or confirming calls were inconsistent and appeared to change midseason.

Of the 100 pass interference calls that underwent review during the 2019 regular season, 24 were reversed. Of the 80 calls that were challenged by teams, just 16.3% were reversed, while of the 20 calls initiated by official review, 55% were reversed.
Next year, it is now likely that zero pass interference calls will be reversed or upheld by replay review.

Also in the survey, Battista reported, teams said quarterbacks are being adequately protected by the roughing the passer rule; teams said the use of helmet was more consistently officiated in 2019; and teams are heavily in favor of allowing the league office to instruct the on-field officiating crew to eject a player for a football act.

Natives are restless.

Always enjoyed this section of Peter King’s articles. Interesting to hear his insider perspective.

Highlighted a swipe at McVay.

Link takes to the whole article. This is just the 10 things I think I think, part.

———


Peter King’s Football Morning in America

1. I think if I had to guess, Joe Burrow will not throw Thursday night at the NFL Scouting Combine.

2. I think of all the things I read about the draft in the past week, this, from Paul Schwartz of the New York Post about the general manager of the Giants, was most fascinating:

Dave Gettleman has presided over seven drafts as a general manager — five with the Panthers and two with the Giants — and has never traded down. Never. He selected 28 players with the Panthers and 16 in his two drafts with the Giants (plus one more in the supplemental draft).

Think of that: A GM who has made 45 picks has never traded down to accumulate more picks from any of the 45. That is borderline negligent. Maybe not even borderline. I am incredulous about that. As I documented last week, GM John Schneider of the Seahawks used last year’s 21st overall pick and traded down six times to accumulate six picks, one of whom was wide receiver DK Metcalf, who, as it turned out, produced better value than a 21st pick in most drafts as a rookie. And four other players from the trade played for the Seahawks last season. Trying to not make too much of that, but wow. Just wow.

3. I think I don’t understand Sean McVay (per Mike Silver) spending only one night at the combine, and his coordinators not going. Seriously: You get so little out of spending 15 minutes with lots of prospects in a first meeting, and you get so little out of interacting with agents and coaches about looming free agents, that you’d rather be back in the bunker? Isn’t there enough time in the bunker already?

4. I think I really want the Steelers to sign Jameis Winston. Sit for a year, get him ready to conditionally succeed Ben Roethlisberger, and if the interceptions continue in 2021, he’s gone after one season. Risky, but the upside could be pretty great. Now, the contract would have to be one Winston would want to do; he’d likely have a chance to play sooner elsewhere if he leaves Tampa. I’m just talking about a coach-player relationship (Mike Tomlin-Winston) dynamic I’d like to see. Plus, I’d rather have Winston on the rebound than Mason Rudolph or Devlin Hodges or a draft pick that could be used in a wiser way.

5. I think for those who don’t quite understand why the NFL is rushing to get a labor deal with the current one not expiring till after the 2021 draft, Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal did an interesting primer to it last week. The main point is a political one, and it involves television. The NFL’s TV deal with ESPN is up after the 2021 season, and deals with CBS, FOX and NBC up after the ’22 season. NFL sources tell me the league wants to get the CBA done in the next couple of weeks, so the 2020 league year can be played under new, strife-free rules, and so the league can begin negotiating with TV networks in earnest this spring. “Some inside the league expect a ratings decline during the 2020 season after their numbers fell 8 percent during the last presidential election cycle in 2016,” Beaton wrote. He’s dead on.

6. I think I’ll take that one step further. One league power-broker tells me: “We are made for broadcast TV, but we are open to streaming. It’s the next big thing, and the tech companies want to be involved in our game. They should. We’re the only lock money-maker in sports.”

I asked this person about the effect of the 2020 election on ratings this fall. “This election is going to be political reality TV,” he said. “It’s going to be riveting entertainment, whoever you want to see elected. The ratings on the political shows, I think, will be better than they were for the last election. I think we all feel that a [CBA] deal we get a year from now will not be as good for us, or for the players. The money won’t be the same, I don’t think.”

Imagine Donald Trump debating Bernie Sanders, or whoever, three weeks before the election on Thursday night, with the polls showing them close. I’d have to think that would out-rate even a Patrick Mahomes-Lamar Jackson Thursday night starfest. (Kansas City does play Baltimore in 2020.)

7. I think there’s a good chance the next TV deal includes streaming rights by a Facebook or an Amazon. Too many league people think a limited package of games, streamed instead of sold to a tradition network or cable outfit, makes sense. The league, with a new labor deal, would have 18 more games to put on the market (16 in an extra regular-season week, two on wild-card weekend), and a streaming entity would likely pay far more to play the NFL game than, say, extra games added on to a traditional broadcaster’s plate.

8. I think if this 10-year labor deal gets done, somehow, it will procure labor peace for the NFL through the 2029 season. Imagine that. I covered the last strike, in weeks three through five of 1987, when replacement players played three games per team and the lost salary caused some stars (Lawrence Taylor, Joe Montana, Randy White) to start trickling back into camp against the wishes of the NFLPA. Imagine if this thing gets done. Through the end of the new deal, it would mean 42 years and 10 weeks of labor peace. In modern sports, that’d be amazing.

9. I think I’ve not heard one talk-show caller, or had one letter to my column before last week, express interest or excitement about expanding the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams. But, well, money. So here we are.

10. I think these are my other randomness... Rest of story....

Five quarterbacks who can follow in Ryan Tannehill's footsteps as Comeback Player of the Year in 2020

When it came to the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year for the 2019 NFL season, Ryan Tannehill of the Tennessee Titans was the easy choice. Just one year ago, the Miami Dolphins traded him to the Titans to serve as Marcus Mariota's backup. Instead, he ended up taking over the starting job and leading the Titans to the AFC Championship game.

The Titans started off the season 2-4 with Mariota under center, and head coach Mike Vrabel made the big decision to give Tannehill a chance as the starter in Week 7. He ended up winning 10 out of the next 13 games, and threw for 2,742 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. Tannehill completed 70.3 percent of his passes in the regular season, averaged a league-best 9.6 yards per attempt and led the NFL with a 117.5 passer rating.

After having lost his starting job in Miami, Tannehill didn't let the next opportunity pass him by, and because of that, he's now expected to sign a lucrative contract extension this offseason. Tannehill's comeback as a post-hype sleeper quarterback was one of the best narratives of the 2019 season.

Will there be a quarterback in 2020 who can accomplish what Tannehill did in 2019? Is there a signal-caller that has been written off in the court of public opinion, but could have a career year this upcoming season after experiencing a change of scenery? Let's take a look at five players who could turn their careers around in 2020.

Teddy Bridgewater

With Drew Brees returning for another season and the New Orleans Saints reportedly eyeing Taysom Hill as the future under center, it appears Bridgewater's time in New Orleans is over. The former first-round pick has proven he's fully recovered from the devastating leg injury he suffered in 2016, and he is expected to generate plenty of interest on the open market this offseason. He's only 27-years-old by the way!

When Brees went down with a hand injury against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2, it appeared the Saints were going to lose some ground in the race for the NFC's top seed in the postseason. Instead, Bridgewater stepped in and won all five of his starts while Brees rested up. During those five games, he threw nine touchdowns and just two interceptions. Even though the Saints' offense revolves around Brees at quarterback, New Orleans did not miss a beat with Bridgewater under center. Bridgewater is clearly a starter in this league, and unlike Tannehill in 2019, he will probably get the chance to start immediately in 2020 instead of having to wait for another chance. With Brees coming back, the Saints aren't going to necessarily regret letting Bridgewater go, but he has the potential to take the right team deep into the postseason if given the opportunity.

Andy Dalton

The "Red Rifle's" time with the Cincinnati Bengals is likely over. With the No. 1 overall pick, it would be unwise for the Bengals not to select former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, but Dalton's days in Cincy were already numbered. After the Bengals fell to 0-8, first-year head coach Zac Taylor made the decision to bench Dalton for rookie Ryan Finley. It didn't seem to help, as the Bengals lost three more games before Taylor turned back to Dalton.

Dalton is very similar to Tannehill. He hasn't necessarily been bad during his career in Cincinnati, as he owns several franchise records and has thrown for 31,594 yards, 204 touchdowns and 118 interceptions in 133 career games. The Bengals are just a bad team and Dalton had to lead this squad without his No. 1 wide receiver in A.J. Green this past season. Dalton isn't technically a free agent, but the belief is that the Bengals will either trade or release him in the coming months. Either way, it's pretty likely that he's going to be on a new team in 2020 -- and possibly serving as a backup like Tannehill did for the Titans. Maybe a change of scenery would be great for the 32-year-old.

Josh Rosen

I feel so bad for Rosen. He's being written off as a bust even though he's had to play on two of the worst teams in the league during his short career. As a rookie with the Arizona Cardinals, he completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 14 games, as Arizona finished with the worst record in the league and purged the entire coaching staff after just one season. Rosen then had to go through all of the Kyler Murray drama, where the team that drafted him less than a calendar year ago tried to pretend like they were confident in his abilities while everyone else knew Murray was going to be taken No. 1 overall. Even after Rosen escaped that poisonous situation, he ended up with another first-year head coach with the Dolphins -- a team who appeared to be orchestrating one of the most egregious tanks in NFL history through the early part of the 2019 season.

In six games, Rosen completed 53.2 percent of his passes for 567 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions. He and Ryan Fitzpatrick took turns starting at quarterback as the Dolphins limped to a 5-11 record and earned the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. They are another team expected to take a quarterback in the first round -- and while Dolphins general manager Chris Grier expects Fitzpatrick to stay in Miami next season -- we don't know what will happen with Rosen. The former No. 10 overall pick could be on the move again, and he might finally get the chance to be a part of an organization not run by a first-year head coach that possesses decent talent. Don't count Rosen out just yet.

Marcus Mariota

Yes, the player Tannehill replaced this season could end up being the Tannehill of 2020. The former No. 2 overall pick has spent all five NFL seasons with the Titans, and his career has been marred with inconsistencies and injuries. Mariota had an incredible second year in the league back in 2016, when he threw for a career-high 3,426 yards, 26 touchdowns, and just nine interceptions. He hasn't been able to match that production since, however. Mariota also still hasn't been healthy for a full 16-game season, and he was playing some of his worst football in 2019 before Tannehill took over. In seven games this season, Mariota completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 1,203 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Now an unrestricted free agent, it seems more likely that Mariota will secure a backup gig instead of the opportunity to take over immediately with a new franchise. Mariota clearly has talent, but he needs a change of scenery and a staff that can help him develop into the best NFL quarterback possible. He's only 26, so he will have some suitors on the open market.

P.J. Walker

That's right, the favorite to win the first XFL MVP award could find himself back in the NFL in 2020. If you've kept up with the XFL, you understand that Walker is basically the Patrick Mahomes of the league. He's the XFL's leading passer, as he has thrown for 748 yards, 10 touchdowns, and just one interception -- he has also led the Houston Roughnecks to a 3-0 record. Walker attended Temple University, where he found success under current Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule. He left college as Temple's all-time leader in completions, passing yards, touchdown passes, and total offense. Walker would end up going undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft, but he was signed by the Indianapolis Colts. He spent two years on the Colts' practice squad and was released in August of 2019.

It's interesting because Andrew Luck is actually the one who brought Walker to the attention of his father, who serves as the commissioner of the XFL. He hasn't played in an NFL regular-season game, but if he continues to dominate the league, there's no doubt that someone will want to give him a chance. From what I've seen in three games, he can definitely make some of those special throws we usually only see on Sundays.

Signs point toward interconference matchups for 17th game

The NFL hasn’t provided the NFL Players Association with many/any details regarding how a 17th regular-season game would be implemented. On Monday, Packers CEO Mark Murphy shared one very important aspect of the extra game with Mark Maske of the Washington Post.

Via Maske, Murphy said that all teams in one conference would have nine home games one season and then eight home games the next season. This points directly to the 17th game pitting each of the 16 teams from one conference against the 16 teams from the other conference, pushing the total interconference games played each year by every team from four to five.

As explained in October, the league crafted the perfect formula in 2002, when the Texans joined the league and the number of teams hit an even 32. Currently, each team plays: (1) the other three teams in its own division twice; (2) all four teams from one of the other divisions in its conference, on a three-year rotating basis; (3) all four teams from one of the divisions in the other conference, on a four-year rotating basis; and (4) the teams from the other two divisions in its own conference that finished in the same position during the prior year.

Currently, schedule weighting based on the outcome from the prior season comes only from the fourth category, with the four teams in a given division having only two games tied to where each team finished in the prior season. A 17th game could inject more parity into the schedule.

With every team already playing four teams from one division in the other conference, the 17th game would entail facing a team from one of the other three divisions in the other conference, based on where teams finished in those divisions in the prior year. It would rotate each year, allowing for example the four teams of the AFC North to play the four teams of the NFC East and then one more team from the NFC North, with the first-place AFC North team from the prior year playing the first-place NFC North team from the prior year, and so on.

While some (like Big Cat on Friday’s PFT Live) would like to see the 17th game entail an annual contest against a geographic rival, teams like the Jets and Giants already play once every four years when all teams of the AFC East play all teams of the NFC East. Would the Jets and Giants play once every year and twice every four years?

And what if, for example, the Rams and Chargers play every year but the Rams are great every year and the Chargers stink every year? That would be horribly unfair for the other three teams in the NFC West (who may be playing tougher geographi rivals from the AFC), and for the Chargers (who would be getting curb stomped by the Rams every year).

There are other problems with setting up geographic rivalries. Put simply, there will be odd teams out. (Go ahead, try to find a geographic rival from the AFC for the Cardinals after tying the Chargers to the Rams and the Raiders to the 49ers and the Broncos to the Seahawks and the Texans to the Cowboys.)

The better approach would entail an annual division-vs.-division matchup with first-place team playing first-place team from divisions in opposing conferences and second-place team playing second-place team from those same two divisions, and so on.

With the NFL also determined to add one more playoff team per conference, in turn putting even greater importance on the No. 1 seed, requiring the first-place teams from each division to play one more first-place team per year (pushing the annual total to five first-place teams in a 17-game slate) would tend to inject a little more parity into the annual scrum for that top seed.

This pretty good. Donald & DK Metcalf on Barstool Sports.

Login to view embedded media View: https://youtu.be/wdN4QgFjsDI

Yes I have a problem. It's been going on about 3 years maybe longer and I've burned through countless recipes and different approaches in the magical study of pizza crust. Honestly it is something I find endlessly amazing how the slightest difference in prep can result in such a different result.

I tend to favor thin crust by the way. I do like thick crust pizza too, as well as the medium NY style, but my time in Italy and eating those pizzas (which are cooked very quickly like in a couple minutes in their wood ovens) have really put me on a crusade to duplicate the experience.

Anyone else have this strange fascination? I figure someone should, given that I see brick pizza ovens in hardware stores now that are designed to sit outside. Which my wife forbid me to even look at btw.

I was over at a friend's house yesterday... check out what decided to take over the tee box area on the hole that starts directly behind their backyard. They have a fence surrounding their yard or I'm sure these delicious looking wild turkeys would have stomped right up to their pool for a drink. That Tom Turkey was a badass.. I didn't count, but I think he had 10 or more females following him around.

I went outside the fence and walked right up amongst them... they had no fear of me. The Tom was gobbling at me like a madman though.

Here’s how NFL TV rights are expected to shake out for the rest of the decade, according to sources

ARTICLE KEY POINTS

• Negotiations for NFL broadcast rights are expected to heat up as soon as the league’s collective bargaining agreement is completed.
• Traditional media players Disney, Comcast, ViacomCBS and Fox -- the current owners of NFL rights -- are all once again the favorites to retain football broadcast rights for the remainder of the decade.
• Amazon or another streaming service, such as ESPN+ or YouTube TV, could buy Sunday Ticket rights away from AT&T’s DirecTV, though it remains unclear if the league will negotiate that at the same time as its broadcast packages.

NFL owners and the NFL Players Association are likely nearing a collective bargaining agreement after owners approved the terms Thursday. Media companies and the NFL have been waiting for the CBA’s approval before negotiating new broadcast rights for NFL games, which are locked up until 2022.

The results will have a major impact on traditional media as millions of Americans cut the cord on pay-TV each year. Owning live football games is crucial for networks like ESPN to charge expensive affiliate fees to pay-TV distributors, and for Fox and CBS to remain viable against deeper-pocketed competitors like Disney and Comcast.

The NFL knows this, and is expected to jack up renewal rates on all of its major broadcast packages -- Thursday night, Sunday afternoon, Sunday night and Monday night, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to speak publicly because negotiations are private.

Rates on Sunday afternoon games may double, jumping from $1 billion annually to $2 billion annually. ESPN pays $2 billion annually for Monday Night Football and may need to pay $3 billion to keep the package, two of the people said. Renewals will likely be seven or eight-year deals, the people said.

While Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google may be the barbarians at the gate looking to disrupt traditional media, the NFL probably isn’t ready to sell exclusive rights to streamers, according to people familiar the matter. Instead, the current players -- Disney (which owns both ESPN and ABC), Comcast (which owns NBC), ViacomCBS (which owns CBS) and Fox -- will probably just pay the league a lot more money for what they already have. The NFL is comfortable with existing relationships and isn’t eager to rock the boat on a product that has seen ratings rise the last two years even as almost all other shows on traditional TV have fallen.

Live sports is “the most important Jenga block holding up the entire legacy media ecosystem,” according to LightShed media analyst Rich Greenfield. In other words, the traditional players need to win renewal.

Technology companies like Amazon may buy digital-simulcast packages like they have for the last few years -- streaming games to a global audience as they’re simultaneously broadcast on network TV in the U.S. -- as well as new, smaller packages carved out by the NFL.

If the league sticks with the status quo -- ViacomCBS and Fox owning Sunday afternoons, Comcast owning Sunday Night and Disney taking Monday Night -- traditional media will declare victory. Keeping the NFL (and preventing others from owning digital rights) will add enormous value to networks for future retransmission and affiliate fee negotiations while also propping up newer streaming products that may include live sports rights. (ViacomCBS already includes live NFL games in its CBS All Access streaming product.)

But those same media companies will also have to figure out how to to afford the NFL’s increases with an ever-shrinking pool of pay-TV subscribers, which means fewer eyeballs for advertising and fewer subscribers from traditional pay-TV revenue.

If a company like ViacomCBS pays $2 billion a year for the NFL, it will likely lose money on the investment in the early years of the deal and will have to rely on a flourishing streaming business and other future monetization avenues (sports betting, etc.) to make up the difference. The NFL wants to maximize revenue but doesn’t want to drive its media partners out of business, potentially making companies with smaller balance sheets (like Fox and ViacomCBS) more vulnerable to losing their rights deals.

The following is a breakdown of what’s likely to come, according to people familiar with the companies involved and the NFL.

Disney

Disney is operating from a position of strength today, but has the most to lose as viewers shift to digital.

Its giant balance sheet, with an enterprise value of more than $300 billion, should allow the company to not only re-up Monday Night Football but potentially bid on a second package, whether that’s competing against CBS for Sunday afternoon games or buying Sunday Ticket rights to out-of-market Sunday afternoon games for ESPN+. Disney is interested in potentially sharing or simulcasting Monday Night Football between ESPN and ABC, according to people familiar with the matter. It also wants ABC to be back in the playoff and Super Bowl rotation, two of the people said.

Disney CEO Bob Iger has already said publicly he would have interest in Sunday Ticket, although it remains unclear if the NFL will negotiate Sunday Ticket at the same time as its other packages or wait until later this year.

If Disney does nab Sunday Ticket away from AT&T, it would use the package to push ESPN+ subscriptions, according to two people familiar with the company’s plans -- viewers would have to sign up for ESPN+ to have access to the games before paying the annual package charge, currently about $300. AT&T has viewed Sunday Ticket, which costs about $1.5 billion annually, as too expensive for the amount of customers it brings in for DirecTV and likely wouldn’t be interested in winning a bidding war, according to people familiar with the matter.

Still, while Disney can theoretically afford a lot of live football, ESPN is losing millions of subscribers each year as more people cut traditional cable. Putting Sunday Ticket on ESPN+ might erode the traditional cable bundle faster, because it will make ESPN+ a better replacement product. Disney has the goods to make a big splash but is also arguably the most exposed by paying billions for rights that ESPN relies on.

ViacomCBS and Fox

These are the most straightforward -- ViacomCBS and Fox, each of which has a market capitalization of around $20 billion (ViacomCBS about $18 billion, Fox about $22 billion), both want to renew the Sunday afternoon packages they currently have. Fox has held Sunday NFC games since 1994 and CBS has owned AFC rights since 1998. However, it’s possible that the NFL will eliminate the AFC/NFC split by network for Sunday games for this renewal, allowing either network to broadcast games with no restrictions by division.

Football is crucial to the narratives of both companies. Fox got dramatically smaller after selling the majority of its assets to Disney in a $71 billion deal last year. The new Fox is focused on news and sports and would be crippled without NFL rights. ViacomCBS needs all the valuable content it can get as it looks to compete with deep pocketed competitors.

Fox also has rights to Thursday night football and will likely bid to retain that package, one of the people said.

Of the two companies, ViacomCBS is seen as more vulnerable to lose its Sunday NFL package. LightShed’s Greenfield predicts the company will, in fact, lose its package to either ABC or NBC -- the two most likely candidates to swoop in, according to people familiar with the matter. Still, people close to ViacomCBS are adamant CBS will do whatever it takes to keep the games.

Comcast

NBCUniversal is focused on retaining Sunday Night Football, which has been the most-watched prime-time TV show for the last nine years.

Like Disney, Comcast could also challenge CBS or Fox for Sunday afternoon games.

Amazon

Amazon is most likely to simply renew its Thursday Night Football package from the last two years. Amazon has been pleased with the package as a way to entice global customers to Amazon Prime, its $119 annual subscription service that offers a variety of perks, including video content and free one-day shipping for packages to many locations.

Amazon will also consider Sunday Ticket, according to two people familiar with the matter, as a tool to get people subscribed to Prime, just as Disney is looking to use the package as an entryway into ESPN+. Amazon would be interested in a smaller package of exclusive games, such as the London and Mexico City games, if the NFL were to make that available, one of the people said.

Wild cards

It’s possible the NFL could split up Sunday Ticket rights, either between a streaming service and a traditional TV distributor (or distributors) or between several streamers. That could lessen the cost of Sunday Ticket, which AT&T has signaled both publicly and privately is too expensive to profitably renew at $1.5 billion per year. DAZN, the subscription sports streaming service run by former ESPN president John Skipper, would be interested in Sunday Ticket if the league were to sell non-exclusive streaming rights separately, one of the people said. Apple TV+ and YouTube TV could take a look at Sunday Ticket as well.

It’s also possible the NFL will carve out non-exclusive streaming rights to Sunday packages, though this seems less likely given the enormous increase traditional media players intend to spend on broadcast rights.

Overall, the NFL could double its annual revenue from NFL media rights from about $7.5 billion to $15 billion, said people familiar with the matter. Most of this is likely to occur with the tech giants largely sitting on the sidelines. That means traditional media can hold on to positions of power for the rest of the decade. But it also means the NFL knows it has all the leverage in these discussions, and will likely wring every drop of money it can from desperate media companies who simply can’t afford to lose the most popular thing on television.

Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, which is the parent company of CNBC.

Rich McKay: Too early to know whether replay review for pass interference will be renewed

At times during the 2019 season, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that replay review for pass interference calls and non-cals would not be renewed for a second season. Now, it’s not so clear that the biggest source of 100th season consternation will be scrapped.

Via Mark Maske of the Washington Post, Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay said Sunday that it’s too early to comment on whether he believes the procedure will be or should be renewed when owners gather in March. Because it was adopted on a one-year-only basis, it will take 24 votes to keep it in place. Once it becomes a permanent rule change, it will take 24 votes to scrap it.

“You have to decide from a cost-benefit analysis standpoint: Is this worth it?” McKay told Maske. “Are we getting enough bang for our buck as far as the game goes? And that’s one that the clubs have to answer that question. . . .

“I think we all saw the frustration that we all had during the year. And I do think it began to get better. But I want to see it all and the total picture and not deal from emotion.”

Even when it began to get better, it still wasn’t good. Nearly every application of it was unpredictable and, at times, flat-out maddening, thanks in large part to a standard that shifted and changed throughout the season, always without warning.

Of course, if the league doesn’t renew replay review of pass interference calls and non-calls, it will need another device for fixing mistakes like the one that applied an asterisk to the outcome of the 2018 NFC Championship. And the only viable alternative is the sky judge concept, which the league seems to be resisting, likely in whole or in part because of the cost.

Even though the NFL will make plenty of money from legalized gambling and even though sky judge could help avoid the kind of outcomes that would spark a gambling-fueled public outcry, the league ultimately authorizes expenditures that it deems necessary. If replay review of pass interference calls and non-calls can be improved to the point at which it can be regarded as satisfactory, it will be much cheaper than hiring 17 extra officials who would, ideally, serve as an extra set of eyes that isn’t operating among the gladiators, and thus isn’t primarily concerned with avoiding serious injury or worse.

Still, sky judge would be a better process, both as to pass interference and any other calls for which the officials on the field would benefit from the immediate perspective of another official who isn’t at risk of being trampled — and who isn’t limited to flashes and blurs that the naked eye often can’t discern.

Like so many other things, however, the NFL won’t embrace sky judge until it absolutely has to. Despite the flaws inherent to replay review of pass interference calls and non-calls, the NFL clearly doesn’t believe that it’s absolutely necessary to write the check for sky judge now.

Report: Coaches pushing for sky judge, league office is skeptical

As more and more calls get missed by the officials on the field even when they’re apparent to everyone watching on TV, the idea that the NFL should add a “sky judge” has grown more popular: If we can see on TV that the officials on the field missed something, why not have an official who’s watching a monitor in a booth, with the ability to communicate to the on-field officials that they’ve missed something?

Coaches plan to push that idea when the league comes together in Indianapolis this week for the Scouting Combine, but according to Mark Maske of the Washington Post, the league office and the majority of officials are skeptical that a sky judge is viable.

The reality is, the NFL officiating office already sometimes communicates in real time with the referee on the field to communicate something that was missed. Most notably, during the AFC Championship Game, CBS commentator Tony Romo mentioned on the air that the officials had missed what should have been a penalty for 12 players on the field. Moments later, the officials huddled up and called that penalty, and it appeared that they had been alerted to it by the officiating office, which likely heard Romo’s words and didn’t want to have a huge TV audience in a big game hear such an obvious missed call pointed out.

If that can happen occasionally when the officiating department feels like doing it, there’s no reason it can’t be part of the regular officiating protocol, with an official in each stadium, watching on a monitor, able to tell the referee immediately when there’s an obvious missed call. But it sounds like the league office isn’t ready for it.

I saw this article highlighting the strength of the Cowboys offensive line... the line being responsible for only 8 of the 23 sacks.


“Pro Football Focus released an interesting statistic this week, noting that the Cowboys’ offensive line allowed just eight sacks on the season, which was the best in the NFL.

Now, it should be noted that this does not mean Dak Prescott was only sacked eight times, because he was sacked 23. What it means is that 15 of those sacks were not surrendered by the offensive line itself and/or that the offensive line was not at fault for them.

It seems like a rather arbitrary statistic, but when you really take it into consideration, it’s actually pretty important. Because it demonstrates that Dallas’ offensive line remained strong point this past year.”

So, it made me wonder how the Rams were?

15 of 22. Not bad. Tie for 5th-9th.



But looking at the pressure categories (hurries, pressure) and sorting the table that way... We are 27th in overall line efficiency relative to pressure.

Obviously a spot to improve.

OL Pass Blocking Efficiency
The PFF "Pass Blocking Efficiency" rating measures pressure allowed on a per-snap basis with weighting toward sacks allowed.

XFL - Week 3

SATURDAY
Sat., Feb. 22 – Houston Roughnecks at Tampa Bay Vipers, 2 p.m. ET (ABC)

Sat., Feb. 22 – Dallas Renegades at Seattle Dragons, 5 p.m. ET (FOX)

SUNDAY
Sun., Feb. 23 – New York Guardians at St. Louis BattleHawks, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Sun., Feb. 23 – DC Defenders at Los Angeles Wildcats, 6 p.m. ET (FS1)

I know it's been years but I am still mad that Jeff Fisher picked Greg Robinson over Jake Matthews.

He cost us years of quality cost controlled LT play.

Ok vent over...lol

Sorry if a thread like this has been posted but I've had a lot of discussions (elsewhere) about the Rams offensive line and I would really like to know how ROD feels about the OL, the OL coach and what should or shouldn't be done about protecting Goff/establishing the run. First I'll give you my take. Injuries cost the line continuity, almost from the beginning of the season. Blythe was out in week 3 and Jamil Demby started in his place. Noteboom was injured on the Rams second offensive series in week 6. Allen was injured on the first play of the second half in Pittsburgh and Havenstein went out in week 10 also.

Whitworth was the only guy to start all 16 games but there has been some discussion (with opposing viewpoints) about his play. I do know this much. He got called for holding 9 times in 2019, when he only got called 3 times in 2017 and 2018 (each). To me that suggests he was just a bit slower and to recover, had to hold more often than in the past. I would like to see him back but only if they get a cap friendly one year deal. The guy is going to turn 39.

Havenstein was injured but before that he was flagged many times. He had 1 penalty all of 2018 and he got flagged something like 8 or 9 times in 9 games in 2019. Were his and Whitworth's issues a result of the younger guys playing along side them or are they just getting older and slower?

Noteboom played 5 games for an intents and purposes, having been injured early in game 6. Did he show us enough to lean either way on him.
Allen played a bit longer and I pose the same question about him. Edwards, Evans and Corbett played together the last 7 games of the season. What did they show you?

Austin Blythe showed good health (missed 1 game in 2019) and much versatility. I'd like to see them resign him on a 2 or 3 year "fair" deal.

And then again, some have questioned Kromer's ability to evaluate lineman, adjust on the fly and/or prepare his charges for NFL play. I don't subscribe to any of those theories.

So.......

Should the Rams roll with what they have?
Should they invest draft capital in one or two OL?
Should they resign Whitworth and/or Blythe or somebody else in free agency or more than 1 OL? Trent Williams name has come up among some Ram fans.

What do you see happening with the OL.

Thanks for you input.......and please, if this has already been discussed ad nauseum at ROD, feel free to tell me to take a hike!!!

John Johnson III Discusses What He Was Able To Learn While Out With Injury
Published on 02/22/2020 Author by Maximo Gonzales


Young safety John Johnson III had been one of the more notable losses for the Los Angeles Rams after his 2019 NFL season was cut short by a shoulder injury.
Johnson had been in the midst of another stellar start to the year until he was placed on injured reserve heading into Week 7. His absence left a huge void in a Rams secondary that would later experience some significant turnover prior to the trade deadline. Suffering such a major injury and being forced to watch this team struggle en route to missing the playoffs was hardly ideal for Johnson. Fortunately, it seems he managed to find the silver lining in a frustrating 2019 campaign.

Johnson feels that watching from the sidelines provided him with a different perspective on how the game is played, via Sarina Morales of the team’s official website:

I don’t think about myself. I think I learned a lot about the game just watching, seeing opportunities that you don’t normally see, being out there. This is the first time I actually like was down. When I got hurt, it wasn’t that I was hurt, I just didn’t have anything to do when I got home from rehab, even before the surgery. It was just weird to not have structure in my life.

Click to expand...

It is certainly encouraging to see that Johnson was able to turn a negative situation into one that could potentially set the stage for a big comeback in the 2020 NFL season.The former third-round pick proved to be quite the steal by emerging as an immediate contributor on defense and being promoted to starter during his rookie year. He managed to kick things up a notch in the 2018 campaign and was considered to be one of the biggest Pro Bowl snubs after registering 119 tackles, four interceptions, and a forced fumble.

Los Angeles experimented quite a bit with their secondary this season after parting ways with cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters in order to make room for Jalen Ramsey. Meanwhile, the hype surrounding safety Eric Weddle‘s arrival was short-lived following an underwhelming year that has left his future with the team uncertain.

One of Weddle’s biggest concerns is being relegated to a reserve role due to the talented safety pairing of Johnson and Taylor Rapp. Regardless, having a surplus of starter talent over the top is a good problem to have as the Rams brass gets set to make some crucial decisions in the offseason.

https://ramsnation.com/rams-news-jo...le-to-learn-while-out-with-injury/2020/02/22/

10 things with Micah Kiser

Saturday, Feb 22, 2020 10:34 AM

Sarina Morales
Team Reporter

Each week, we interview a different Rams player to find out about their lives on the field as well as off of it. Team Reporter, Sarina Morales, asks the questions fans want to know, in a fun and conversational interview. This week, linebacker, Micah Kiser, spoke to Sarina about his musical talents, his rules for flying and which teammate would help him win at dodgeball.

1. Pecs update
Sarina: Your pecs okay?
Micah: Yeah, I'm real healthy. The injury rate in football, it's 100%. You're going to get hurt. So I'm glad I just got it out of the way early in my career.


2. Year 3


Sarina: What's the biggest difference now going into year three for you?
Micah: Right now, I feel like I kind of know what it takes just watching and being around a lot of great pros. Being able to be around a Cory Littleton and just seeing his movements on the field and how he plays. Being able to be around an Eric Weddle for a year and just seeing his mental approach to the game. Right now, stuff is slowing down. You can pick little specific things to focus on instead of having such a wide view of the game, you can focus in on more of the little intricacies and little details. So that's where I'm at right now.



3. Grateful
Sarina: What is something you appreciate more now that you're an NFL player?
Micah: I never took this for granted just because I've been fortunate. I've never really had what I would call a real job. I've never had to punch a clock. I never had to be doing a 9:00 to 5:00. I never had to do a job that I didn't love. A lot of people have to sacrifice. I know my parents wished they could be doing [other things]. I know my dad probably wishes he could be an artist if he could. My mom, wishes she could be an event planner, but it doesn't work out that way. And so a lot of people in this world had to make sacrifices and had to do jobs to put their kids in positions that they weren't in. So, I've been very lucky to wake up and I play football for a living, which is awesome, and you make good money doing it. And so I'm just happy to be doing what I'm doing and just working hard. Hopefully I can stay doing it for a long time.


4. Good Genes

Sarina: You are an NFL player, but I just realized your brother, Jordan, is a musician.
Micah: He's an aspiring actor, musician, theater. His main thing is musical theater. He's in New York now just trying to do that, but, it's hard to make it right out of college really, so he's working. He's in New York working and then doing acting gigs and acting classes on the side.He's outgoing. He's a real good, real cool dude. He actually loves football too. If acting doesn't work out, I think he'd be a really good sports agent or something like that.

5. Brotherly love
Sarina: Was that always the situation with the two of you growing up? You were athletic; he was creative?
Micah: He played [football] a little bit. He's always been his own person and kind of just, I don't want to say different, but me and him are completely different. I've always been more of a straight-line, straight--edge kind of guy doing the right thing, playing sports all the time, I guess. And he's always just been his own kid and just full of energy and just different, but he's a real cool dude. Real cool.

6. More than a football player
Sarina: Are you musically talented?
Micah: I used to play the piano and the trumpet, yeah. I played the piano until I was 14. I played the trumpet until I was 14, so I played for a long time.

7. Play that song
Sarina: Sunroof open. 70 and sunny. What are you playing?

Micah: I'm very nostalgic with the music that I play.I kind of go back to just growing up traveling and stuff, I was always playing sports. I was always playing lacrosse tournaments, football games or whatever. Me and my dad did a lot of traveling on the road during the tournaments. I'm a really big Prince guy. I love Prince.Prince is probably my all-time favorite musician. And then I love Hootie & the Blowfish.

8. Don't @ me bro
Sarina: Hot take. Airplane seat rules.
Micah: Yeah. I mean follow me on Twitter because I think I have the best tweets out there. But, yeah, I mean I always put my seat down and that's what it's going to be. Most of my time on the plane, I'm going from California back to Maryland, back to the East coast or whatever. And I'm not sitting straight up for five hours, so I don't know what to tell you.

My airline seat take: I recline as soon as I can. I don’t care. You get what you pay for as far as airline comfort. Concerned with someone reclining back on you? Then buy a seat that prevents it. Tis life. Not about to have by back locked up on a flight because you are “tall.”
— Micah Kiser (@kiser_rollin) February 17, 2020

Click to expand...

9. Netflix and Chill
Sarina:I know you read in the off-season, so what are you reading right now?
Micah: Right now, I've been watching more documentaries and stuff on Netflix just because I've been going at it hard working out, and when I get home I just feel really drained. I've been big on these Oliver Stone documentaries. I've watched World War II in Color. I've watched World War II documentaries, World War I documentaries, Vietnam...all these history documentaries.



10. Dodgeball
Sarina: Who on the team would you pick first if you had a dodgeball team?
Micah: Obviously, Jared probably has a pretty good arm. I would probably go with [John Johnson] because he has so much energy I feel he will be a hard out. Especially because he just never gets tired for some reason so, I'll probably go with J.J.

we were over at my Aunt and Uncles house , I was like 14 , I still remember the media hype leading up to this game was off the chart

Login to view embedded media View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PFZp1eeFZs

XFL - Week 3

SATURDAY
Sat., Feb. 22 – Houston Roughnecks at Tampa Bay Vipers, 2 p.m. ET (ABC)

Sat., Feb. 22 – Dallas Renegades at Seattle Dragons, 5 p.m. ET (FOX)

SUNDAY
Sun., Feb. 23 – New York Guardians at St. Louis BattleHawks, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Sun., Feb. 23 – DC Defenders at Los Angeles Wildcats, 6 p.m. ET (FS1)



XFL Week 3 storylines: Renegades look to ground game, Josh Johnson faces the league's top defense
Here's what to watch for in the upcoming week of XFL action

It's only been two weeks, but already some themes are developing in the new XFL. The most apparent is that teams with good quarterback play -- D.C., Houston and St. Louis -- are separating themselves from the rest of the pack. However, there are still eight more weeks of football left. And with no preseason, maybe it'll take a couple weeks for some other teams to catch up.

But time waits for no team. Football will be played this weekend, and based on the early returns some of it will be exciting and some of it will be tough to watch. Say this for the XFL, though: When the football is good, this league is a lot of fun. And who knows, maybe we'll finally get our first overtime, or first kickoff run back for a touchdown, or first big play off a double forward pass.

Here's what to watch for in the four games this weekend.
Will the Renegades ground the Air Raid?
If you only looked at the stat sheet of Dallas' 25-18 win over Los Angeles in Week 2, you would have seen that quarterback Landry Jones threw for 305 yards in his debut. Good, right? Sort of. He threw two interceptions, and frankly the offense only started moving in the fourth quarter when the Renegades started running the ball heavily with Cameron Artis-Payne and Lance Dunbar. With Hal Mumme calling plays and Jones taking snaps, there's an expectation that the Renegades were going to air it out this season, but what if Dallas' best offense is pounding the rock instead? The Dragons have a decent run defense, allowing just under 3.5 yards per attempt while averaging the most tackles for loss of any XFL team. If Dallas' run game gets stuffed, will Jones be able to bail them out?

Josh Johnson faces the XFL's top defense
The former NFL signal-caller wasn't terrible in his debut against the Renegades in Week 2 ... but he wasn't great, either. Now the Wildcats will face the XFL's top defense when the Defenders come to town on Sunday evening. D.C. leads the league in points per game allowed (9.6), yards per play allowed (4.03) and yards per passing attempt (4.6). They've also been exceptional at creating takeaways. Johnson brings a wealth of experience to the quarterback spot in the XFL -- something not all other players at his position have. Still, this is a big challenge to get win No. 1. If the Wildcats are going to pull the upset, Johnson, along with receiver Nelson Spruce, needs to have a big day.

St. Louis and New York try to rebound
The BattleHawks and Guardians lost in Week 2, but those games could not have been more different. St. Louis looked the part of a playoff contender by coming up just short against Houston. New York laid a goose egg against D.C. while quarterback Matt McGloin asked if it ever occurred to anyone that, uh, instead of uh, you know, running around blaming him, uh, that the problems behind the scenes could be a lot more uh ... uh ... uh complex. Uh, uh, it might not be so uh simple, uh, you know?

What's telling is that the BattleHawks are nearly a double-digit favorite coming off their loss. McGloin isn't New York's only problem seeing as it ranks near the bottom of the XFL in most defensive categories. But right now this team is in a lot of trouble, and you have to figure coach Kevin Gilbride will have to go in another direction at some point.

Will Tampa Bay finally score its first offensive touchdown?
For as bad as things have been with the Guardians, they've been even worse for the Vipers. Marc Trestman's team is a mess, and frankly, it'd be nothing short of stunning if a game against the Roughnecks fixes that. Houston is simply on another level right now.

So while there's not much to pull from this game from an interest standpoint, one fact remains is that Tampa Bay is the last XFL team to not have scored an offensive touchdown yet. Can the Vipers get that proverbial monkey off its back against arguably the best team in the league? #TampaBayTouchdownWatch2020 is underway.

16 new drills coming to NFL Scouting Combine

The NFL Scouting Combine's shift to prime time isn't the only major change we'll see in Indianapolis during the week.

Some of the on-field action is going to look different, too.

There will be 16 new drills introduced to the position-specific workouts and 10 existing drills eliminated as a result of the changes. Defensive backs will see the most changes, with more than 50 percent of their combine workout featuring new tests.

Each new drill is explained by position group below.

Quarterbacks

NEW: End zone fade routes added to routes thrown, timed smoke/now route drill

End zone fade: Quarterbacks will throw passes to receivers running 10-yard fade routes to the right side of the end zone, creating a need for the use of pylons in these drills. The route addition is intended to mimic a popular pass attempt seen inside the red zone, typically attempted from a snap taken close to the goal line with the target being the back corner pylon.

Timed smoke/now route drill: Quarterbacks will throw one pass to a receiver running a smoke/now route -- usually a route that is adjusted to at the line based on pre-snap reads indicating a quick completion will be available against soft coverage -- on each side consecutively.

Running backs

NEW: Duce Staley drill; Inside routes with change of direction added to routes run

Duce Staley drill: Named after the former Eagles running back and current assistant coach, the drill will involve a running back lining up behind a horizontal step-over bag that is part of three bags laid to form a cross. The running back will step over the bag in front of him, then laterally over the perpendicular bag, then backward over the other horizontal bag before repeating the path in the opposite direction. Coaches lined up eight yards away holding pop-up dummies will move in coordinated fashion, creating a hole for the running back to identify before exploding through it. The drill is designed to display a running back's ability to use his eyes while navigating physical obstacles as a ballcarrier might perform while running an inside zone play, which doesn't create a defined target for the running back, but instead the possibility for a number of options to run through.

Inside routes with change of direction: As angle (or Texas) routes become more common in the passing game with running backs used as receivers increasingly often, this drill will measure a running back's ability to run such a route and catch a pass successfully while fighting against his own momentum.

ELIMINATED: Pitch and cone drill, find the ball drill

Receivers

NEW: End zone fade route

End zone fade: Quarterbacks will throw passes to receivers running 10-yard fade routes to the right side of the end zone, creating a need for the use of pylons in these drills. The route addition is intended to mimic a popular pass attempt seen inside the red zone, typically attempted from a snap taken close to the goal line with the target being the back corner pylon. For receivers, this will display how well they can locate and track the ball before making the catch and keeping both feet in bounds in a tight area.

ELIMINATED: Toe tap drill

Tight ends

NEW: End zone fade route

End zone fade: Quarterbacks will throw passes to receivers running 10-yard fade routes to the right side of the end zone, creating a need for the use of pylons in these drills. The route addition is intended to mimic a popular pass attempt seen inside the red zone, typically attempted from a snap taken close to the goal line with the target being the back corner pylon. As is the case for receivers, this will measure how well tight ends can locate and track the ball before making the catch and keeping both feet in bounds in a tight area.

ELIMINATED: Toe tap drill

Offensive line

NEW: New mirror drill, new screen drill

New mirror: Player lines up at set point between middle of two cones roughly six yards apart and slides laterally left and right based on coach's direction. Drill places emphasis on feet and change of direction ability of player with at least four movements to right and left.

New screen: Player will set in pass protection position, then release and sprint toward first coach holding blocking shield 15 yards wide of starting point to simulate engage and release action of a screening lineman. If the first coach steps upfield, player must adjust direction and advance to second coach, at whom he will break down and engage. If first coach remains stationary, player will break down and engage him (and will not advance to second coach).

Miscellaneous: Pull drills will include engaging a one-man sled instead of a bag. Inclusion of "rabbit" is eliminated in pass rush drops and pass pro mirror drill, with a coach's hand motion changing direction of lateral slide in latter drill.

Defensive line

NEW: Run and club drill, run the hoop drill

Run and club: Five stand-up bags are in a vertical line, five yards apart, with the final bag including "arms". The defender will fire out of a three-point stance and run through the bags, clubbing the first with his right arm, spinning on the second bag, clubbing the third bag with his left arm, ripping through the fourth bag and flattening downhill to slap bag with arms to simulate a strip.

Run the hoop: Two pass-rush hoops are laid on the ground two yards apart, forming a figure eight. Two towels are inside the hoops, one in each. The player lines up at a start cone (to right of hoops) in a three-point stance, fires off at movement of a ball on a stick (simulating snap), runs around the first hoop, picks up the towel with his left hand, crosses to the second hoop and drops the towel, continues around the second hoop, picks up the towel with the right hand and crosses back to the first hoop and drops the towel before finishing through the start cone.

ELIMINATED: Stack and shed drill

Linebackers

NEW: Shuffle, sprint, change of direction drill; short zone breaks drill

Shuffle, sprint, change of direction: In a measure of a player's quickness and agility, the defender will start in a two-point stance five to seven yards outside the hash before shuffling across the field. He'll then open his hips and sprint on the coach's command, then change direction on command and finish with a catch of a thrown football.

Short zone breaks: Three different route reactions are involved here. First, the player drops at a 45-degree angle, flattens out at five yards and breaks forward (simulating breaking on a short out) before catching a ball. Then, the player drops at a 45-degree angle, flattens at five yards again and breaks inside (simulating breaking on an underneath route) and catches the ball. Finally, the player takes a flat drop and reacts to a coach's signal to turn and run with a wheel route before catching a ball.

ELIMINATED: Pass drop

Defensive backs

NEW: Line drill, Teryl Austin drill, box drill, gauntlet drill

Line: This one will look familiar. Players will back pedal, open their hips at the direction of the coach, return to back pedaling, then open the hips again on command, the catch ball being thrown from opposite location of coach.

Teryl Austin: The drill named after the Steelers secondary coach includes two parts. First, a player will back pedal five yards, then open and break downhill on a 45 degree angle before catching a thrown ball. Then a player will back pedal five yards, open at 90 degrees and run to the first coach and break down, then plant and turn around (180 degrees) to run toward a second coach and catch a ball from thrown by a QB before reaching the second coach.

Box: The player will back pedal five yards and then break at a 45 degree angle on the coach's signal. Once he reaches the cone, the player will plant, open his hips and run back five yards with his eyes on the coach. On the coach's signal, the player will break toward a coach at a 45 degree angle and catch a thrown ball.

Gauntlet: This one is essentially the same drill run by receivers. A player will start with two stationary catches with each made in opposite directions before sprinting across the 35-yard line catching balls from throwers alternating between each side. The drill will be timed from the second stationary catch to when the defensive back reaches a cone 10 yards upfield from the final catch. The player will also perform in a second time in the opposite direction.

ELIMINATED: Close and speed turn, pedal and hip turn

Bradley Bozeman takes down 72-ounce steak



Bradley Bozeman‘s biggest accomplishment thus far arguably wasn’t starting all 16 games last season. It came in downing and digesting a 72-ounce steak this week.

The Ravens starting left guard ate the 4.5-pound steak, shrimp cocktail, baked potato, salad and butter roll in 50 minutes while traveling cross country on his anti-bullying campaign.

“I knew it was going to be tough, but I didn’t think it was going to be that tough,” the 6-foot-4, 317-pounder said, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN. “The last bite was rough. It was really rough.”

The Big Texan restaurant in Amarillo, Texas, has had 110,000 people attempt the challenge. Bozeman became the 9,828th to complete it in the required hour time limit.

He received a free meal and a T-shirt that read: “I ate it all.”

“That was the toughest food thing I’ve ever done in my life,” said Bozeman, who added he would never attempt it again.

Entertaining.

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media