I don't usually get giddy or excited about such predictions from the talking heads. That being said, how the heck can we not be excited about the idea? Especially when just 18 months ago we were at the bottom of a 14 year slump? Now, just to be in the conversation seems to be surreal.


http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...iii-predictions-analysts-split-on-rams-saints

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/8/30/17799474/sean-mcvay-kyle-shanahan-andy-reid-coaching-trees

The Defining Traits of the Coaching Trees Taking Over the NFL
As the offenses in Los Angeles, Kansas City, and Philadelphia have taken flight, teams across the league have scrambled to replicate them. What are the secrets to coaching lineages that include Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, and Andy Reid and Doug Pederson?
By Robert Mays


Getty Images/Ringer illustration

Take a cursory look at the NFL’s most thrilling offenses last year, and a few common themes emerge. In their first seasons under new head coaches, both the Rams and 49ers shredded opponents with savvy play designs fueled by deception. Los Angeles coach Sean McVay and San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan thrive behind play-action fakes, intricate motions, and subtle-but-devastating tweaks to receiver splits and alignments.

Other teams throttled defenses via ingenuity and collaboration. In Kansas City and Philadelphia, the coaching staffs studied college tendencies and developed in-house football laboratories that pushed them to the forefront of innovation. Doug Pederson’s embrace of an RPO-heavy offense lifted the Eagles all the way to a Super Bowl title, and his relentless effort to stay one step ahead turned him into a hero for risk takers everywhere.

“Stay on the attack, without a doubt,” Vikings offensive coordinator and former Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo says of the no. 1 lesson he learned from Pederson. “And a willingness to be open to new things and change.”

The NFL has long been a league of mimics. Teams are quick to bottle up the latest buzzworthy ideas and parrot them as their own. And after watching from afar as the Eagles, Rams, and Chiefs became the league’s cool kids in 2017, franchises spent this offseason scrambling to replicate their results. In 2018, 13 teams will have new offensive play-callers.

Nearly a third of those—DeFilippo, Bears head coach Matt Nagy, Colts head coach Frank Reich, and Titans coordinator Matt LaFleur—were members of 2017 staffs in Philly, Los Angeles, or Kansas City. Upon recognizing the traits that make for brutally efficient offenses, teams have elected to pull from the places that cultivate them best.

As organizations mine the same staffs in pursuit of a breakthrough, a certain level of offensive cross-pollination is inevitable. “It’s neat to watch, [but] sometimes it’s annoying,” Shanahan jokes about seeing his schemes on film throughout the league. “Sometimes I don’t like watching the exact same stuff on other peoples’ tapes.”

That annoyance becomes even more complicated considering where many of these coaches originated. Pederson was a coordinator under Reid in Kansas City, meaning that both Reich and DeFilippo are branches on the Reid coaching tree. McVay was an assistant for Shanahan with the Redskins eight years ago; LaFleur was also on that staff, making him a member of the McVay and Shanahan trees.

The knotty, intertwined nature of the league speaks to just how motivated teams are to capture the magic of a few savants. “The main thing is it’s a copycat league, and lots of times, people don’t notice stuff until you have success,” Shanahan says. “And when you do have success, everybody watches it. That’s why it becomes bigger and bigger.”


Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

When people link McVay and Shanahan, they usually point to the time the pair spent together in Washington. Shanahan was hired to coordinate the offense when his father was brought on as the head coach in 2010, and McVay joined the team’s staff as a quality control assistant that year.

The connection, though, dates back even further. McVay and Shanahan started their careers at the lowest level of Jon Gruden’s Tampa Bay staff in the 2000s. “The foundation of everything I know about offensive football comes from Jon Gruden,” McVay says.

Gruden’s West Coast principles formed the basis of both coaches’ systems, and the offenses they now run only grew from there. As coaches climb the ladder in their respective careers, they pick up lessons from the mentors they work with along the way. Each stop presents a new set of football ideals, even if the basics of a scheme are fairly similar.

“The foundation of how you want to operate, what your identity is offensively, it’s been an accumulation of the people that I’ve learned from and what we feel is the best way to accentuate our players’ skill sets,” McVay says.

In the time since Shanahan and McVay worked for Gruden, each has studied under bosses who emphasized the use of play-action. Shanahan’s experience in Houston with Gary Kubiak, a former assistant for his father in Denver and a disciple of the zone-running play-action game, was Kyle’s first foray into that type of scheme.

And when McVay arrived in Washington, he was introduced to an offense devoted to that approach. “I got a chance to learn from Kyle and Mike Shanahan about really having an identity, creating a marriage between the run and the pass game,” McVay says.

Dedication to play-action—and the endless pursuit of deception—has emerged as the defining characteristic of the offenses in this lineage of coaches. And their recent success with that strategy goes a long way in explaining this coaching tree’s recent proliferation. In his debut season as Rams head coach, McVay oversaw the biggest jump in play-action usage of any offense from 2016.

The Rams used play-action on 29 percent of their dropbacks last season, the second-highest rate in the league; they used it on just 16 percent of dropbacks the year before, a clip that ranked 26th. Jared Goff averaged 3.7 more yards per attempt with play-action than without, the second-biggest difference in the NFL behind Marcus Mariota (5.2 YPA). Given Mariota’s play-action proficiency, it should be no surprise that the Titans’ brass saw a McVay assistant as a logical option to run their offense.



As McVay explains why the Rams favor play-action, he points to factors that compound a defense’s problems. “Especially in early down-and-distances when [defenses are] a little more regulated with what you’re getting, that’s definitely something we want to do,” he says. Using play-action on early downs when the threat of a run is more believable makes sense, and as McVay spells out, the benefits go beyond bolstering the legitimacy of the run fake.

First-down coverages in the NFL aren’t tangled, complex webs in the way that third-down schemes often are. Astute play-callers understand the benefits of slinging the ball on first-and-10, and McVay and Shanahan are two of the best in the business.

Of Goff’s 477 pass attempts last season, 175 came on first down, and his 8.3 yards per attempt on those ranked seventh among players with at least 70 first-down attempts. While Goff’s numbers are impressive, they don’t hold a candle to the figures Jimmy Garoppolo put up in his late-season stint as the 49ers starter.

In his five games under center in San Francisco, Garoppolo averaged a ridiculous 9.9 yards per attempt—the best mark in the league by far among QBs with at least 70 first-down attempts. Jimmy G’s mark stems from a small sample size, but illustrates how dangerous Shanahan can be when toying with convention with a high-caliber QB at the controls.

Shanahan folds in an additional layer of deceit by way of myriad heavy formations. The 49ers used 21 personnel (two backs, two receivers, and one tight end) on 28 percent of their offensive snaps last season, the highest rate in the league, according to Warren Sharp’s data.

Some of that is driven by the investment the front office made in fullback/Swiss army knife Kyle Juszczyk; some of it is driven by Shanahan’s propensity for deploying larger sets to create traffic and fool defenses into believing they have to stop a play they’ve never seen. “You look at Atlanta when they went to the Super Bowl, they’re mixing in 13 [personnel],” McVay says. “They’re mixing in 12 or 21 looks, depending on how you want to look at that second tight end.”



With so many different personnel groupings on the field, Shanahan is able to dress up play concepts in varied ways, even if the schematic details of those concepts remain the same. McVay has witnessed the benefits of that approach firsthand, only last season in Los Angeles it wasn’t a luxury that he could afford. “We went into L.A., and I don’t think the idea was to be almost exclusively an 11-personnel team,” LaFleur says. “But it’s a credit to Sean understanding who our best players were.”

In a drastic departure from his offenses in Washington, McVay’s Rams used 11 personnel (three receivers, one back, and one tight end) on a league-high 81 percent of their offensive snaps. After identifying the three-receiver set as his go-to method for getting his premier talent on the field, McVay faced the challenge of being creative enough within a single personnel package to keep defenses guessing.

During the past few years, teams that have trotted out three receivers and a single back on most of their plays have been rightfully mocked. Ben McAdoo’s Giants and Jason Garrett’s Cowboys have become punch lines about stale offensive game-planning, and the latter hasn’t been helped by Dez Bryant’s Twitter zingers about the Dallas receivers regularly aligning in the same spots.



Last season, McVay went as far as any coach could go in the opposite direction while still using a similar frequency of 11 personnel. In some scenarios, that meant motioning receivers in tight to mimic H-backs and second tight ends. In others, running back Todd Gurley and a tight end would align as receivers to create empty formations. The Rams’ alignment mirrored formations and play designs that typically happen with drastically different packages.

The discrepancies between McVay’s offense in L.A. and Shanahan’s in San Francisco makes projecting LaFleur’s scheme in Tennessee complex. On one hand, LaFleur is a year removed from coordinating an offense that led the league in 11-personnel usage. On the other, he was raised in a system predicated on confusion for confusion’s sake.

“I think the beauty within our scheme is that you have flexibility,” LaFleur says. “You’re gonna run the same stuff out of multiple personnel groupings, so it creates an illusion of complexity. It’s harder for the defense to pick up than it is for our guys.”

While coaches who aren’t from this tree may attempt to strike the perfect balance of play-action and trickery, one of McVay’s main takeaways from his experience with the Shanahans is that this type of offense can’t be done halfway.

The marriage between run and pass, the interwoven elements to every call, the way that one play inherently affects another—all of them are built into the offense’s DNA. Identity is impossible to fake. “When you have an identity, I think the players feel a comfort level in it,” McVay says. “You get a lot of repetitions at it. Repetition is the mother of learning.”


Matt Nagy and Andy Reid
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

NFL franchises may seek out masters of deception like McVay more than ever before, but as the Reid coaching tree makes plain, it’s not the only quality that’s taken the league by storm in recent years. During Reid’s time as Kansas City’s head coach, the Chiefs’ offensive staff has maintained a dry-erase board affectionately known as the “Beautiful Mind” board.

Every Monday throughout the season, the board is blank in Reid’s office, waiting for members of the staff to fill it in with their most outlandish concepts. Some are play designs drawn on napkins or pulled straight from a coach’s mind, never before seen. Others are familiar concepts dressed up in new formations. “We know where the bones are buried [on those plays],” Nagy says, “but we just do it from a different look.”

On Mondays and Tuesdays, assistants dip in and out, sketching plays in different markers and filling the board until it becomes a multi-colored spider web of lines, X’s, and O’s. “It almost indirectly became a competition of who was going to come up with the most creative play that was going to be successful,” Nagy says.

On Saturday, a photo is snapped of the board for safekeeping just before it’s erased, wiped clean for the following week. “You never lose it,” Nagy says. “It’s always there somewhere. But you get a nice, clean slate on Monday morning.”

Nagy entered Reid’s orbit a decade ago as an offensive assistant for the 2008 Eagles. A former college quarterback at Delaware, Nagy has long enjoyed living outside the box as a football thinker, and came to realize that he found the perfect teacher to nourish that desire. By the time Nagy came to Philly, Reid had ceded a good portion of day-to-day offensive operations to entrenched coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.

But when a young, relatively inexperienced staff (one that included Pederson as a first-year offensive coordinator and Nagy as the QBs coach) followed Reid to Kansas City in 2013, the veteran coach felt it was time to once again take control.

Just before the start of that year’s OTAs, during one of the staff’s opening meetings of the season, Reid busted in the door with a new-look up-tempo approach ready to go out of the gate. “It was out of nowhere,” Nagy says. “And we ended up doing it. It ended up being successful. That just goes to show that his mind is always thinking one step ahead of everybody.”

For a young coach thirsting to innovate, getting to see Reid pilot the offense was a dream come true. “That was so awesome,” Nagy says. “For the first time, being a young guy coming up, I got to hear the installs, play-by-play, detail-by-detail, from coach Reid.

For me to hear that, and to understand how he works and how he thinks, it allowed me as a quarterbacks coach to say, ‘Wow, he likes to be creative. I like to be creative. Let’s start throwing some ideas with each other—along with Doug and the rest of these guys.’”

The crucible of creativity that Reid has fostered with the Chiefs has seeped into the rest of the league, and much of that influence has manifested itself in the explosion of the run-pass option.

RPO concepts came to Kansas City with quarterback Alex Smith; Smith used RPOs as a college QB at Utah and during his tenure with the 49ers, and as Pederson, Nagy, and the Chiefs staff watched college quarterbacks entering the draft each year, they began recognizing different designs that might be compatible with their offense.

That’s one reason Kansas City’s use of RPOs skyrocketed in 2017: The Chiefs had just spent that spring drilling down on college QBs before selecting Patrick Mahomes 10th overall. The staff was flush was new play designs that might apply. “We really value evaluating these college quarterbacks,” Nagy says.

“When you’re going through that, you’re seeing so much tape, and you’re seeing these guys that are out there at the quarterback position, and you see so many different plays and concepts in the college world. When you watch it, you almost instantly say, ‘Well does that fit with our guys?’”

Talk to the coaches with ties to Reid and Pederson, and they stress how valuable this trial-and-error segment is to the offensive process. During practices in Philadelphia last spring, the Eagles tried plenty of RPO concepts that failed spectacularly.

Through the years, Nagy has learned that not every design idea translates to three dimensions. “Sometimes you get in the lab and your experiments work,” Reich says. “But they don’t always.”

So far this season, there’s been plenty of feeling out for Nagy, Reich, and DeFilippo in their new homes. In DeFilippo’s case, the challenge is melding some of his own ideas with an offense that’s remained largely intact. The Vikings’ protections, motions, and formations will all be nearly identical to what they were a season ago.

Even with the carryover, DeFilippo doesn’t feel restricted. He says Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer has given him plenty of leeway to make the offense his own, and there’s never a gray area about where the limits exist.

“Coach communicates exactly what he wants and exactly what he expects,” DeFilippo says. “There’s no beating around the bush with Coach. If he wants something, he’s going to tell you. As an assistant coach, you can really appreciate that.”

In Indianapolis and Chicago, Reich and Nagy have different hurdles. Initially, Reich was encouraged by how many of the Eagles’ concepts seemed applicable with Andrew Luck at quarterback. “I really felt from where I just came from, there were a lot of connection points,” Reich says. “Carson [Wentz] is big and strong and athletic and smart. Andrew is big and strong and athletic and smart.”

Yet even for players with similar profiles, it’s key to note that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. These coaches get hired because of their prior successes, but Reich says he’s been conscious of compartmentalizing his time in Philly and his job now. “It’s always an interesting dynamic,” Reich says.

“You go somewhere and you want to take all your experiences with you, but when you go to a new place, it’s just the nature of this business that you’re all in where you’re at. You don’t like to talk too much about previous places and previous players because you’re trying to create something special where you’re at.”

When Nagy talks about his former boss, the reverence in his voice is obvious. He refers to Reid simply as “coach,” in the same tone someone would use when alluding to a mentor he’s had since high school. Nagy’s football worldview has been imbued with the values Reid fostered during his days as a young coach, and his task is to instill that same overarching approach with the franchise he now oversees.

How he fares, along with Reich, DeFilippo, and LaFleur, will determine how far these emerging trees grow. “We kind of all feel like we’re in this thing together,” Nagy says of his former Kansas City colleagues. “We all learned together, going through this stuff, talking through it. You spend so many hours with one another just talking about ideas, and thoughts, and concepts to see it come to fruition.

“For me, I was fortunate to be around those guys and work with them. Those were special times.”

Rams making 7 mil more in cap space.

Listening to ESPN just a few minutes ago here in LA. If true, AD extension is probably the reason why.

Another rumor?

Jim Everett joins Jake Ellenbogen for Throwback Thursday;

https://www.spreaker.com/episode/15602518

I'm not happy with NFL Shop right now. I have no jersey of a current player since Quinn left, so for the last two months, I've been trying to buy a royal blue Gurley jersey but they've been out of stock! The only Gurley jerseys they have are the white and blue St. Louis jerseys! I even called customer service and they have no idea when the next orders coming in. :rant:

Even Gurley knows about this...

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They do not fool me...I think they're trying to deplete their inventory since we have an upcoming uniform change. I'll wait until the new jerseys are out. Instead, I bought a Faulk throwback.

We are looking to make this year extra fun and will be adding weekly ROD dollar prizes.

If you have never played before... give it a try!

It’s easy to play and it doesn’t take a lot of time or any study. Games are built directly into RamsOnDemand... so you don’t need to leave the site to play. No special registration, etc.

You don’t need to be an expert on anything! Just play! Heck, it’s half luck anyway!

We have 5 different games! Check them out, here.... Intro Thread; https://ramsondemand.com/threads/2018-survivor-and-pickem.55072/

ROD pick’em; To join this game click this LINK, click on 'Available Pools', and click on the yellow 'Join here' box opposite 2018 Official ROD Pick'em.

ROD Survivor; To join this game click this LINK, click on 'Available Pools', and click on the yellow 'Join here' box opposite 2018 Official ROD Survivor.

See you there!

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angele...rams-53-man-roster-projection-final-cuts-2018

Rams' 53-man roster projection includes Aaron Donald
Lindsey Thiry/ESPN


Christian Petersen/Getty Images

QUARTERBACK (3): Jared Goff, Sean Mannion, Brandon Allen

Goff is the franchise quarterback. Mannion, a fourth-year pro, struggled at times during the preseason and hasn't provided much assurance that he could lead the team to victory if Goff were unavailable. Allen provides another option if needed.

RUNNING BACK (4): Todd Gurley, Malcolm Brown, Justin Davis, John Kelly

Gurley received a four-year, $60-million extension the day before camp opened and was expected to stay on the field as much as possible. Brown, a fourth-year pro, is a proven backup. Davis and Kelly each earn a roster spot because of their special teams contributions.

WIDE RECEIVER (6): Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Josh Reynolds, Michael Thomas, Pharoh Cooper

The starting trio of Cooks, Woods and Kupp has the potential to be among the best in the league. Cooks was acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots. A second-year pro, Kupp elevates to a full-time starter.

TIGHT END (3): Tyler Higbee, Gerald Everett, Temarrick Hemingway

This group was among the most improved during camp. (say what?) :eek: Higbee could provide a red zone target. Hemingway returns after sitting out last season because of a broken fibula.

OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Andrew Whitworth, Rodger Saffold, John Sullivan, Rob Havenstein, Cornelius Lucas, Austin Blythe, Joseph Noteboom, Brian Allen, Jamil Demby

It's a veteran starting lineup followed mostly by rookies. The Rams' starting five was the only group in the league to start 15 games last season. That won't be the case this year, with Jamon Brown serving a two-game suspension to start the season. Noteboom, a third-round pick from TCU, has shown an ability to play the tackle and guard spots.

DEFENSIVE LINE (6): Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh, Michael Brockers, Ethan Westbrooks, Tanzel Smart, John Franklin-Myers

This line was built to wreck opponents. But it will need Donald to sign a new deal and report in advance of the opener to fully accomplish that. Suh is the big addition but don't forget about Brockers. With attention focused on the Donald/Suh combination, Brockers could surprise.

INSIDE LINEBACKER (5): Mark Barron, Cory Littleton, Ramik Wilson, Bryce Hager, Micah Kiser

Barron's durability remains a question because of his very limited participation throughout camp. Coaches have raved about Littleton, a former special teams standout and first-year starter who will be responsible for relaying the defensive playcalls.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (5): Samson Ebukam, Matt Longacre, Dominique Easley, Ryan Davis, Justin Lawler

Ebukam moves into a full-time starting role after serving a season on special teams. It remains a mystery who will win the spot opposite of him. Longacre was expected to move into a starting role, but after limited participation during camp, it seems more likely he'll play a spot in a rotation. Easley returns from a season-ending knee injury and moves from the interior of the line to the edge. Davis and Lawler were pleasant surprises during camp.

CORNERBACK (5): Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Sam Shields, Troy Hill

This group underwent the biggest offseason makeover with the additions of Talib, Peters and Shields. Talib and Peters are arguably the best duo in the league. Robey-Coleman returns to the nickel and Shields makes his return to football after sitting out nearly two seasons because of concussions.

SAFETY (4): Lamarcus Joyner, John Johnson, Marqui Christian, Blake Countess

Joyner will play on the franchise tag and Johnson will start for a second season. Peters called them both "ball hawks" and said Johnson would be an All-Pro soon. Christian was among the most improved players during camp.

SPECIALIST (3): Johnny Hekker, Greg Zuerlein, Jake McQuaide

Zuerlein, a.k.a. "Mr. Automatic," returns after undergoing season-ending back surgery last December. This trio has played together for seven seasons.

John Kelly's in there somewhere.

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Seems like every year there is at least one or two major surprises at the NFL Deadline Date so I am curious who other Rams fans think could be some of those surprise cuts this weekend. No doubt that Coach McVay will have some very tough decisions to make in a few days!

I love some fantasy football, and just had my draft this past Saturday and it was an amazing time. It is quite literally my favorite day of the year. So with my league not requiring you to draft at least 1 of every position, I punted on Kicker and Defense to take some extra time and look at some WRs. So I need to open up 2 more spots, of the 4 who do you think I should drop?

Courtland Sutton WR DEN (R)
Anthony Miller WR CHI (R)
Cameron Meredith WR NO
Rishard Matthews WR TEN

I am leaning a bit more on keeping the rookies becuase none of these players are going to start for me especially with me already having 3 solid WRs. So I’m looking for upside. What do you think?

Just a few comments that I haven’t seen widely reported already.

You have to wrap up this Kelly kid when tackling. Otherwise, he often makes you look foolish. Exhibit A for why size doesn’t count for everything. It’s amazing to watch.

I can’t recall ever seeing an OL that cross trains like this one. Honestly, Kromer can seemingly shuffle these backup players at will. And does. Lol. Major kudos.

Yep, Hemingway sucked as much as I thought when I watched originally.

Don’t be fooled by Mannion’s string of completions stats. Many were 3-4 yarders. So many missed and/or poorly thrown balls by him. My opinion is unchanged. We can, and must do better.

Kiser wraps up when he tackles. I mean, textbook wrap ups, something that Ogletree never mastered.

This might seem like heresy to some, but I’m just gonna say it. When I was watching Ebu, he didn’t impress me at all. Felt like he was just going through the motions. Just sayin’.

Longacre was a pleasant surprise and he certainly made his presence known. Easy player to root for, huh?

Honestly, the depth on OL is light years ahead of ‘16. I think they keep 10, even after JB comes off suspension. Gonna be some hairsplitting OL cuts this year and a few of those will get snapped up elsewhere, I think.

Heck, DL and LB cuts are gonna be excruciating, too. Nice problem to have, I suppose.

Those 7 snaps with the Ram starting D gave us a brief glimpse of the future. Especially when AD returns, this D is gonna be beastly.

When I think about this projected O, D, and ST, I see a 12-4 record, maybe even better. I see a team that is not only loaded but is exceptionally well coached. Right down to Reggie and Rath. I see lopsided scores in Rams favor. I see a deep playoff run where anything can happen.

This is gonna be a great year to be a Ram fan, y’all. Bank it.

SEPTEMBER
Sept. 1 Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must reduce rosters to a maximum of 53 players on the Active/Inactive List.

Simultaneously with the cut-down to 53, clubs that have players in the categories of Active/Physically Unable to Perform or Active/Non-Football Injury or Illness must select one of the following options: place player on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform or Reserve/Non-Football Injury or Illness, whichever is applicable; request waivers; terminate contract; trade contract; or continue to count the player on the Active List.
Sept. 2 Claiming period for players placed on waivers at the final roster reduction will expire at 12:00 noon, New York time.

Upon receipt of the Personnel Notice at approximately 1:00 p.m., New York time, clubs may establish a Practice Squad of 10 players (clubs participating in the International Player Development Program may sign one additional international player to a Practice Player Contract.) No club, including the player’s prior club, will be permitted to sign a player to a Practice Player Contract until all clubs have received simultaneous notification via the above Personnel Notice that such player’s prior NFL player contract has been terminated via the waiver system.
Sept. 3-8 In accordance with the 2018 Personnel (Injury) Report Policy, each club is required to file a Practice Report with the NFL Communications Department by 4:00 p.m., New York time, (or as soon as possible after the completion of practice) every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for a regular season Sunday game; Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for a Thursday game; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for a Monday game; and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for a Saturday game.

Each club must also file a weekly regular season Game Status Report with the NFL communications department by 4:00 p.m., New York time (or as soon as possible after the completion of practice) on Wednesday for a Thursday game, Friday for a Sunday game, Saturday for a Monday game, and Thursday for a Saturday game. An update must be reported if there is any change in a player's condition after the initial Game Status Report is filed.
Sept. 6 At 12:00 a.m., New York time, the Top 51 Rule expires for all NFL clubs.
Sept. 6, 9-10 Regular Season opens.
Sept. 25 Beginning on the Tuesday following the third weekend of regular season games, the claiming priority is based on the inverse order of the standing of clubs in the current season’s games.
OCTOBER
Oct. 14 NFL London Series, Seattle Seahawks vs. Oakland Raiders, New Tottenham Stadium.
Mid-Oct. Beginning on the sixth calendar day prior to a club’s seventh regular season game (including any bye week) clubs are permitted to begin practicing players on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform and Reserve/Non-Football Injury or Illness for a period not to exceed 21 days. Players may be activated during the 21-day practice period, or prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the day after the conclusion of the 21-day period, provided that no player may be activated to participate in a Week 6 game.

At any time after six weeks have elapsed since a player was placed on Reserve/Injured or Reserve/Non-Football Injury/Illness, each club is permitted to designate two players for return from either list to the club’s 53-player Active/Inactive List.

A player who is “Designated For Return” must have suffered a major football-related injury or non-football-related injury or illness after reporting to training camp and passing his preseason physical examination and must have been placed on the applicable Reserve List after 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the day after the final roster reduction.

A player whom the club wishes to designate for return is permitted to return to practice for a period not to exceed 21 days. The club is required to notify the League office that the player has been “Designated For Return” on the first day the player begins to practice. The player cannot be returned to the Active/Inactive List until eight weeks have elapsed since the date he was placed on Reserve.
Oct. 16-17 Fall League Meeting, New York, New York.
Oct. 21 NFL London Series, Tennessee Titans vs. Los Angeles Chargers, Wembley Stadium.
Oct. 28 NFL London Series, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Wembley Stadium.
Oct. 30 All trading ends for 2018 at 4:00 p.m., New York time.
Oct. 31 Players with at least four previous pension-credited seasons are subject to the waiver system for the remainder of the regular season and postseason.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 13 At 4:00 p.m., New York time, signing period ends for Franchise Players who are eligible to receive offer sheets.

Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to sign their unsigned Franchise and Transition Players, including Franchise Players who were eligible to receive offer sheets until this date. If still unsigned after this date, such players are prohibited from playing in the NFL in 2018.

Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to sign their unrestricted free agents to whom the “May 8 Tender” was made. If still unsigned after this date, such players are prohibited from playing in the NFL in 2018.

Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to sign their restricted free agents, including those to whom the “June 1 Tender” was made. If such players remain unsigned after this date, they are prohibited from playing in the NFL in 2018.

Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to sign their drafted rookies. If such players remain unsigned after this date, they are prohibited from playing in the NFL in 2018.
Nov. 19 NFL Mexico Series, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Rams, Estadio Azteca.
DECEMBER
Dec. 12 League Meeting, Irving, Texas.
Dec. 30 Week 17.
Dec. 31 Earliest permissible date for clubs to renegotiate or extend the rookie contract of a drafted rookie who was selected in any round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Any permissible renegotiated or extended player contract will not be considered a rookie contract, and will not be subject to the rules that limit rookie contracts.

Option exercise period begins for Fifth-Year Option for First-Round Selections from the 2016 NFL Draft. To exercise the option, the club must give written notice to the player on or after Dec. 31, 2018, but prior to May 3, 2019.
2019
JANUARY
Jan. 5-6 Wild Card Playoffs.
Jan. 6 Assistant coaches under contract to playoff clubs that have byes in the Wild Card weekend may be interviewed for head coaching positions through the conclusion of the Wild Card games.
Jan. 12-13 Divisional Playoffs.
Jan. 13 Assistant coaches under contract to playoff clubs that won their Wild Card games may be interviewed for head coaching positions through the conclusion of Divisional Playoff games.
Jan. 14 Deadline for college players that are underclassmen to apply for special eligibility. A list of players who are accepted into the NFL Draft will be sent to clubs on Jan. 18.
Jan. 19 East-West Shrine Game, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida.
Jan. 20 AFC and NFC Championship Games.
Jan. 26 Senior Bowl, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama.
Jan. 27 NFL Pro Bowl, Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida.

An assistant coach, whose team is participating in the Super Bowl, who has previously interviewed for another club’s head coaching job may have a second interview with such club no later than the Sunday preceding the Super Bowl.
FEBRUARY
Feb. 3 Super Bowl LIII, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia.
Feb. 19 First day for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
Feb. 26-March 4 Combine Timing and Testing, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.
MARCH
March 5 Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
March 11-13 During the period beginning at 12 noon, New York time, on March 11th and ending at 3:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13th, clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with, the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their 2018 player contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 13. However, a contract cannot be executed with a new club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 13.

During the above two-day negotiating period, a prospective unrestricted free agents who is not represented by an NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor is permitted to communicate directly with a new club’s front office officials (excluding the head coach and other members of the club’s coaching staff) regarding contract negotiations.
March 13 The 2019 League Year and Free Agency period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time.

The first day of the 2019 League Year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13. Clubs will receive a personnel notice that will include all transactions submitted to the League office during the period between 4:00 p.m., New York time, and 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13.

Trading period for 2019 begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2018 contracts.
March 24-27 Annual League Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona.
APRIL
April 1 Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2018 regular season may begin offseason workout programs.
April 15 Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.
April 19 Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.
April 24 Deadline for prior club to exercise right of first refusal to restricted free agents.
April 25-27 NFL Draft, Nashville, Tennessee.

For those that don't know or remember who in the world that is:

Willie Gary (American football)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search Willie Gary
Born: November 1, 1978 (age 39)
Career information
Position(s) Defensive back
College Kentucky
Career history
As player
2001 St. Louis Rams (NFL)
2002 Scottish Claymores (NFLE)
2003–2008 Georgia Force (AFL)
Career stats

• Playing stats at ArenaFan.com

Willie Gary (born November 1, 1978), is an American football defensive back, who played in the National Football League for the St. Louis Rams, in NFL Europa for the Scottish Claymores, and in the Arena Football League for Georgia Force. He was a member of the 2001 Rams team, who lost Super Bowl XXXVI to the New England Patriots, in 2002.

On February 15, 2008, he filed a $100 million lawsuit in a New Orleans, Louisiana United States district court against the Patriots, Belichick, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft seeking compensation for the Rams' Super Bowl XXXVI loss in light of the allegations.[1] The lawsuit was withdrawn on March 10, 2008, after Gary's lawyers called securing testimony from Walsh regarding his possible knowledge of the allegation an "exercise in futility."[2]

Gary has since begun a career in coaching, with stops at both North Gwinnett High School and Shiloh High School in his native Georgia. Along with 2 years as defensive coordinator for the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League, Gary was also the defensive coordinator and interim head coach at Clark Atlanta University. He is currently the head coach at Berkmar High School in Lilburn, GA, and also the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Havoc of the American Arena League.

Mr Gary played high school football in the town I now live in, Valdosta, Ga for the winningest high school football team in the country, the Valdosta Wildcats. The reason I'm mentioning him is he just took his first head coaching job this season for the AAAAAAA Berkmar High School Patriots (ironic huh?). Berkmar was 0-47 before Coach Gary's squad debuted this season with a 44-0 win.

And now, we are going to play the Patriots in the Super Bowl again this season!

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...o-stop-calling-browns-players-stupid-to-media

Hue Jackson Told Gregg Williams to Stop Calling Browns Players 'Stupid' to Media
SCOTT POLACEKAUGUST 27, 2018



Ron Schwane/Associated Press
Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson was not pleased defensive coordinator Gregg Williams blamed cornerback Denzel Ward's injury on the "stupid" way the rookie tackles.

"Gregg does not get to do just what he wants to do. We will work through all of that. ... We do not need to do all of that stuff in the media," Jackson said, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

The comments from the head coach come after Williams pointed to Ward's tackling form as the reason he suffered back spasms during a preseason contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

"I was glad to hear [it wasn't serious], and maybe he'll finally listen to me and stop doing those stupid things the way he's trying to tackle and tackle the way I tell him to tackle and he won't get hurt," Williams said of the play.

Ward suffered the injury while attempting to tackle Eagles tight end Zach Ertz and missed the remainder of the contest after remaining on the ground in pain before heading to the locker room. Cabot noted an MRI revealed no structural damage, which was a relief for a rebuilding Browns team that used the No. 4 overall pick of the 2018 draft on the Ohio State product.

Smith pointed out HBO's Hard Knocks also captured some tension between Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley. The two had "a tense exchange" after Haley wasn't happy with Jackson's decision to rest some players during parts of training camp.

Jackson is a mere 1-31 in two seasons at the helm for the Browns, and Williams was the defensive coordinator last year during an 0-16 effort.

The defensive coordinator—who was previously suspended when he held the same position on the New Orleans Saints for his role in the Bountygate scandal that paid players for injuring opponents—has been rather outspoken during episodes of Hard Knocks as well.

While the yelling and cursing is one thing, Jackson clearly took umbrage with Williams' decision to call out a player through the media after Ward suffered an injury.

A friend at work wanted me to join his league, and it's a full point PPR. I've never done that type before. What players do I need to target in the first few rounds, or just go like I do from standard leagues?

Hoard as many RBs as possible, and take WRs like Cooper Kupp and Larry Fitzgerald? TE should be targeted early? How high do QBs go? Kickers and DST?

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/08/27/nfl-rams-trade-quarterback-pass-rusher-targets-block/

5 trades the Rams should consider making before Week 1
By: Cameron DaSilva

In less than a week, every NFL team has to trim its roster down from 90 to 53 players. The deadline is on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 4 p.m. ET, meaning this Thursday’s preseason games will carry a lot of weight.

Before final cuts come, however, trades are sure to be made. General managers and coaches will be calling teams to get an idea of which guys are available, including Les Snead and the Rams.

Quarterback and edge rusher are the top concerns, which is why we’ve focused on those positions here. We’ve also mixed in a safety for depth in the event of a possible injury.

These are five trade targets the Rams should consider pursuing.

QB Robert Griffin III
Price: 6th/7th-round pick

Through three preseason games, neither of the Rams’ backup quarterbacks – Sean Mannion and Brandon Allen – has done anything to earn the trust of the coaching staff. The hope was that one of the two would emerge as the clear choice to be Jared Goff’s backup, but that simply hasn’t been the case.

As it stands right now, the Rams would be in deep trouble if Goff were to go down with an injury. The Ravens have Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson, who are locks to make the 53-man roster, which means Griffin is likely to be the odd-man out in Baltimore.

In four preseason games, Griffin is 27-for-41 with 243 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He’s looked good enough to keep on the roster, but the Ravens would probably be open to dealing him for a late-round pick.

His familiarity with Sean McVay from his days in Washington adds another layer to this possibility, as does the week of work the Rams got with Baltimore before their first preseason game.

QB Teddy Bridgewater
Price: 2nd/3rd-round pick

For the same reasons Griffin makes sense, Bridgewater does, too. The Rams currently don’t have a quarterback who could lead them to any string of victories, but with Bridgewater back to looking like his old self, there’s no doubt Teddy B could do for the Rams what Nick Foles did in Philly last year.

He’s completed 28 of 38 passes for 316 yards with two touchdowns and a pick in three preseason games thus far, playing well each time out. He doesn’t bring the same mobility that Griffin does and both quarterbacks have essentially been out of the league since 2016, but Bridgewater has looked very good thus far.

With Sam Darnold looking like the Week 1 starter in New York and Josh McCown providing the Jets very little trade value, Bridgewater could be moved. Unfortunately, the return might be out of the Rams’ price range.

It’d likely take a third-rounder to acquire him, which would leave the Rams without their original picks in the second or third round – pending compensatory selections from Trumaine Johnson and Sammy Watkins.

EDGE Shaq Barrett
Price: 3rd-round pick

On the defensive side of the ball, the Rams don’t need a ton of help. They’re set on the defensive line, at cornerback and with their two starting safeties, but the pass rush could use an infusion of talent.

Enter Barrett, whom Wade Phillips coached in Denver for two seasons. From 2015-16, Barrett had seven sacks, 86 tackles and five forced fumbles, despite being blocked by Von Miller, Shane Ray and DeMarcus Ware. He signed a $2.914 million tender as a restricted free agent this year, keeping him in Denver for one more season.

However, with Ray – another potential trade candidate – still in the mix and Jeff Holland playing well so far, Barrett could be made expendable. He’d fit perfectly in Los Angeles and could be a Day 1 starter opposite Samson Ebukam, lessening the concern surrounding Matt Longacre and the rest of the reeling outside linebackers.

EDGE Dante Fowler Jr.
Price: 5th-round pick

Fowler has had a rocky tenure in Jacksonville, to say the least. This offseason alone, he was suspended for the season opener stemming from a 2017 incident, has struggled to do much on the field and was handed a one-week ban by the Jaguars for violating team rules.

Furthermore, the Jaguars opted not to pick up his fifth-year option for 2019, meaning he’s in the final year of his contract. Jacksonville has a wealth of talent on the defensive line with the likes of Yannick Ngakoue, Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson, Marcell Dareus and first-round pick Taven Bryan, so they’re not short on talent. That makes Fowler a trade chip, one the Rams should explore.

The Jets have reportedly begun to do so, which shows there is a market for the defensive end. While not the most reliable player, Fowler could step in and provide a spark for the Rams’ pass rush, adding yet another piece to a position group with major questions.

S Darian Thompson
Price: 5th-round pick

Let’s preface this by saying in no way are the Rams looking for a starter at safety. Lamarcus Joyner and John Johnson have the starting gigs locked down as one of the best tandems in the NFL. However, after losing Cody Davis, they’re a bit thin on talent behind those two players.

Thompson has fallen out of favor a bit in New York as a former third-round pick, battling injuries and now competition at safety. Michael Thomas is there putting heat on Thompson, as are Andrew Adams and Curtis Riley next to Landon Collins.

Thompson is a rangy free safety with good potential, which makes him an intriguing trade target. If the Rams were to acquire him, he could possibly take over for Joyner in 2019 in the event that he’s not signed long-term.

These are excerpts. To read the whole article click the link below.
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https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/08/27/p...i-defense-hangover-carson-wentz-injury-week-1

Philadelphia’s Title Defense, and Doug Pederson Vs. the Super Bowl Hangover
By Albert Breer



PHILADELPHIA — Punta Cana made sense for Doug Pederson, because after an offseason of being stopped everywhere—for selfies and for autographs, everywhere from On The Border down the street to any grocery store in metro Philly—he figured he and his wife ought to go to the kind of place where no one would know his name. So they booked a trip for the break in the NFL calendar at the end of June. And maybe then he realized just how big a life-changing deal all this was.

He thought at least the locals in the Dominican Republic wouldn’t recognize him as the Super Bowl winning coach. He thought wrong.

“It was about three days into the trip,” Pederson says, leaning back in a chair at the NovaCare Complex. “After a while, you started seeing the staff at the buffet line for breakfast, you’re getting an omelet made and you can just see them talking and they’re looking at you. And you look over and they turn away. You just know they’re talking.

“By the end of our trip, the last two days, more people started coming up and asking for pictures or whatever, and they were really cool about it, really nice about it. But yeah, they know … They see your name, they put the name, the face, all that together—‘Oh, you’re the coach of the Eagles!’ That’s how big it’s gotten.”

The Eagles are 10 days away from opening their defense of the first Super Bowl in franchise history, and this kind of chance encounter is just example of how life, and the challenges ahead, have become different for Pederson and his team over the last seven months. And there was no question that, based on the half-hour I spent with him the other day, Pederson is very conscious of that.

He, in turn, has made his players aware, too. During their final team meeting of last season, he addressed how things were about to be flipped upside down. It was right around the time when the Eagles were taking their ticker-tape ride down Broad Street. He did it again at the beginning of OTAs. And training camp. And anytime he felt like they’ve needed it.

“It wasn’t that I needed to—I wanted to, because I was on a team in Green Bay where we went back to the Super Bowl the second year and we lost,” Pederson says. “So I have history with this. And not from the standpoint of guys just out there doing their own thing, I just wanted to address the team and make them aware that people, number one, are gonna pat you on the back and tell you how good you are, how great you were, and, two, they’re gonna pull you in a bunch of different directions.

“Everyone’s gonna wanna see the ring, hold the trophy, and that’s great. Remembering is great. But don’t live in the past.”

There’s been noise around the champs, to be sure. They’ve brought in high-profile vets like Michael Bennett and Haloti Ngata. They’re still one of the most outspoken teams socially, with Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Long as lead voices. Carson Wentz’s return from ACL surgery is being covered like a presidential campaign. And yet, Pederson looks comfortable as ever here, with the season coming fast.

We’re starting here, in South Philly, with a team that Pederson sees as having handled all the hoopla that comes with a championship. And like the coach says, his radar has been up for any sort of slips. He let the players know during all of those talks, at the end of last year and start of OTAs and start of training camp and points in between, that he was going to be looking for signs of trouble.

“I didn’t see any of it in the spring. And you didn’t want any of that lingering when you get into camp and guys were really saying the right things,” says Pederson. “But there have been times—maybe it’s just my own gut feeling—where I gotta reel back in a little bit, maybe you feel like you’re letting things go. And I think every coach goes through that anyway, things get that way, you bring them back down.”

Pederson mentioned that experience in Green Bay, and there’s no question that it’s marked the way he’s handled winning his second ring, in a much different capacity, 21 years later. He was the third string quarterback on that Packers team, and even then the afterglow of adulation and crush of requests hit him, which taught him about the depth of the challenge. It literally touches every part of your operation.

That’s why one of the most important calls he made this offseason was to his old coach, Mike Holmgren, and that affirmed what he thought as the two discussed the “other side” of success: “What it looks like from the standpoint of being pulled in a lot of different directions.” Holmgren told Pederson to create repetition in the program, to remind the players of what got them there last year.

And Holmgren reminded his old backup QB that it had to start with the head coach, which is the way Pederson was looking at it anyway.

“There’s not enough of me to go around,” Pederson says. “It takes you away from your job. That’s time away, and personally I hate being away. This is what I was hired to do. That’s why I respect what Bill Belichick’s done, really being able to keep things grounded and focused with that team, and just be point-blank with everybody. You don’t see him doing a lot of stuff. He’s very selective.

“And there’s a reason why they win every year. So for me, now in this position, I respect that. Being there last week and seeing those five championship banners in their stadium, I mean, we’ve only got one. You look up and they’ve got five. It’s like, Man, I’m just hoping I can maybe get one more somewhere along the way.”

Based on the roster he and Howie Roseman have built, it’s not far-fetched to think they’ve got a chance to get back there, and soon. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to work out, and consider going into the season. Here are three we discussed …

Wentz’s return. I made this one simple: What does Pederson need to see to put Wentz behind Jason Kelce for the opener in 10 days?

“I’m gonna start by saying this is a medical decision,” Pederson says. “The doctors have to clear him to play in games. So that’s first. Obviously, if we get to that bridge, and we cross it, then it’s all the timing and rhythm and accuracy and decision-making and making the calls at the line of scrimmage, that he has to do that he hasn’t been able to do at training camp up until this week.”

The coach is referencing Wentz’s return to 11-on-11 work, which was a step. And what do the doctors need to see for him to take the next step? “It’s time more than anything, because we’re early,” Pederson says. “Everyone can look at when he had surgery to now, the timetable, and it’s a lengthy process. So time is probably what we’re running out of, but at the same time I want to make sure it’s right.”

Pederson was resolute on this: He won’t sacrifice the 25-year-old’s future for a September game against the Falcons or the Bucs.

“He and I are attached,” Pederson says. “My first job, I draft Carson Wentz. And so his longevity ties to mine, I want to make sure he’s 100%. He’s played a ton of football in two years. But he’s still growing, he’s still learning, and so at the same time, I gotta make sure he gets enough reps, enough time with the starters going into whenever that day comes … He’ll play for 15 more years. That’s the part I look at. I can’t just focus on one game or two games.”

… So do a lot of other guys. One thing that helps Pederson keeps his guys engaged? The group of prominent vets that were there but weren’t really there. Wentz, linebacker Jordan Hicks, left tackle Jason Peters, running back Darren Sproles and special teams captain Chris Maragos were among those in street clothes for Super Bowl LII, all on IR. And so if anyone’s lacking urgency, Pederson can count on those guys to bring it.

“Those guys help behind the scenes in the locker room, out in the community,” he says. “Maybe they see something going on, they can kind of reel some guys back in. And I think it helps. … All those guys you mentioned wanted to be out there. I think that helps me, in addressing the team, keeping guys grounded.”

Another thing Pederson mentioned that helps: having guys who’ve been through the experience of winning it all before, like Chris Long (New England, LI), Michael Bennett (Seattle, XLVIII) and Malcolm Jenkins (New Orleans, XLIV) have. On the flip side, there are a lot of people to work back into the lineup, and a lot of roles that will need to be sorted out.

Coaching staff attrition. This story is not new. An innovative championship coaching staff gets picked apart, with its pieces finding promotions in places looking to emulate a team playing at the highest level. And so it is that offensive coordinator Frank Reich is now the Colts’ head coach, and QBs coach John DeFilippo is now the Vikings OC. The good news is Pederson was cross-training others to prepare them to step forward.

New QBs coach Press Taylor spent a ton of time in the quarterbacks room as Chip Kelly’s quality control coach from 2013-15, then became assistant QBs coach in 2016, and spent more time last year in the receivers room with Mike Groh. Groh is replacing Reich. He was the Rams’ passing-game coordinator in 2016 and he became the receivers coach in Philly last year. Pederson had him working on third downs during the week to involve him at the coordinator level .

“Any time you lose a coach, it’s tough,” Pederson says. “But for me, that’s why you hire great assistant coaches, guys you know can become coordinators or position coaches. … First-time coordinator, coordinating the coaches, divvying up scripts, who’s doing this, who’s doing that, the job responsibilities, all that’s new. But listen, that’s why I here. I’m still the one calling the plays, I’m still a big part of the game planning, and we’re still doing it as a collaborative effort, just like Frank and I did.”

We’ll see if Wentz starts against Atlanta. We’ll see if the Eagles have truly put the championship behind them. We’ll see how all the injured guys work back in, and the elevated coaches adjust. What we know is that Philly isn’t ignoring any of that. Pederson has certainly given them their reminders. And maybe that’s because he’s been unable to escape last season, no matter where he’s gone.
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Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

WATT CAN’T WAIT TO HIT

A couple weeks ago, we explained the crossroads that Aaron Rodgers came to when he broke his collarbone last year—at 33, he could either look at the long road back and dread jumping onto it, or want back in so bad that it didn’t matter what he had to do to get there. It was the latter for Rodgers. And when I mentioned the quarterback to J.J. Watt the other day, Watt immediately got what the Packers QB was saying.

“I’d completely agree with that—even if you half-ass it, you’re completely screwing yourself in the end,” Watt says. “That’s why, if you go back and watch when I broke my leg, the pain on my face, just as much as it was the physical pain from breaking my leg, it was the mental pain knowing how far I had come from the back injury, and then thinking how about how far I was gonna have to come again to rehab this leg.

“So in my head, it was months and months and month, and man, ‘I’m gonna have to do it all over again.’ But like he said, once you flip that switch and decide, ‘Yes, I’m going to do this,’ there’s no looking back.”

I asked Watt how long it took him to get there, and he answered just like Rodgers did: “Not long at all.”

“This one was much easier than the back, I was like, ‘let’s do this,’” Watt says. “My girlfriend [Houston Dash midfielder Kealia Ohai] had just come off an ACL and she was rehabbing herself, getting back. So I had a lot of motivation from that. I just had a lot of energy and a lot of motivation, and I wanted to get to work. But like I said, there were plenty of bad days mixed in there.”

Here’s the interesting thing: Watt conceded to me that he did consider his football mortality after injuring his back and missing the 2016 season. He’d played through plenty of nicks, but injuries had been mounting. He hadn’t missed a snap in five NFL seasons before that.

This time around, he says, he’d gained perspective. In his first five years, Watt piled up 74.5 sacks in making 80 starts in 80 games, winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times. He’s played in just eight games the last two years, and his last sack was on Sept. 18, 2016, more than 23 months ago, which gave him perspective on and appreciation for what he does for a living.

“I mean, the last two years were miserable,” Watt says. “There’s no other way to put it. They sucked. They don’t complain about nearly as much anymore, you don’t have any gripes because you’re so grateful and thankful to be out on the field. And when you’re away from the guys, you’re away from the locker room, you’re away from the game, you realize how much it truly means.

“I think I learned it doesn’t help to look past one day. Obviously you have dreams and goals and things you want to accomplish. But when you take things one day at a time, everything falls into place. If I just do the best I can possibly do today, it’s all going to fall into place. I used to care so much about what other people thought. I used to care so much about pundits and analysts and the internet. All that does is mess you up from your goal.”

His goals, for now, are in front of him. He turns 30 next March, but he doesn’t have a timetable on how long he wants to play. “I don’t have any idea how long it could be, I wanna play as long as I can be great, so who knows?” And he doesn’t seem wrapped up in individual goals for the season, either. Getting to Sept. 9 is what’s on his mind, and he didn’t skip a beat when I asked what he’s looking forward to.

“Hitting,” he says. “I want to hit people.”
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QUOTE

“Every year they’re making the game harder and harder for a defensive player to play. We got this new helmet rule that they don’t even know how to officiate right now. We’re doing our best to adjust. I just think that defensive players are just as important as offensive players, if you don’t have the defense, this league doesn’t exist. I feel like defensive players do need to stand their ground just to show that we’re just as important. …

You see all the offensive guys getting paid and we’re just as important. For me, from that standpoint, it’s hard to really tell someone like that what to do because does he deserve to get paid? I mean, look at him; All-Pro, Pro Bowls, best safety in the league, not many safeties like him.

So at some point you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do business wise, because our years are numbered. I think he’s been in the league eight or nine years, you don’t know how many more years you got. You got to make sure you take care of the business side and unfortunately that sometimes comes in the way of playing on the field.”

—Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner on Earl Thomas’s holdout.

And you can apply that to Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack too. Over the last three years, the market for top defensive players hasn’t moved an inch. Ndamukong Suh got a six-year, $114 million deal from Miami in 2015. Von Miller basically got the same deal (six years, $114.5 million) from Denver the next year, and he remains the highest paid defensive player in the history of the game.

In the time since, we’ve seen players at some defensive positions (safety, inside linebacker) struggle to get what guys have in the recent past, and the market at the premium positions stagnated. So you can bet all defensive players are keeping an eye on Thomas (who’s obviously older and looking for a third contract), Donald and Mack, and their resolve to get fair deals.
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After watching him run on Friday, I’m going to conclude, and we’ve got evidence of this going all the way back to Oklahoma, that Adrian Peterson is just built different than pretty much everyone else. He’s 33. He’s got 2,574 regular-season carries under his belt over 11 years in the NFL. And somehow, he still has the ability, weighing in the 220s, to run around people at the highest level of the game.

I don’t know if it’ll last through the season, and frankly, it probably shouldn’t given the tread on his tires, but man was he impressive in running for 56 yards on 11 carries against the Broncos. And I picked up this nugget from his workout last week: As much as Peterson’s combination of size, speed and burst impressed the Redskins staff at what amounted to a tryout on Monday, they were just as wowed by his endurance. The guys there tested Peterson in that regarded, and couldn’t wear him out.
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Cam Newton looked pretty good the other night in piloting the Panthers against New England (when he wasn’t taking a silly and unnecessary risk in diving for first-down yardage). And afterward, this was pointed out to me: His progress this preseason is pretty quantifiable. He’s completed 68.4% of his passes through three games. That’s after completing 42.1% in 2011, 50.0% in both ’12 and ’13, 57.1 percent in ’14, 54.2% in ’15, and 55.3% in ’16.

He completed 100 percent last year, but only threw two passes, as he was coming back from shoulder surgery. What OC Norv Turner and QBs coach Scott Turnerhave tried to impress on him is to find completions, and “own” the offense by using the whole field. This is, at least, an early sign that it’s starting to work a little. Remember, it’s been five years since Newton had a season completing better than 60% of his throws.
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I thought on Friday night, we saw the lack of first-team reps get Baker Mayfield a little, when he was out there with the starters during Tyrod Taylor’s brief absence. And to me, it raises an interesting question: If he’s not going to start, should he be the backup? Consider the reasoning for Mayfield sitting in the first place. “I’ve seen it both ways, and it’s the makeup of everything,” coach Hue Jackson told me a few weeks ago, when I asked why this is different than Baltimore in 2008, where he was the QBs coach and Joe Flacco played as a rookie.

“It’s the makeup of the team. When I was in Baltimore, you’re talking about Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs and all those guys on defense, that was a different team. Here, quarterback’s gotta drive the train right now. Let’s be honest about where we’re coming from. That’s a lot of pressure, a lot of things would have to go right for him.

So why do that, why force that? If we’re talking where we can be in the future, why not set this thing up so it can be successful in the future.” If this is about what’s best for Mayfield, giving him that year, wouldn’t it make sense to just make Drew Stanton the backup?
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A cut that got my attention: The Raiders released 2017 second-rounder Obi Melifonwu this week. Under the waived/injured designation, he wound up clearing waivers and reverting to Oakland’s IR list. But that the Raiders were willing to expose the 56th overall pick of the ’17 draft to other teams speaks to the power Jon Gruden wields now, and how GM Reggie McKenzie’s role in the decision-making process has changed.

And it shows too to the assessment Gruden gave me a couple weeks ago of the roster he inherited upon arrival in January: “We had a lot of needs, we were gutted. … There’s no one left here from the ’13 draft class, not a player. And we haven’t gotten enough out of our ’15, ’16 or ’17 classes, at all. We gotta generate some competition and some depth and find some guys.”

All of this goes a long way to explaining why Gruden was so aggressive in bringing vets into the mix, and this week certainly shows that young, highly-drafted guys aren’t on scholarship anymore.
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FIVE-DAY FORECAST

Five days from now is cut-down day, which means trade talk is about to heat up across the NFL. And the last year or so has provided proof that teams are far more open to dealing, and dealing for, veterans than ever before.

With that backdrop, I’ll repeat what was in this space last week: Offensive linemen are the hottest commodity out there on the market, making it good to be a team with any sort of depth up front. You could see it in what the Bills put in front of Allen on Sunday, and what Josh Rosen has had to operate in front of in Arizona. The league just doesn’t have enough of the big guys.

Who could be moved? Colts OT Austin Howard, Raiders OT Jylan Ware, Eagles OG Chance Warmack and Bears C Hroniss Grasu were among the names I’ve heard as available, with Howard and Warmack carrying extensive starting experience.

Elsewhere, there’s plenty of chatter on tight ends and linebackers. We saw one of the latter, Antonio Morrison, moved from Indy to Green Bay this weekend, as the Packers work to fill the hole left by Jake Ryan. And the prominence of the former in the types of offenses being run now in Philadelphia, Kansas City, Indianapolis and Chicago has created a desire for depth at the position in other places.

It should be a fun and fast-paced week, even if you aren’t paying any attention to the 16 games being played on Thursday (which, to be honest, probably don’t deserve your attention anyway).

Hmm. Somehow perhaps the best player in the league could not work his way into the conversation. At least the Rams have some representation...

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FMIA: Legion of Whom? Fast, Efficient Overhaul Has Seattle Set to Surprise
By Peter King


Getty Images

MINNEAPOLIS — Post-game Friday night, Seahawks-Vikings, bowels of U.S. Bank Stadium. Seattle coach Pete Carroll, interrupted.

“Comparing your starting lineup in game one last year,” I began, “to what the starting lineup will be in game one this year, including the kicker and punter, you’re going to have maybe 18 of 24 new starters and—“

Carroll: “Isn’t it awesome?!”

I’ll get to that attitude in a while—it’s real, and it’s important.

For now, for one night no one will remember in October, in the den of the NFC runners-up, the new blueprint of the Seahawks looked smart and well-constructed. Newbies like Barkevious Mingo, Brandon Marshall, Sebastian Janikowski and super-punter Michael Dickson joined a Legion of Whom? The new secondary, on this night anyway: Shaquill Griffin (in Richard Sherman’s left-corner spot) and Dontae Johnson at corner, Delano Hill and Tedric Thompson at safety. Now that was weird.

The whole thing is weird. No Kam Chancellor or Sherman or Earl Thomas. No Michael Bennett or Cliff Avril. No Jimmy Graham, no Jon Ryan. No Tom Cable, Darrell Bevell or Kris Richard. For the first seven months of 2018 in Seattle, the sky fell. Now, on the eve of the season, there’s actually some hope that this won’t be just a bridge-to-2019 season, a carry-us-to-six-exciting-wins-Russell-Wilson year.

In ones-versus-ones in the final dress rehearsal for the season, for 35 minutes, Seattle’s first units built a 13-6 lead over the Vikings. Writing about moral victories in preseason games is the lowest of sportswriter lows, and I shall not do that. But the Newhawks competing on even ground with a team fresh off a final-four finish last January had the visitors pretty happy as they dressed for the flight home. Without Sherman, the quotes were antiseptic, but that’s a whole other thing Seahawk fans will have to get used to. If the new guys can play, they’ll take boring.

“You know,” holdover linebacker Bobby Wagner told me, “there was one point when nobody knew who Sherm was. Nobody knew who Mike Bennett was. They were able to come out and create names for themselves. The guys behind them can do that. I feel like we’re in great hands.”

It seems hard to move ahead that easily. But coaches and players have to—and I believe some in Seattle, Carroll and GM John Schneider mostly, are fine with the sudden reconstruction. For the rest of us, it’s still a head-shaker, this controlled burn of the Seattle Seahawks.

I’ll give you a few players in a minute. And this team: Seattle. Entering my camp tour, I thought the NFC West was going to be the Rams up top, the Niners a challenger, then a thick line of demarcation, then the Seahawks and Cards, in that order. Now I think Seattle’s on an even plane with San Francisco, regardless of if Earl Thomas returns from his holdout.

Six illustrations from Seattle’s game at Minnesota:

• Slot corner Justin Coleman (acquired in a trade with New England, 2017), on Minnesota’ first series, lines up across from the slot receiver on a disguised blitz, then storms in on Kirk Cousins, causing a throw-away. Looked like a Legion of Boom play.

• Outside rusher Barkevious Mingo (free agent, 2018), on the next snap, forces a whiffed block, steams in on Cousins and tips his hurried pass. Cliff Avril-esque.

• Left cornerback Shaquill Griffin (third round, 2017), playing Richard Sherman’s spot, runs stride for stride with playoff hero Stefon Diggs and breaks up a pass at the goal line.

• New offensive line starters Duane Brown (trade, 2017), Ethan Pocic (second round, 2017) and D.J. Fluker (free agent, 2018) helped keep Russell Wilson clean (zero sacks, 21 pass drops) in his 35 minutes of play.

• Wide receiver Brandon Marshall (free agent, 2018), trying to take the big-receiver spot that Jimmy Graham served for Wilson, out-worked star cornerback Xavier Rhodes twice on his second-quarter drive to make tough catches. “He’s never really covered,” Wilson says.

• Kicker Sebastian Janikowski (free agent, 2018) kicked a 55-yard field goal, and punter Michael Dickson (fifth round, 2018) did something I’ve never seen before: kicked two 55-yard-plus punts with each dying at the 3-yard line.

You’re not supposed to count these games. I get it. So I’m not saying Seattle’s winning the division, or winning 12 games. But this reconstruction job by GM John Schneider looks well thought-out so far, and it’s given Carroll a déjà vu feeling. Carroll, 66 going on 26, is presiding over the biggest offseason makeover of any good NFL team in recent years.

“This feels like when you’re in college,” Carroll, the former USC coach, told me Friday night. “That senior class graduated—those guys that did all the playing for you. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a good team next time around. New players, new coaches. There’s new juice about everything that we’re doing. I go back and do all my teaching again. I’m really happy about it.”

In the locker room afterward, Schneider, who’s the anti-GQ GM, looked like he was dressed for a U2 concert. White T-shirt, sneakers, big smile. I said something like: You’re used to tinkering with a top team. What’s a total makeover like?

“It’s like…” Schneider said, searching for words, “I mean, this is what the league is now. We move guys all the time. For a while, we were able to reward guys here at the top of their positions. Then we had to make decisions—who to keep and who not to keep—and we got the bad injury news on Cliff Avril and Kam Chancellor [forced to retire due to injuries]. We didn’t see those coming.

“But there’s another thing. You know Pete. He preaches competition, open competition, every single day. It’s hard to preach that when you got the best corner and the best free safety and the best strong safety and the best middle linebacker, all young, and you know those guys are locked in there. They were the youngest team to win it all. You don’t tear that apart.

“Now, this. It’s fun. Lots of enthusiasm. So much spirit, so much new. It’s pretty cool.”

Of all the things I didn’t expect on my camp trip, I’d put really liking Seattle at the top. And there is an advantageous early slate, starting with four teams (at Denver, at Chicago, Dallas, at Arizona) that combined for a 27-37 record last year. In the first eight games, Seattle plays one 2017 playoff team. I’m not saying it’s set up to be a magic season for the Seahawks. I am saying it’s got a chance to be a very interesting one.
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On Eagles and Wentz

CLEVELAND — What would you do if you ran the Philadelphia Eagles and:

• You’ve got an Eagle Scout-like franchise quarterback, 25 years old, coming back from a major left knee injury.

• That quarterback, Carson Wentz, looks great. Just watch the embedded video that Marisa Marcellino, my NBC videographer, shot on the field before the Thursday night preseason game against the Browns. But he hasn’t been touched by a defensive player since getting waylaid and injured on the goal line in Los Angeles last Dec. 10.

Your quarterback has not yet been cleared for contact by Eagle team medics.

• Opening night is 10 days away.

• You feel, sincerely, that Wentz is going to be your quarterback for the next 15 years.

• You have the reigning Super Bowl MVP, Nick Foles, the conqueror of The Great Belichick, ready to play for the first two or three weeks of the season, while Wentz gets his sea legs under him. (Even though Foles has played shaky football in August.)

Would you, despite how good and mobile Wentz looks in videos like the one you see here, hustle to get him ready to have his first contact in nine months against a Falcons team capable of generating significant pressure in the opening game of the NFL season?

I sure wouldn’t. And I doubt the Eagles will, despite this fairly alarming stat: In 14 preseason drives by the first-team offense (albeit with some starters missing), the formerly explosive Eagles have zero touchdowns.

An hour after the latest stinker, a 5-0 loss to the Browns (have you heard they were 0-16 last year?), Doug Pederson stood in his locker room for a cross-examination on Wentz, and on his offense. He certainly wasn’t happy about the state of his offense. But he also was not pissy.

“We have time to fix it before opening night,” he said. “Our team’s gonna look different. People have to understand that. But I look at what we’ve done, and the mistakes we’ve made, and I see it as totally fixable.”

On Wentz: Long pause. Six, eight seconds. Pederson is one of the nicest men ever to walk an NFL sideline, but he has had enough of the when’s-Carson-playing question. That’s not going to make it go away, though.

“We’ll find out,” he said. “Stay tuned, as they say in the business. As I’ve said, it’s going to be a medical decision. We are going to do the right thing for the team, and for Carson.”

I asked what he’d say to greater Philadelphia, which is likely feeling somewhere between uneasy and panicky this morning. “Well,” he said, “I hope they’re not basing it on three preseason games. We promise our fans—I can promise our fans—we’re gonna get this fixed. We’re gonna get it right. And we hope to see them all Sept. 6.”

Oh, you will. And the game will have the Eagles and the Falcons and a third component: mystique.
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FMIA Camp All-Stars

During my 22-team summer tour, here are the players I saw and really liked:

• John Brown, WR, Baltimore. Three 40-yard-plus deep strikes from Joe Flacco in one practice, two cleanly beating former first-round pick Marlon Humphrey. This is the player Arizona stole from Pittsburg State (Kans.) in 2014, and the player who had a few nicks in Arizona, causing the Cards to not commit to him after last season. The Ravens may have a steal in the young 28-year-old. He owned the practice I saw.

• Jaylon Smith, LB, Dallas. Smith had a tour de force practice the day I saw him in Oxnard, Calif., breaking up three passes in a ones-versus-ones scrimmage drill. Looks to be largely recovered from the devastating leg injury he suffered in the Jan. 1, 2016 Fiesta Bowl that caused his draft stock to plummet from top five overall to the second round. The Cowboys are so excited about his potential return to greatness—everyone in the organization is trying to play it down, but it’s obvious Smith is ready to contribute to a big defense.

• Michael Dickson, P, Seattle. A punter. Yes. The Aussie, Seattle’s fifth-round pick this year, played at Texas (and was MVP of his last college game, the Texas Bowl) and can do masterful things with the football. First punt Friday night in Minnesota: a 57-yard spinner to the 3-yard line, and it took a hard right turn directly out of bounds. Second: a 46-yard skyball; fair catch. Third: 48-yard skyball; six-yard return.

Fourth: 56 yards, perfectly placed at the 1-yard line, and it took another hard right turn. So … with the prospective first unit on the punt team, Dickson had a 50.3-yard net, with two punts dead inside the 5-yard line. (He did have another punt, a 61-yarder in side of three minutes left, with scrubs on the punt team—and Dickson made the tackle after a 34-yard return.)

• Marquise Goodwin, WR, San Francisco. So he’s not exactly new blood; this is his sixth season, mostly unused, and he’s determined in an Antonio Brown way to be sure he takes advantage. “One day,” GM John Lynch told me, “the players are off, and I look out my window here and there’s one guy out there working out—and working out for a long time.” Goodwin. To watch him run past corners, particularly up close the way you can do it in training camp, is borderline breathtaking. I saw it from feet away. By the way, I’d love to see Goodwin versus Tyreek Hill in a 100-yard dash.

• Braden Smith, OT, Indianapolis. I don’t know if he’ll win the starting right tackle job. The Colts really need one. But the day I saw the Colts, this was a well-built 6-6, 318-pound athlete who looked like he belonged. Strong and lithe, with a good punch to the wide pass-rushers.

• Orlando Brown Jr., T, Baltimore. What impressed about the guy who bombed out of the combine? He’s got a mean streak, a very good punch, and he’s got better feet than a 345-pound man should have. I don’t see how the Ravens keep the son of Orlando “Zeus” Brown out of the starting lineup.

• Parry Nickerson, CB, New York Jets. Competitive and feisty. If you can get Todd Bowles to notice you as a rookie, you’ve done something. Just Nickerson’s demeanor on the practice field shouts: I belong.

• Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas. Man, what a smooth, confident receiver this third-round pick from Colorado State is. I saw him catch a high ball and toe-tap on the sideline like no big deal. Looks like a very solid pick and potential early-career starter for a team that really needs a good young receiver.
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Hard Knocks Faves

1. Jets coach Rex Ryan, angry, ending a team meeting with a profane snack reference, 2010.There is nothing more perfect in NFL video history than Rex Ryan chewing out his team and apparently getting so hungry doing it that he had to finish the exhortation with a trip to the evening food room.

2. Browns offensive line coach Bob Wylie ruminating about calisthenics and world history, 2018.Wylie, 67, cut a memorable figure on the practice field. As distinctive as he looks, he sounds five times better. “How’d they play football in 1946 with no music?” mused Wylie, the star of the third “Hard Knocks” episode this summer. The rest is just too good.

3. Dolphins receiver Chad Johnson getting cut on national TV, 2012. “I don’t know if this is working for the benefit of you, me, the Miami Dolphins,” Miami coach Joe Philbin told a stunned Johnson, and there he went.

4. Texans coach Bill O’Brien, in a flat-lining way, telling his quarterbacks who won the starting QB job, 2015. His quick speech to his quarterbacks, less than two minutes long, about Brian Hoyerwinning the job over Ryan Mallett took less than a minute and was the realistic part of what is often dramatized to be much more eventful than things in football really are. I liked this because I know O’Brien, and this is perfect him.

5. Bengals first-round pick Andre Smith signing his first contract after a holdout, and being woefully out of shape, 2009. I don’t have the video on this one, but it was stunning how bad a start Smith had in Cincinnati, after holding out, signing a rich rookie contract, and clearly feeling like he’d arrived. But Bengals owner Mike Brown quickly reminded Smith how much work he had to do.
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On Officiating

In the Hall of Fame game and first two full preseason weekends, officials called 51 of the new helmet fouls in 33 games. This weekend, after the league clarified the rule and eliminated inadvertent or incidental contact as fouls, there were nine fouls in 14 games. Before the change: 1.55 helmet calls per game. After the change: 0.64 calls per game. Seems telling, but neither of these numbers should be taken as gospel because the sample size is too small.

In any case, 60 fouls in 47 games—entering the final two games of the weekend Sunday—adds up to 1.28 calls per game. Not really the decline of western civilization, or football.

Last week, the league made it less autocratic and inflexible with VP of officiating Al Riveron saying that inadvertent or incidental calls should not be flagged. That’s something that should have been in the rule in the first place, after seeing the inconsistent way it was applied in early preseason games. That’s my only problem with the rule: It was fairly revolutionary, and the verbiage and application that exist today were not altogether buttoned-up before the games started.

There’s one other problem, as told to me by the new NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay. “Officials now have to read intent in real time,” McAulay said. “Officials can’t do that. We have never had to do this before, reading intent. At the officials meeting in Dallas, Al said, ‘This is the first time we have asked you to read intent.’ “

That’s a concern, obviously. Officials will be under the harsh glare of the media and fan spotlight now for something they’ve not had to do before. The job is already impossible enough.

Here’s the exact rule: Players at any position who lower their heads to initiate contact with a helmet, and then make contact with a foe with the helmet, will be flagged for a foul. Add in the officials reading intent, and add in no calls on indavertant or incidental helmet hits—that’s a tough bunch of rules to apply at full speed.

However this rule was to be instituted, it was going to be painful. I’ve felt for a while that the game is on fire, and the league had better be proactive in trying limit concussive head hits. The long-term future of the game may depend on that.

Riveron said Saturday: “This is new for the officials, coaches, players. It’s a culture change, and not just for our games on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. The is for the college games on Saturdays, the high school games on Friday nights, the youth games on Saturday mornings—the 85-pounders should not be subject to unnecessary risks either.” It’s the parents of those 85-pounders the league is sending a message. It’s easy to say, This is a rough game. If you don’t like it, go play something else.

Riveron went to south Florida for the Ravens-Dolphins game Saturday night. He said he stood on the field to see how the players were adjusting to the new helmet rule. He said he watched running backs approaching contact with heads up, and linebackers and defensive backs doing the same. When we spoke again Sunday, he said: “This is football, live speed, and I saw this first-hand. The culture change has begun.”

One more number here. Riveron confirmed to me that 40 of the first 51 flags were correct calls after the league’s video review. FOX’s Mike Pereira made a smart point about that. “So it’s 40 legitimate calls in [34] games, with a lot of the fouls made by guys who aren’t going to be on teams when the season starts, the less-skilled players who are more apt to make plays like this because they’re playing so aggressively trying to make the team,” Pereira said. “We’re overreacting here. I think by Week 2 of the regular season we’re going to be more concerned about what is a catch than the helmet thing.”

I can’t swear that Pereira’s right, and that this will mostly go away by the middle of September. What I do know is these are dangerous times for football, and for the future of football. The more safety rules there are in the game—applied correctly—the better.
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“High schools are already playing in some states. The college football season starts next weekend, before the calendar flips to September; Alabama is ranked No. 1 again. The NFL kicks off a week later; Brady and Belichick are still in Foxboro but watch out for the Rams. We will play. We will watch. We will bet. Because football is big. And flawed. And dangerous. And most of all: Just a sport. Nothing more.”

—Sports Illustrated’s Tim Layden, in his excellent essay on America’s over-valuing of football.
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Mail from readers:

• That’s part of our business. From Jason M., of Shanghai, China. “I know you have special relationships with many of the folks (players, coaches, owners, etc..) associated with the NFL. Does it ever make you feel upset/sad when you see what the game does to the men who suit up every week? The context for this question involves the latest Richie Incognito incident. (I think you and Richie have a relationship.)
• 
  
• It is pretty clear that he has some serious issues he is going to need to work through in the coming years. While no one knows exactly how much of it is related to football, I am sure banging his head against other heads for 15-plus years didn’t help. Do you ever have regret or remorse about being so deeply tied to (and enriched by) a game that does these things to people?”

Excellent question. First: There is no indication that Richie Incognito’s behavior has anything to do with football. You’re making a pretty big assumption. There are many people who never picked up a football and show signs of imbalance in their personal and professional lives, who lose it without having been hit in the head.

Second: I do think about the price some former players pay by playing the game, and it does bother me. Question is, should the game die? I don’t believe so. It’s gotten too big for its britches, and far too self-important, but there are other dangerous sports in the world—boxing, MMA, auto racing, hockey.

There is information out there, lots of it, about the dangers of the game. Forty years ago, players wouldn’t have known about the dangers. Today, they would. Players play the game at their own risk. We watch the game understanding the risks. And if we don’t want to accept the risks, we don’t watch. I may get to that point one day, particularly if the long-term brain trauma is borne out. I’m not there yet.
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Things I Think I Think

1. I think these are my one-sentence thoughts on the news and games from Week 3 of the preseason:

a. I don’t know what to think about the senseless shooting during a video-game tournament at the Jacksonville Landing (a few blocks from where the Jags play) on Sunday, but it’s another example of how no one in this country at any time is safe from the scourge of gun violence—the scourge we continue to do absolutely nothing about.

b. No way I’d start Josh Allen if I were the Bills, mostly because that offensive line could get any inexperienced quarterback hurt.

c. I will be surprised if Aaron Donald isn’t signed and playing by the time the Rams walk on the field for the last game of Week 1 of the NFL season, at Oakland on Monday night.

d. In other words, Donald becoming the highest-paid defensive player in history seems like a matter of time.

e. Adam Jones a Bronco seems right, because if you can handle Aqib Talib, you can handle Pacman.

f. Good for Eric Decker, who retired Sunday, walking away with his health at 31, and with a very nice NFL career: 439 catches (12 more than Paul Warfield) and 53 touchdowns (two more than Lynn Swann).

g. I continue to think Khalil Mack will not be traded, in part because it would be absolutely, unequivocally stupid for the Raiders to let walk one of the three best defensive players in football, in his prime and at age 27.

h. I know Jon Gruden doesn’t love pass-rushers the way he loves quarterbacks, but he simply cannot let GM Reggie McKenzie seriously entertain an offer to deal Mack.

i. Anyone who loves football has to hope for the best for Travis Frederick, the best center in the game, as he tries to recover from an auto-immune disease so he can resume his career.

j. It’s a sign of how much the Vikings are worried about that leaky offensive line that GM Rick Spielman made a bright trade for a marginal but experienced Giants’ center, Brent Jones, on Sunday.

2. I think Kirk Cousins could have looked sharper, and more accurate, Friday night for the Vikes. There’s a load of pressure on him already, and he hasn’t had the best preseason (60 percent passing, one TD, no picks, some clear misses in a half of play Friday night). He’ll be head-to-head with Jimmy Garoppolo, Aaron Rodgers and (presumably) Carson Wentz in the first five weeks, and the locals justifiably will be restless if he struggles in the first month.

3. I think this was the moral of the story I learned after watching Eagles-Browns on Thursday, and seeing the nightmare that is the Cleveland offensive line: Let’s pump the brakes on those 6- and 7-win predictions for the 2018 Browns. If they don’t protect the quarterback better than against that Philly front, Cleveland won’t have a quarterback standing by Week 8.

We forget sometimes that the Browns’ best player from an 0-16 team retired, and Joe Thomas is not coming back through those doors. I feel pretty sure the team’s on the right path; they still have miles to go to be good. The defense helps, certainly. But they’re not going to win many games 9-3.

4. I think I found myself thinking this in three NFL press boxes over the weekend: We’re in the sixth week of the preseason, and no public sign of the commissioner. Where is Roger?

5. I think for those who question the NFL’s determination to get high-speed collisions out of kickoffs, read this debut piece of former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker in The Athletic. It’s about a kickoff play. Good writing, too, by the Princetonian:

“If they don’t make these shifts to the rules, they’ll end up getting rid of the play forever, because it ends careers. I should know because it ended mine.”

Good luck, Ross Tucker. Keep writing those pieces that take people where they cannot go.

6. I think the Patriots are going to miss Brandin Cooks this year. Terribly.

It wouldn’t greatly surprise me if there were some actual calculations that have led McVay to this decision.

Looks like the D will have exactly 7 snaps for the entire PS. Other than JB, the O will have none. Gulp!

Then again, the D looked great in those 7 snaps. And reports about the starters on the O in practices have been mostly glowing.

Mr Trendsetter McVay maybe has figured out a better way to prep starters while doing a good job of evaluating candidates further down the roster for the 53.

As an aside, is anybody else warming up to this “new” role for Easley?

PFF's Zac Robinson breaks down how the Rams use play action to attack the NFL. Zac points out some of the schematic creativity that Sean McVay uses to put his guys in position to make plays.
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