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ESPN: Decision Time for Rams
- By Merlin
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 82 Replies
http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angele...ms-with-tavon-austin-mark-barron-robert-Quinn
Decision time for Rams with Tavon Austin, Mark Barron, Robert Quinn
Alden Gonzalez
ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES -- This week, with the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror, the Los Angeles Rams' front office reconvened at the team's headquarters to map out the 2018 offseason. And that process begins by focusing inward. The Rams have as many as 14 potential unrestricted free agents, including the center, a primary receiver and possibly four defensive starters.
But some of their most fascinating decisions could come with players they already have under contract, and we're not even talking about potentially making Aaron Donald the game's highest-paid defensive player. The Rams prefer to pay most of the guaranteed money on their extensions up front, which maximizes their flexibility on the back end. Because of that, they stand to save a significant amount toward the 2018 salary cap -- they have roughly $40 million of space -- by cutting ties with three big-name players.
A look at each case below.
WR Tavon Austin
Sammy Watkins. Austin remained the team's punt returner, but Pharoh Cooper replaced him after a handful of early-season muffs, and Cooper went on to the Pro Bowl. Austin salvaged his place on the roster -- though it didn't justify his $15 million cap hit -- by serving as something of a decoy, coming in motion to provide the threat of a jet sweep to open holes for Todd Gurley. But that role steadily diminished as the season went on. In the playoff loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Austin played two offensive snaps. Telling.
Why they might keep him: The only reason might be that the team gets only a 37.5 percent savings this year -- it's 100 percent thereafter. There might be some ego involved, too, since it was only 17 months ago that Austin signed a four-year, $42 million extension that caused head-scratching throughout the industry. It might be hard to admit a mistake so quickly. But that is not a sensible reason to keep a player who no longer appears to serve much of a purpose. The Rams praised Austin's unselfishness throughout the season, but they're very deep at receiver. Cooper can do a lot of what Austin does at a much cheaper price.
ILB Mark Barron
Ranking top 50 potential free agents »
• Looming FA decisions for all 32 teams »
• Destination Cousins: Landing spots »
Cap savings: By cutting Barron, the Rams save $7 million in 2018, $7 million in 2019 and $8 million in 2020. He carries a $28 million cap hit during that three-year stretch but only $6 million in dead cap. Like Austin, Barron is owed a roster bonus by March 16 -- of $2 million.
Why they might cut him: The Rams might have signaled which inside linebacker they prefer long-term when they signed Alec Ogletree, a two-time captain, to a four-year, $42.75 million extension in October. Ogletree and Barron now combine to make nearly $20 million annually. It's hard to envision the Rams continuing to commit that much to inside linebacker, not when Ogletree and Barron are relatively undersized for the position -- a reason the Rams allowed 4.76 yards per carry between the tackles in 2017, second highest in the NFL. Barron also dealt with a series of injuries last season.
Why they might keep him: Barron is still a very solid player and a major contributor, his athleticism an important weapon when dropping into coverage. If the Rams get an elite, run-stuffing nose tackle -- or simply move Michael Brockers back to that position and find someone else to play the 5-technique -- then perhaps they would be just fine with Ogletree and Barron inside. But those cap savings might prove too difficult to ignore.
OLB Robert Quinn
Cap savings: The Rams can save more than 96 percent of Quinn's salary over these next two years. He is to cost $25.3 million toward the cap in 2018 and 2019 but will cost only $955,354 if he is cut -- all of it this season. The Rams save nearly $11 million by cutting Quinn this year alone. His roster bonuses these next two years -- both, like Austin and Barron, to be paid on the third day of the new league year -- total $2.23 million.
Why they might cut him: Because those are some major savings, and Quinn has a checkered injury history, most notably back surgery in 2015. Quinn racked up 40 sacks while playing in all 48 games from 2012 to 2014, establishing himself among the game's elite edge rushers. But he played in only 17 of 32 games in 2015 and 2016, compiling nine sacks. He managed to stay healthy for most of 2017, thanks to a very conservative maintenance program. But can the Rams really count on that again?
Why they might keep him: Because when Quinn is right, he's still a force, one who can take full advantage of all the attention Donald draws right next to him. The Rams' new coaching staff got a sense of that toward the latter half of the 2017 season, with Quinn totaling seven sacks over his last six games (including the playoffs). Quinn might no longer be the type to consistently generate double-digit-sack seasons. But when healthy and right, he can still take the Rams' pass rush to another level.
Decision time for Rams with Tavon Austin, Mark Barron, Robert Quinn
Alden Gonzalez
ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES -- This week, with the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror, the Los Angeles Rams' front office reconvened at the team's headquarters to map out the 2018 offseason. And that process begins by focusing inward. The Rams have as many as 14 potential unrestricted free agents, including the center, a primary receiver and possibly four defensive starters.
But some of their most fascinating decisions could come with players they already have under contract, and we're not even talking about potentially making Aaron Donald the game's highest-paid defensive player. The Rams prefer to pay most of the guaranteed money on their extensions up front, which maximizes their flexibility on the back end. Because of that, they stand to save a significant amount toward the 2018 salary cap -- they have roughly $40 million of space -- by cutting ties with three big-name players.
A look at each case below.
WR Tavon Austin
Sammy Watkins. Austin remained the team's punt returner, but Pharoh Cooper replaced him after a handful of early-season muffs, and Cooper went on to the Pro Bowl. Austin salvaged his place on the roster -- though it didn't justify his $15 million cap hit -- by serving as something of a decoy, coming in motion to provide the threat of a jet sweep to open holes for Todd Gurley. But that role steadily diminished as the season went on. In the playoff loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Austin played two offensive snaps. Telling.
Why they might keep him: The only reason might be that the team gets only a 37.5 percent savings this year -- it's 100 percent thereafter. There might be some ego involved, too, since it was only 17 months ago that Austin signed a four-year, $42 million extension that caused head-scratching throughout the industry. It might be hard to admit a mistake so quickly. But that is not a sensible reason to keep a player who no longer appears to serve much of a purpose. The Rams praised Austin's unselfishness throughout the season, but they're very deep at receiver. Cooper can do a lot of what Austin does at a much cheaper price.
ILB Mark Barron
Ranking top 50 potential free agents »
• Looming FA decisions for all 32 teams »
• Destination Cousins: Landing spots »
Cap savings: By cutting Barron, the Rams save $7 million in 2018, $7 million in 2019 and $8 million in 2020. He carries a $28 million cap hit during that three-year stretch but only $6 million in dead cap. Like Austin, Barron is owed a roster bonus by March 16 -- of $2 million.
Why they might cut him: The Rams might have signaled which inside linebacker they prefer long-term when they signed Alec Ogletree, a two-time captain, to a four-year, $42.75 million extension in October. Ogletree and Barron now combine to make nearly $20 million annually. It's hard to envision the Rams continuing to commit that much to inside linebacker, not when Ogletree and Barron are relatively undersized for the position -- a reason the Rams allowed 4.76 yards per carry between the tackles in 2017, second highest in the NFL. Barron also dealt with a series of injuries last season.
Why they might keep him: Barron is still a very solid player and a major contributor, his athleticism an important weapon when dropping into coverage. If the Rams get an elite, run-stuffing nose tackle -- or simply move Michael Brockers back to that position and find someone else to play the 5-technique -- then perhaps they would be just fine with Ogletree and Barron inside. But those cap savings might prove too difficult to ignore.
OLB Robert Quinn
Cap savings: The Rams can save more than 96 percent of Quinn's salary over these next two years. He is to cost $25.3 million toward the cap in 2018 and 2019 but will cost only $955,354 if he is cut -- all of it this season. The Rams save nearly $11 million by cutting Quinn this year alone. His roster bonuses these next two years -- both, like Austin and Barron, to be paid on the third day of the new league year -- total $2.23 million.
Why they might cut him: Because those are some major savings, and Quinn has a checkered injury history, most notably back surgery in 2015. Quinn racked up 40 sacks while playing in all 48 games from 2012 to 2014, establishing himself among the game's elite edge rushers. But he played in only 17 of 32 games in 2015 and 2016, compiling nine sacks. He managed to stay healthy for most of 2017, thanks to a very conservative maintenance program. But can the Rams really count on that again?
Why they might keep him: Because when Quinn is right, he's still a force, one who can take full advantage of all the attention Donald draws right next to him. The Rams' new coaching staff got a sense of that toward the latter half of the 2017 season, with Quinn totaling seven sacks over his last six games (including the playoffs). Quinn might no longer be the type to consistently generate double-digit-sack seasons. But when healthy and right, he can still take the Rams' pass rush to another level.
2018 NFL Scouting Combine Full Participants List
- By JKBOGEN
- NFL DRAFT / COLLEGE FOOTBALL
- 0 Replies
2018 NFL Scouting Combine Full Participants List
February 6, 2018
| By:
Jake Ellenbogen
The NFL Combine is here at the end of the month. Here is who will be participating:
QUARTERBACKS:
Austin Allen, Arkansas
Josh Allen, Wyoming
J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
Kurt Benkert, Virginia
Sam Darnold, USC
Danny Etling, LSU
Luke Falk, Washington State
Riley Ferguson, Memphis
Quinton Flowers, South Florida
Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Kyle Lauletta, Richmond
Tanner Lee, Nebraska
Chase Litton, Marshall
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
Josh Rosen, UCLA
Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
Nic Shimonek, Texas Tech
Mike White, Western Kentucky
Logan Woodside, Toledo
RUNNING BACKS:
Josh Adams, Notre Dame
Kalen Ballage, Arizona State
Saquon Barkley, Penn State
Nick Bawden, San Diego State (FB)
Nick Chubb, Georgia
Lavon Coleman, Washington
Justin Crawford, West Virignia
Chase Edmonds, Fordham
Donnie Ernsberger, Western Michigan
Dimitri Flowers, Oklahoma (FB)
Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan
Royce Freeman, Oregon
Derrius Guice, LSU
Kyle Hicks, TCU
Nyheim Hines, NC State
Justin Jackson, Northwestern
Kerryon Johnson, Auburn
Ronald Jones, USC
John Kelly, Tennessee
Sony Michel, Georgia
Ryan Nall, Oregon State
Rashaad Penny, San Diego State
Kamryn Pettway, Auburn
Demario Richard, Arizona State
Bo Scarbrough, Alabama
Roc Thomas, Jacksonville State
Akrum Wadley, Iowa
Mark Walton, Miami
Chris Warren, Texas
Jordan Wilkins, Mississippi
WIDE RECEIVERS:
Marcell Ateman, Oklahoma State
Braxton Berrios, Miami
Deontay Burnett, USC
Deon Cain. Clemson
Antonio Callaway, Florida
Dylan Cantrell, Texas Tech
Darren Carrington II, UTah
D.J. Chark, LSU
Simmie Cobbs, Indiana
Keke Coutee, Texas Tech
Robert Foster, Alabama
Michael Gallup, Colorado State
Davon Grayson, East Carolina
DaeSean Hamilton, Penn State
Quadree Henderson, Pittsburgh
Richie James, Middle Tennessee State
Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
Chris Lacy, Oklahoma State
Jordan Lasley, UCLA
Allen Lazard, Iowa State
Tavares Martin, Washington State
Ray-Ray McCloud, Clemson
Anthony Miller, Memphis
Steven Mitchell, USC
D.J. Moore, Maryland
J'Mon Moore, Missouri
Dante Pettis, Washington
Cam Phillips, Virignia Tech
Byron Pringle, Kansas State
Trey Quinn, SMU
Calvin Ridley, Alabama
Korey Robertson, Southern Mississippi
Jaleel Scott, New Mexico State
Tre'Quan Smith, UCF
Equanimeous St. Brown, Notre Dame
Courtland Sutton, SMU
Auden Tate, Florida State
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, South Florida
James Washington, Oklahoma State
Jester Weah, Pittsburgh
Ka'Raun White, West Virginia
Jake Wienke, South Dakota State
Cedrick Wilson, Boise State
Javon Wims, Georgia
TIGHT ENDS
Jordan Akins, UCF
Mark Andrews, Oklahoma
Marcus Baugh, Ohio State
Tyler Conklin, Central Michigan
Will Dissly, Washington
Troy Fumagalli, Wisconsin
Mike Gesicki, Penn State
Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State
Chris Herndon, Miami
Hayden Hurst, South Carolina
Ryan Izzo, Florida State
Jaylen Samuels, NC State
Dalton Schultz, Stanford
Durham Smythe, Notre Dame
Ian Thomas, Indiana
Jordan Thomas, Mississippi State
David Wells, San Diego State
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
C Brian Allen, Michigan State
OT David Bright, Stanford
OT Orlando Brown, Oklahoma
OT Alex Cappa, Humboldt State
OT Geron Christian, Louisville
C Will Clapp, LSU
C Mason Cole, Michigan
G Austin Corbett, Nevada
OT Tyrell Crosby, Oregon
C James Daniels, Iowa
G Jamil Demby, Maine
OT Nick Gates, Nebraska
G Colby Gossett, Appalachian State
OT Desmond Harrison, West Georgia
G Taylor Hearn, Clemson
G Will Hernandez, UTEP
OT Jamarco Jones, Ohio State
G Sam Jones, Arizona State
OT Jaryd Jones-Smith, Pittsburgh
OT Rick Leonard, Florida State
OT Cole Madison, Washington State
G K.J. Malone, LSU
G KC McDermott, Miami
OT Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame
OT Kolton Miller, UCLA
G Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame
OT Joseph Noteboom, TCU
OT Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh
OT Chukwuma Okorafor, Western Michigian
OT Brandon Parker, North Carolina A&T
OT Timon Parris, Stony Brook
G Skyler Phillips, Idaho State
C Billy Price, Ohio State
OL Scott Quessenberry, UCLA
C Frank Ragnow, Arkansas
OT Martinas Rankin, Mississippi State
OT Will Richardson, NC State
OT Greg Senat, Wagner
C Coleman Shelton, Washington
G Braden Smith, Auburn
OT Rod Taylor, Mississippi
G Wyatt Teller, Virginia Tech
OT Brett Toth, Army
G Salesi Uhatafe, Utah
OT Toby Weathersby, LSU
C Sean Welsh, Iowa
OT Connor Williams, Texas
G Isaiah Wynn, Georgia
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
DE Ola Adeniyi, Toledo
DE Dorance Armstrong, Kansas
DE Ade Aruna, Tulane
DT John Atkins, Georgia
DE Andrew Brown, Virginia
DT Taven Bryan, Florida
DE Bradley Chubb, NC State
DE Marcus Davenport, UTSA
DE Matt Dickerson, UCLA
DE Duke Ejiofor, Wake Forest
DT Foley Fatukasi, UConn
DE Kylie Fitts, Utah
DE John Franklin-Myers, Stephen F. Austin
DT Joshua Frazier, Alabama
DE Rasheem Green, USC
DE Da'Shawn Hand, Alabama
DT Zaycoven Henderson, Texas A&M
DT B.J. Hill, NC State
DE Jalyn Holmes, Ohio State
DE Sam Hubbard, Ohio State
DT Maurice Hurst, Michigan
DT Justin Jones, NC State
DE Arden Key, LSU
DE Harold Landry, Boston College
DE Tyquan Lewis, Ohio State
DE James Looney, California
DT Lowell Lotulelei, Utah
DT R.J. McIntosh. Miami
DT Kahlil McKenzie, Tennessee
DT Bilal Nichols, Delaware
DT Derrick Nnadi, Florida State
DT Kendrick Norton, Miami
DT Da'Ron Payne, Alabama
DT Harrison Phillips, Stanford
DE Ja'Von Rolland-Jones, Arkansas State
DE Olubunmi Rotimi, Old Dominion
DT Deadrin Senat, South Florida
DT Tim Settle, Virginia Tech
DT Nathan Shepherd, Fort Hays State
DT Breeland Speaks, Mississippi
DT Taylor Stallworth, South Carolina
DE Kentavius Street, NC State
DE Josh Sweat, Florida State
DE Chad Thomas, Miami
DT Trenton Thompson, Georgia
DT Vita Vea, Washington
DE JoJo Wicker, Arizona State
DT Eddy Wilson, Purdue
DE Anthony Winbush, Ball State
LINEBACKERS
ILB Genard Avery, Memphis
OLB Jerome Baker, Ohio State
OLB Davin Bellamy, Georgia
ILB Keishawn Bierria, Washington
OLB Oren Burks, Vanderbilt
ILB Jason Cabinda, Penn State
OLB Lorenzo Carter, Georgia
ILB Jack Cichy, Wisconsin
OLB Chris Covington, Indiana
OLB Nick DeLuca, North Dakota State
OLB Garret Dooley, Wisconsin
LB Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech
LB Rashaan Evans, Alabama
OLB Shaquem Griffin, UCF
ILB Shaun Dion Hamilton, Alabama
OLB Marquis Haynes, Mississippi
OLB James Hearns, Louisville
OLB Jeff Holland, Auburn
LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Western Kentucky
OLB Darius Jackson, Jacksonville State
OLB Leon Jacobs, Wisconsin
OLB Malik Jefferson, Texas
ILB Josey Jewell, Iowa
OLB Peter Kalambayi, Stanford
ILB Micah Kiser, Virginia
OLB Darius Leonard, South Carolina State
OLB Hercules Mata'Afa, Washington State
ILB Mike McCray, Michigan
OLB Skai Moore, South Carolina
OLB Uchenna Nwosu, USC
OLB Dorian O'Daniel, Clemson
OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma
OLB Jacob Pugh, Florida State
ILB Christian Sam, Arizona State
ILB Tegray Scales, Indiana
ILB Andre Smith, North Carolina
OLB Roquan Smith, Georgia
OLB Matthew Thomas, Florida State
OLB Kemoko Turay, Rutgers
ILB Leighton Vander Esch, Boise State
ILB Azeem Victor, Washington
OLB Fred Warner, BYU
ILB Chris Worley, Ohio State
ILB Kenny Young, UCLA
OLB Trevon Young, Louisville
CORNERBACKS
Jaire Alexander, Louisville
Anthony Averett, Alabama
Tony Brown, Alabama
Chris Campbell, Penn State
Andre Chachere, San Jose State
Carlton Davis, Auburn
Duke Dawson, Florida
Dee Delaney, Miami
Brandon Facyson, Virginia Tech
Rashard Fant, Indiana
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama (DB)
Rashaan Gaulden, Tennessee
Grant Haley, Penn State
Davontae Harris, Illinois State
Holton Hill, Texas
Mike Hughes, UCF
Donte Jackson, LSU
J.C. Jackson, Maryland
Josh Jackson, Iowa
Danny Johnson, Southern
Taron Johnson, Weber State
Chris Jones, Nebraska
Michael Joseph, Dubuque
JaMarcus King, South Carolina
Avonte Maddox, Pittsburgh
Tarvarus McFadden, Florida State
Quenton Meeks, Stanford
Kamrin Moore, Boston College
Nick Nelson, Wisconsin
Parry Nickerson, Tulane
Isaiah Oliver, Colorado
Darius Phillips, Western Michigan
D.J. Reed, Kansas State
M.J. Stewart, North Carolina
Greg Stroman, Virginia Tech
Chandon Sullivan, Georgia State
Jordan Thomas, Oklahoma
Henre' Toliver, Arkansas
Kevin Toliver, LSU
D'Montre Wade, Murray State
Levi Wallace, Alabama
Denzel Ward, Ohio State
Isaac Yiadom, Boston College
SAFETIES
Marcus Allen, Penn State
Trot Apke, Penn State
Jessie Batesm Wake Forest
Quin Blanding, Virginia
Sean Chandler, Temple
Dane Cruikshank, Arizona
Terrell Edmunds, Virginia Tech
DeShon Elliott, Texas
Tre Flowers, Oklahoma State
Marcell Harris, Florida
Ronnie Harrison, Alabama
Godwin Igwebuike, Northwestern
Natrell Jamerson, Wisconsin
Derwin James, Florida State
Joshua Kalu, Nebraska
Kameron Kelly, San Diego State
Siran Neal, Jacksonville State
Max Redfield, Indiana (PA)
Justin Reid, Stanford,
Stephen Roberts, Auburn
Dominick Sanders, Georgia
Van Smith, Clemson
Trey Walker, Louisiana-LaFayette
Armani Watts, Texas A&M
Damon Webb, Ohio State
Kyzir White, West Virginia
Jordan Whitehead, Pittsburgh
SPECIALISTS
K Mike Badgley, Miami
K Drew Brown, Nebraska
LS Tanner Carew, Oregon
K Daniel Carlson, Auburn
P Trevor Daniel, Tennessee
P Joseph Davidson, Bowling Green
P Michael Dickson, Texas
K Eddy Pineiro, Florida
P JK Scott, Alabama
P Johnny Townsend, Florida
P Sane Tripucka, Texas A&M
P Ryan Winslow, Pittsburgh
February 6, 2018
| By:
Jake Ellenbogen
The NFL Combine is here at the end of the month. Here is who will be participating:
QUARTERBACKS:
Austin Allen, Arkansas
Josh Allen, Wyoming
J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
Kurt Benkert, Virginia
Sam Darnold, USC
Danny Etling, LSU
Luke Falk, Washington State
Riley Ferguson, Memphis
Quinton Flowers, South Florida
Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Kyle Lauletta, Richmond
Tanner Lee, Nebraska
Chase Litton, Marshall
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
Josh Rosen, UCLA
Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
Nic Shimonek, Texas Tech
Mike White, Western Kentucky
Logan Woodside, Toledo
RUNNING BACKS:
Josh Adams, Notre Dame
Kalen Ballage, Arizona State
Saquon Barkley, Penn State
Nick Bawden, San Diego State (FB)
Nick Chubb, Georgia
Lavon Coleman, Washington
Justin Crawford, West Virignia
Chase Edmonds, Fordham
Donnie Ernsberger, Western Michigan
Dimitri Flowers, Oklahoma (FB)
Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan
Royce Freeman, Oregon
Derrius Guice, LSU
Kyle Hicks, TCU
Nyheim Hines, NC State
Justin Jackson, Northwestern
Kerryon Johnson, Auburn
Ronald Jones, USC
John Kelly, Tennessee
Sony Michel, Georgia
Ryan Nall, Oregon State
Rashaad Penny, San Diego State
Kamryn Pettway, Auburn
Demario Richard, Arizona State
Bo Scarbrough, Alabama
Roc Thomas, Jacksonville State
Akrum Wadley, Iowa
Mark Walton, Miami
Chris Warren, Texas
Jordan Wilkins, Mississippi
WIDE RECEIVERS:
Marcell Ateman, Oklahoma State
Braxton Berrios, Miami
Deontay Burnett, USC
Deon Cain. Clemson
Antonio Callaway, Florida
Dylan Cantrell, Texas Tech
Darren Carrington II, UTah
D.J. Chark, LSU
Simmie Cobbs, Indiana
Keke Coutee, Texas Tech
Robert Foster, Alabama
Michael Gallup, Colorado State
Davon Grayson, East Carolina
DaeSean Hamilton, Penn State
Quadree Henderson, Pittsburgh
Richie James, Middle Tennessee State
Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
Chris Lacy, Oklahoma State
Jordan Lasley, UCLA
Allen Lazard, Iowa State
Tavares Martin, Washington State
Ray-Ray McCloud, Clemson
Anthony Miller, Memphis
Steven Mitchell, USC
D.J. Moore, Maryland
J'Mon Moore, Missouri
Dante Pettis, Washington
Cam Phillips, Virignia Tech
Byron Pringle, Kansas State
Trey Quinn, SMU
Calvin Ridley, Alabama
Korey Robertson, Southern Mississippi
Jaleel Scott, New Mexico State
Tre'Quan Smith, UCF
Equanimeous St. Brown, Notre Dame
Courtland Sutton, SMU
Auden Tate, Florida State
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, South Florida
James Washington, Oklahoma State
Jester Weah, Pittsburgh
Ka'Raun White, West Virginia
Jake Wienke, South Dakota State
Cedrick Wilson, Boise State
Javon Wims, Georgia
TIGHT ENDS
Jordan Akins, UCF
Mark Andrews, Oklahoma
Marcus Baugh, Ohio State
Tyler Conklin, Central Michigan
Will Dissly, Washington
Troy Fumagalli, Wisconsin
Mike Gesicki, Penn State
Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State
Chris Herndon, Miami
Hayden Hurst, South Carolina
Ryan Izzo, Florida State
Jaylen Samuels, NC State
Dalton Schultz, Stanford
Durham Smythe, Notre Dame
Ian Thomas, Indiana
Jordan Thomas, Mississippi State
David Wells, San Diego State
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
C Brian Allen, Michigan State
OT David Bright, Stanford
OT Orlando Brown, Oklahoma
OT Alex Cappa, Humboldt State
OT Geron Christian, Louisville
C Will Clapp, LSU
C Mason Cole, Michigan
G Austin Corbett, Nevada
OT Tyrell Crosby, Oregon
C James Daniels, Iowa
G Jamil Demby, Maine
OT Nick Gates, Nebraska
G Colby Gossett, Appalachian State
OT Desmond Harrison, West Georgia
G Taylor Hearn, Clemson
G Will Hernandez, UTEP
OT Jamarco Jones, Ohio State
G Sam Jones, Arizona State
OT Jaryd Jones-Smith, Pittsburgh
OT Rick Leonard, Florida State
OT Cole Madison, Washington State
G K.J. Malone, LSU
G KC McDermott, Miami
OT Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame
OT Kolton Miller, UCLA
G Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame
OT Joseph Noteboom, TCU
OT Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh
OT Chukwuma Okorafor, Western Michigian
OT Brandon Parker, North Carolina A&T
OT Timon Parris, Stony Brook
G Skyler Phillips, Idaho State
C Billy Price, Ohio State
OL Scott Quessenberry, UCLA
C Frank Ragnow, Arkansas
OT Martinas Rankin, Mississippi State
OT Will Richardson, NC State
OT Greg Senat, Wagner
C Coleman Shelton, Washington
G Braden Smith, Auburn
OT Rod Taylor, Mississippi
G Wyatt Teller, Virginia Tech
OT Brett Toth, Army
G Salesi Uhatafe, Utah
OT Toby Weathersby, LSU
C Sean Welsh, Iowa
OT Connor Williams, Texas
G Isaiah Wynn, Georgia
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
DE Ola Adeniyi, Toledo
DE Dorance Armstrong, Kansas
DE Ade Aruna, Tulane
DT John Atkins, Georgia
DE Andrew Brown, Virginia
DT Taven Bryan, Florida
DE Bradley Chubb, NC State
DE Marcus Davenport, UTSA
DE Matt Dickerson, UCLA
DE Duke Ejiofor, Wake Forest
DT Foley Fatukasi, UConn
DE Kylie Fitts, Utah
DE John Franklin-Myers, Stephen F. Austin
DT Joshua Frazier, Alabama
DE Rasheem Green, USC
DE Da'Shawn Hand, Alabama
DT Zaycoven Henderson, Texas A&M
DT B.J. Hill, NC State
DE Jalyn Holmes, Ohio State
DE Sam Hubbard, Ohio State
DT Maurice Hurst, Michigan
DT Justin Jones, NC State
DE Arden Key, LSU
DE Harold Landry, Boston College
DE Tyquan Lewis, Ohio State
DE James Looney, California
DT Lowell Lotulelei, Utah
DT R.J. McIntosh. Miami
DT Kahlil McKenzie, Tennessee
DT Bilal Nichols, Delaware
DT Derrick Nnadi, Florida State
DT Kendrick Norton, Miami
DT Da'Ron Payne, Alabama
DT Harrison Phillips, Stanford
DE Ja'Von Rolland-Jones, Arkansas State
DE Olubunmi Rotimi, Old Dominion
DT Deadrin Senat, South Florida
DT Tim Settle, Virginia Tech
DT Nathan Shepherd, Fort Hays State
DT Breeland Speaks, Mississippi
DT Taylor Stallworth, South Carolina
DE Kentavius Street, NC State
DE Josh Sweat, Florida State
DE Chad Thomas, Miami
DT Trenton Thompson, Georgia
DT Vita Vea, Washington
DE JoJo Wicker, Arizona State
DT Eddy Wilson, Purdue
DE Anthony Winbush, Ball State
LINEBACKERS
ILB Genard Avery, Memphis
OLB Jerome Baker, Ohio State
OLB Davin Bellamy, Georgia
ILB Keishawn Bierria, Washington
OLB Oren Burks, Vanderbilt
ILB Jason Cabinda, Penn State
OLB Lorenzo Carter, Georgia
ILB Jack Cichy, Wisconsin
OLB Chris Covington, Indiana
OLB Nick DeLuca, North Dakota State
OLB Garret Dooley, Wisconsin
LB Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech
LB Rashaan Evans, Alabama
OLB Shaquem Griffin, UCF
ILB Shaun Dion Hamilton, Alabama
OLB Marquis Haynes, Mississippi
OLB James Hearns, Louisville
OLB Jeff Holland, Auburn
LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Western Kentucky
OLB Darius Jackson, Jacksonville State
OLB Leon Jacobs, Wisconsin
OLB Malik Jefferson, Texas
ILB Josey Jewell, Iowa
OLB Peter Kalambayi, Stanford
ILB Micah Kiser, Virginia
OLB Darius Leonard, South Carolina State
OLB Hercules Mata'Afa, Washington State
ILB Mike McCray, Michigan
OLB Skai Moore, South Carolina
OLB Uchenna Nwosu, USC
OLB Dorian O'Daniel, Clemson
OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma
OLB Jacob Pugh, Florida State
ILB Christian Sam, Arizona State
ILB Tegray Scales, Indiana
ILB Andre Smith, North Carolina
OLB Roquan Smith, Georgia
OLB Matthew Thomas, Florida State
OLB Kemoko Turay, Rutgers
ILB Leighton Vander Esch, Boise State
ILB Azeem Victor, Washington
OLB Fred Warner, BYU
ILB Chris Worley, Ohio State
ILB Kenny Young, UCLA
OLB Trevon Young, Louisville
CORNERBACKS
Jaire Alexander, Louisville
Anthony Averett, Alabama
Tony Brown, Alabama
Chris Campbell, Penn State
Andre Chachere, San Jose State
Carlton Davis, Auburn
Duke Dawson, Florida
Dee Delaney, Miami
Brandon Facyson, Virginia Tech
Rashard Fant, Indiana
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama (DB)
Rashaan Gaulden, Tennessee
Grant Haley, Penn State
Davontae Harris, Illinois State
Holton Hill, Texas
Mike Hughes, UCF
Donte Jackson, LSU
J.C. Jackson, Maryland
Josh Jackson, Iowa
Danny Johnson, Southern
Taron Johnson, Weber State
Chris Jones, Nebraska
Michael Joseph, Dubuque
JaMarcus King, South Carolina
Avonte Maddox, Pittsburgh
Tarvarus McFadden, Florida State
Quenton Meeks, Stanford
Kamrin Moore, Boston College
Nick Nelson, Wisconsin
Parry Nickerson, Tulane
Isaiah Oliver, Colorado
Darius Phillips, Western Michigan
D.J. Reed, Kansas State
M.J. Stewart, North Carolina
Greg Stroman, Virginia Tech
Chandon Sullivan, Georgia State
Jordan Thomas, Oklahoma
Henre' Toliver, Arkansas
Kevin Toliver, LSU
D'Montre Wade, Murray State
Levi Wallace, Alabama
Denzel Ward, Ohio State
Isaac Yiadom, Boston College
SAFETIES
Marcus Allen, Penn State
Trot Apke, Penn State
Jessie Batesm Wake Forest
Quin Blanding, Virginia
Sean Chandler, Temple
Dane Cruikshank, Arizona
Terrell Edmunds, Virginia Tech
DeShon Elliott, Texas
Tre Flowers, Oklahoma State
Marcell Harris, Florida
Ronnie Harrison, Alabama
Godwin Igwebuike, Northwestern
Natrell Jamerson, Wisconsin
Derwin James, Florida State
Joshua Kalu, Nebraska
Kameron Kelly, San Diego State
Siran Neal, Jacksonville State
Max Redfield, Indiana (PA)
Justin Reid, Stanford,
Stephen Roberts, Auburn
Dominick Sanders, Georgia
Van Smith, Clemson
Trey Walker, Louisiana-LaFayette
Armani Watts, Texas A&M
Damon Webb, Ohio State
Kyzir White, West Virginia
Jordan Whitehead, Pittsburgh
SPECIALISTS
K Mike Badgley, Miami
K Drew Brown, Nebraska
LS Tanner Carew, Oregon
K Daniel Carlson, Auburn
P Trevor Daniel, Tennessee
P Joseph Davidson, Bowling Green
P Michael Dickson, Texas
K Eddy Pineiro, Florida
P JK Scott, Alabama
P Johnny Townsend, Florida
P Sane Tripucka, Texas A&M
P Ryan Winslow, Pittsburgh
DTR Draft Profile: D.J. Chark, WR, LSU
- By JKBOGEN
- NFL DRAFT / COLLEGE FOOTBALL
- 2 Replies
DTR Draft Profile: D.J. Chark, WR, LSU
February 6, 2018
| By:
Jake Ellenbogen
Who is the 6-foot-2 and 196 pound WR D.J. Chark?
He is a one-year starter who was buried behind LSU receivers Malachi Dupre & Travin Dural on the depth chart. He played in 25 games throughout his career, he has great height for the outside receiver position and teams are going to fall in love with that height especially when you combine it with the speed that Chark possesses. The young LSU receiver recently had everyone talking after his dominant Reese's Senior Bowl performance last month in which he showed off his big-play ability that will surely shoot him up into the second day in the draft.
Strengths
He is quick in and out of his breaks, displays good hands and excellent body control to go with them. His ability to make the adjustment needed for a catch out of his radius is extremely impressive. Chark shows not only the desire to block, but finish his assignment at the point of attack (as you can see in the game tape embedded above). His run after the catch ability makes him intriguing especially because of his height, it's rare to see someone at 6-foot-2 with that much ankle flexibility. He, of course, uses that ankle flexibility to make sharp turns out of his routes. This is a player that is already preparing himself for the NFL with his mindfulness to keep both feet in bounds and control the ball during the entire process as he makes impact with the ground. He shows the ability to consistently fight through the press and is a long strider that deceptively can beat press or off-man deep down the field.
Weaknesses
While Chark does have that long speed, it still takes him a bit to get going. He's kind of a lumbering runner that needs a head of steam to reach his full gear and doesn't have the burst off of the line of scrimmage you would want in your starting receiver. He does have a lanky frame and it would be ideal to add some bulk. Chark can be great with his route running but he tends to round off his routes which hurt his ability to separate from his defender. He lacks a full route tree, so wherever he lands in the NFL, they will need to have patience and be creative with how he is used initially. However, with that route tree, it's no fault of his own as LSU used him more as a field stretcher and a piece of the bigger pie with Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice.
How does he fit with the Rams?
It really depends on the stance of Josh Reynolds. If the coaching staff feels as though Reynolds' development is coming along the Rams won't draft a receiver early on. Also, it depends on what happens with Sammy Watkins. The young trade acquisition's contract expires this season and he will be set for free agency if the Rams don't make a play with a contract or a franchise tag. If the Rams let Watkins go, Chark becomes a viable field-stretching option to fill right in with the role Watkins had last year. Reynolds and Chakr are similar but Chark is more of a faster and quicker receiver that can take the top off of the defense, while Reynolds is the 50/50 ball go-get-it type of guy. It will certainly be interesting, especially since Chark was a Senior Bowl standout and Les Snead and the Rams love their Senior Bowl guys. I do see this as someone that would likely have a huge ceiling with all the traits he possesses and all of the route combinations and the overall NFL pro-style route tree he still has to learn. His desire and his ability to finish as a strong blocker makes him a serious consideration for what Sean McVay wants in a receiver.
Draft Grade
Rounds 2 - 3
Player comparison
Robby Anderson
I know many are going to have a problem with me comparing Chark to a guy that just got embarrassingly arrested. However, the play-style is similar and the height and speed combination is very similar. I can tell you right now, after meeting Chark, I have nothing but the best to say about his humble yet, happy-go-lucky character. As far as Chark as a player, he is a great comparison to Robby Anderson. It's not a bad thing, Anderson was great for the Jets this year and he's continued to improve as a deep threat that can not only get behind defenses, but also go up and make a play on the ball. Even on top of that, Anderson has improved as an all-around receiver and I expect Chark to do the same thing. Best case scenario for Chark, he ends up being better than Anderson but as of right now he would have that type of impact and be able to help a team in at least one area right away. That is exactly what Anderson did once he came into the league and this past year you started to see him develop into a more well-rounded receiver.
February 6, 2018
| By:
Jake Ellenbogen
Who is the 6-foot-2 and 196 pound WR D.J. Chark?
He is a one-year starter who was buried behind LSU receivers Malachi Dupre & Travin Dural on the depth chart. He played in 25 games throughout his career, he has great height for the outside receiver position and teams are going to fall in love with that height especially when you combine it with the speed that Chark possesses. The young LSU receiver recently had everyone talking after his dominant Reese's Senior Bowl performance last month in which he showed off his big-play ability that will surely shoot him up into the second day in the draft.
Strengths
He is quick in and out of his breaks, displays good hands and excellent body control to go with them. His ability to make the adjustment needed for a catch out of his radius is extremely impressive. Chark shows not only the desire to block, but finish his assignment at the point of attack (as you can see in the game tape embedded above). His run after the catch ability makes him intriguing especially because of his height, it's rare to see someone at 6-foot-2 with that much ankle flexibility. He, of course, uses that ankle flexibility to make sharp turns out of his routes. This is a player that is already preparing himself for the NFL with his mindfulness to keep both feet in bounds and control the ball during the entire process as he makes impact with the ground. He shows the ability to consistently fight through the press and is a long strider that deceptively can beat press or off-man deep down the field.
Weaknesses
While Chark does have that long speed, it still takes him a bit to get going. He's kind of a lumbering runner that needs a head of steam to reach his full gear and doesn't have the burst off of the line of scrimmage you would want in your starting receiver. He does have a lanky frame and it would be ideal to add some bulk. Chark can be great with his route running but he tends to round off his routes which hurt his ability to separate from his defender. He lacks a full route tree, so wherever he lands in the NFL, they will need to have patience and be creative with how he is used initially. However, with that route tree, it's no fault of his own as LSU used him more as a field stretcher and a piece of the bigger pie with Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice.
How does he fit with the Rams?
It really depends on the stance of Josh Reynolds. If the coaching staff feels as though Reynolds' development is coming along the Rams won't draft a receiver early on. Also, it depends on what happens with Sammy Watkins. The young trade acquisition's contract expires this season and he will be set for free agency if the Rams don't make a play with a contract or a franchise tag. If the Rams let Watkins go, Chark becomes a viable field-stretching option to fill right in with the role Watkins had last year. Reynolds and Chakr are similar but Chark is more of a faster and quicker receiver that can take the top off of the defense, while Reynolds is the 50/50 ball go-get-it type of guy. It will certainly be interesting, especially since Chark was a Senior Bowl standout and Les Snead and the Rams love their Senior Bowl guys. I do see this as someone that would likely have a huge ceiling with all the traits he possesses and all of the route combinations and the overall NFL pro-style route tree he still has to learn. His desire and his ability to finish as a strong blocker makes him a serious consideration for what Sean McVay wants in a receiver.
Draft Grade
Rounds 2 - 3
Player comparison
Robby Anderson
I know many are going to have a problem with me comparing Chark to a guy that just got embarrassingly arrested. However, the play-style is similar and the height and speed combination is very similar. I can tell you right now, after meeting Chark, I have nothing but the best to say about his humble yet, happy-go-lucky character. As far as Chark as a player, he is a great comparison to Robby Anderson. It's not a bad thing, Anderson was great for the Jets this year and he's continued to improve as a deep threat that can not only get behind defenses, but also go up and make a play on the ball. Even on top of that, Anderson has improved as an all-around receiver and I expect Chark to do the same thing. Best case scenario for Chark, he ends up being better than Anderson but as of right now he would have that type of impact and be able to help a team in at least one area right away. That is exactly what Anderson did once he came into the league and this past year you started to see him develop into a more well-rounded receiver.
Who Have the Rams Selected at No. 23 in the NFL Draft?
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 9 Replies
Who Have the Rams Selected at No. 23 in the NFL Draft?
After finishing 2017 at 11-5 and NFC West Champions, Los Angeles earned the No. 23 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. And now that the Super Bowl is over, the first round of the draft order is officially set.
The selection relatively unfamiliar for the Rams, who have only drafted at No. 23 three times in franchise history. It will also mark the first time the club will have a first-round selection outside of the top 15 since 2005.
Here’s a little more about the three Rams players to be drafted at No. 23:
1977 NFL Draft: Linebacker, Bob Brudzinski, Ohio State
Brudzinski was a two-time All-Big Ten conference linebacker and All-American honoree when the Rams selected him in the late 70s. During his rookie season, Brudzinski moved to outside linebacker and recorded 37 tackles, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, and one sack in seven stars. The linebacker was named to the All-Rookie team by PFWA for his impressive campaign.
His standout year came in 1979 — when he amassed 127 tackles, seven for loss, an interception, and 14 pass deflections — as part of the Rams’ No. 1 ranked defense. The club beat the Cowboys in the NFC Playoffs before losing to the Steelers in Super Bowl XIV.
But two-thirds into the 1980 season, Brudzinski walked out and never returned to the franchise. He later went on to play nine seasons with the Dolphins.
1986 NFL Draft: Guard, Mike Schad, Queens University
Schad became the first and only player in the history of Canadian Interuniversity Sports to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in 1986. He spent two seasons with the Rams — playing in seven games — before being traded to the Eagles, where he finished out his seven-year career.
1990 NFL Draft: Center, Bern Brostek, University of Washington
Brostek was one of the top offensive lineman in the nation heading into the 1990 draft and was a steady member of the Rams offensive line from 1991-1997. He moved from left guard to starting center in 1992, where he started every game for four consecutive seasons.
In that span, Brostek blocked for two 1,000-yard rushers — running backs Cleveland Gary and Jerome Bettis. He was also teammates with several franchise legends like offensive lineman Jackie Slater and wide receiver Isaac Bruce. But in 1997, the lineman suffered a season-ending back injury that effectively ended his NFL career.
[www.therams.com]
After finishing 2017 at 11-5 and NFC West Champions, Los Angeles earned the No. 23 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. And now that the Super Bowl is over, the first round of the draft order is officially set.
The selection relatively unfamiliar for the Rams, who have only drafted at No. 23 three times in franchise history. It will also mark the first time the club will have a first-round selection outside of the top 15 since 2005.
Here’s a little more about the three Rams players to be drafted at No. 23:
1977 NFL Draft: Linebacker, Bob Brudzinski, Ohio State
Brudzinski was a two-time All-Big Ten conference linebacker and All-American honoree when the Rams selected him in the late 70s. During his rookie season, Brudzinski moved to outside linebacker and recorded 37 tackles, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, and one sack in seven stars. The linebacker was named to the All-Rookie team by PFWA for his impressive campaign.
His standout year came in 1979 — when he amassed 127 tackles, seven for loss, an interception, and 14 pass deflections — as part of the Rams’ No. 1 ranked defense. The club beat the Cowboys in the NFC Playoffs before losing to the Steelers in Super Bowl XIV.
But two-thirds into the 1980 season, Brudzinski walked out and never returned to the franchise. He later went on to play nine seasons with the Dolphins.
1986 NFL Draft: Guard, Mike Schad, Queens University
Schad became the first and only player in the history of Canadian Interuniversity Sports to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in 1986. He spent two seasons with the Rams — playing in seven games — before being traded to the Eagles, where he finished out his seven-year career.
1990 NFL Draft: Center, Bern Brostek, University of Washington
Brostek was one of the top offensive lineman in the nation heading into the 1990 draft and was a steady member of the Rams offensive line from 1991-1997. He moved from left guard to starting center in 1992, where he started every game for four consecutive seasons.
In that span, Brostek blocked for two 1,000-yard rushers — running backs Cleveland Gary and Jerome Bettis. He was also teammates with several franchise legends like offensive lineman Jackie Slater and wide receiver Isaac Bruce. But in 1997, the lineman suffered a season-ending back injury that effectively ended his NFL career.
[www.therams.com]
BARKSDALE ARTICLE
- By cvramsfan
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 5 Replies
http://www.latimes.com/sports/chargers/la-sp-super-bowl-barksdale-20180202-story.html
Chargers' Joe Barksdale breaks silence on his daily battles that have nothing to do with football
By DAN WOIKE
At 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds, Chargers offensive tackle Joe Barksdale (72) dwarfs teammate Melvin Gordon. But his size and athletic ability haven't made him immune to an affliction that dates to his childhood: depression. (Michael Ainsworth / Associated Press)
The thoughts Joe Barksdale had wrestled with for as long as he could remember started to get louder.
"Just kill yourself. Just do it. What's the point of living if you're going to be this miserable the rest of your life? Just kill yourself."
It was early November 2017 and Barksdale, the Chargers' starting right tackle, sat in the team's training room. He'd just found out he wouldn't be playing in an upcoming game against Jacksonville after injuring his foot during a fight with a teammate.
He'd missed the previous two games with a toe injury that had been bothering him for more than a month. Now, he was going to be out again.
He cried.
His severe depression — something Barksdale calls the "monkey" always on his back — had gotten the best of him. Truth didn't matter anymore. Only sadness did.
He got home and sharpened a knife, his mind racing. His wife, Brionna, convinced him to put it down. They talked, he calmed, and the crisis was averted.
Barksdale, who is on medication and in therapy, is sharing his story in the hopes of becoming an advocate for people suffering from chronic depression.
"If I could save another person, maybe that's why the attempts [to harm himself] didn't work," he said.
During a wide-ranging interview with The Times, Barksdale, 29, said he was physically, emotionally and sexually abused as a child.
He hesitated to talk about the abuse at first before deciding to share his experience. "I was molested when I was younger," he said. "It happened."
It was the beginning of childhood filled with insecurities and anxieties.
He felt like a burden because of his size. He was expensive to clothe and feed. He was more interested in engineering than he was in sports. Older kids in inner-city Detroit picked on him.
"Everything that's happened to me going forward has just piled onto it," he said. "It's not going away. They're like tattoos."
As he continued to fight a sadness he knew would stay with him, Barksdale found one way to feel better.
Less than four years after learning how to play guitar — at former coach Jeff Fisher's suggestion — Barksdale just released his debut album, "Butterflies, Rainbows & Moonbeams."
"If he was stressed out, where some people might go and smoke a cigarette or something, he'd go and pick up his guitar," Brionna said. "His guitar was his outlet, and once he started writing music it was even better because he could get those thoughts and feelings out in words and music."
Brionna wrote the lyrics to the most personal song on the album, "Journey to Nowhere," after a tough night for Barksdale due to his depression.
On the album's cover, Barksdale has a massive smile on his face — one he's not faking.
Joe Barkdale's album cover. (Courtesy of Joe Barksdale)
"Music is everything," Barksdale said. "I've always wanted to fly. I've always had this obsession with flight. Birds are the coolest, watching things move through the air and not be hindered by gravity as much as I am. When I play my guitar — not all the time but if I'm soloing or if I just let go and play — I feel like I'm flying. It's the coolest thing ever."
He loves Jimi Hendrix. Earlier this season, he played a game with customized cleats inspired by Hendrix's guitar from the famed Monterey Pop Festival.
And while playing in St. Louis for the Rams, Barksdale began to fall in love with the blues because of the way musicians were able to convey feelings without uttering a word.
"It's telling people how you feel without you having to talk to them," he said.
Getting players to talk is one of the biggest challenges faced by NFL mental health advocates.
"The challenge is when they're hurting emotionally and you've been taught your whole life to stuff it, it becomes difficult to say anything," said Dwight Hollier, the NFL's vice president of wellness and clinical services.
Hollier, a former player, said the league has a number of programs to help players and their families deal with mental health issues. One of those programs, NFL Life Line, is a 24-hour crisis hotline available to current and former players and their families. Hollier said the number receives between 20 and 30 calls per month.
Barksdale has called that number before and it didn't work for him. But with mental health treatments, there are no fool-proof methods.
"No one had any answers for me," Barksdale said. "…They wanted to help. But they couldn't. At the end of the day, I still felt … fear, shame, guilt, denial and anxiety."
Barksdale had to fight all those feelings in sharing his depression with teammates. He's spoken to a small handful of players including Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.
"They were really supportive. I think it answered a lot of questions to them," Barksdale said."There are the symptoms and all that, but without proper understanding of what's going on, you just look like you have bad days where you just show up and you're miserable for whatever reason or you're angry for whatever reason. It connected a lot of the dots for them. They were super supportive.
"This goes to show you the stigma in the league. All three of them told me, 'Hey, don't worry. This is between us. I won't tell anybody.' My thing was, I'm telling you so that you can tell other people."
Rivers said he was caught off guard by the disclosure. The Barksdale he knew owned a big, contagious laugh. He seemed happy.
"I would've never imagined that he was dealing with that," Rivers said.
Barksdale, out of necessity, had become an expert at hiding his depression.
"I've been doing it for 29 years. I know what the alternative is," Barksdale said. "If I let myself get sad, like really sad, it can go really bad places — like I could not be here tomorrow."
If it sounds serious, it's because it is. If it sounds heavy, it's because it is. If it sounds uncomfortably honest, that's the point too.
Barksdale is done staying quiet. And he hopes others will join him.
"Some days, you can talk yourself out of it. Some days, you can't. Some days, it just feels impossible," he said. "This is who I am. I am as depressed as I am black."
Chargers' Joe Barksdale breaks silence on his daily battles that have nothing to do with football
By DAN WOIKE
At 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds, Chargers offensive tackle Joe Barksdale (72) dwarfs teammate Melvin Gordon. But his size and athletic ability haven't made him immune to an affliction that dates to his childhood: depression. (Michael Ainsworth / Associated Press)
The thoughts Joe Barksdale had wrestled with for as long as he could remember started to get louder.
"Just kill yourself. Just do it. What's the point of living if you're going to be this miserable the rest of your life? Just kill yourself."
It was early November 2017 and Barksdale, the Chargers' starting right tackle, sat in the team's training room. He'd just found out he wouldn't be playing in an upcoming game against Jacksonville after injuring his foot during a fight with a teammate.
He'd missed the previous two games with a toe injury that had been bothering him for more than a month. Now, he was going to be out again.
He cried.
His severe depression — something Barksdale calls the "monkey" always on his back — had gotten the best of him. Truth didn't matter anymore. Only sadness did.
He got home and sharpened a knife, his mind racing. His wife, Brionna, convinced him to put it down. They talked, he calmed, and the crisis was averted.
Barksdale, who is on medication and in therapy, is sharing his story in the hopes of becoming an advocate for people suffering from chronic depression.
"If I could save another person, maybe that's why the attempts [to harm himself] didn't work," he said.
During a wide-ranging interview with The Times, Barksdale, 29, said he was physically, emotionally and sexually abused as a child.
He hesitated to talk about the abuse at first before deciding to share his experience. "I was molested when I was younger," he said. "It happened."
It was the beginning of childhood filled with insecurities and anxieties.
He felt like a burden because of his size. He was expensive to clothe and feed. He was more interested in engineering than he was in sports. Older kids in inner-city Detroit picked on him.
"Everything that's happened to me going forward has just piled onto it," he said. "It's not going away. They're like tattoos."
As he continued to fight a sadness he knew would stay with him, Barksdale found one way to feel better.
Less than four years after learning how to play guitar — at former coach Jeff Fisher's suggestion — Barksdale just released his debut album, "Butterflies, Rainbows & Moonbeams."
"If he was stressed out, where some people might go and smoke a cigarette or something, he'd go and pick up his guitar," Brionna said. "His guitar was his outlet, and once he started writing music it was even better because he could get those thoughts and feelings out in words and music."
Brionna wrote the lyrics to the most personal song on the album, "Journey to Nowhere," after a tough night for Barksdale due to his depression.
On the album's cover, Barksdale has a massive smile on his face — one he's not faking.
Joe Barkdale's album cover. (Courtesy of Joe Barksdale)
"Music is everything," Barksdale said. "I've always wanted to fly. I've always had this obsession with flight. Birds are the coolest, watching things move through the air and not be hindered by gravity as much as I am. When I play my guitar — not all the time but if I'm soloing or if I just let go and play — I feel like I'm flying. It's the coolest thing ever."
He loves Jimi Hendrix. Earlier this season, he played a game with customized cleats inspired by Hendrix's guitar from the famed Monterey Pop Festival.
And while playing in St. Louis for the Rams, Barksdale began to fall in love with the blues because of the way musicians were able to convey feelings without uttering a word.
"It's telling people how you feel without you having to talk to them," he said.
Getting players to talk is one of the biggest challenges faced by NFL mental health advocates.
"The challenge is when they're hurting emotionally and you've been taught your whole life to stuff it, it becomes difficult to say anything," said Dwight Hollier, the NFL's vice president of wellness and clinical services.
Hollier, a former player, said the league has a number of programs to help players and their families deal with mental health issues. One of those programs, NFL Life Line, is a 24-hour crisis hotline available to current and former players and their families. Hollier said the number receives between 20 and 30 calls per month.
Barksdale has called that number before and it didn't work for him. But with mental health treatments, there are no fool-proof methods.
"No one had any answers for me," Barksdale said. "…They wanted to help. But they couldn't. At the end of the day, I still felt … fear, shame, guilt, denial and anxiety."
Barksdale had to fight all those feelings in sharing his depression with teammates. He's spoken to a small handful of players including Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.
"They were really supportive. I think it answered a lot of questions to them," Barksdale said."There are the symptoms and all that, but without proper understanding of what's going on, you just look like you have bad days where you just show up and you're miserable for whatever reason or you're angry for whatever reason. It connected a lot of the dots for them. They were super supportive.
"This goes to show you the stigma in the league. All three of them told me, 'Hey, don't worry. This is between us. I won't tell anybody.' My thing was, I'm telling you so that you can tell other people."
Rivers said he was caught off guard by the disclosure. The Barksdale he knew owned a big, contagious laugh. He seemed happy.
"I would've never imagined that he was dealing with that," Rivers said.
Barksdale, out of necessity, had become an expert at hiding his depression.
"I've been doing it for 29 years. I know what the alternative is," Barksdale said. "If I let myself get sad, like really sad, it can go really bad places — like I could not be here tomorrow."
If it sounds serious, it's because it is. If it sounds heavy, it's because it is. If it sounds uncomfortably honest, that's the point too.
Barksdale is done staying quiet. And he hopes others will join him.
"Some days, you can talk yourself out of it. Some days, you can't. Some days, it just feels impossible," he said. "This is who I am. I am as depressed as I am black."
DTR Draft Profile: Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville
- By JKBOGEN
- NFL DRAFT / COLLEGE FOOTBALL
- 5 Replies
DTR Draft Profile: Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville
February 5, 2018
| By:
Jake Ellenbogen
Who is the 5-foot-11 and 192 pound CB Jaire Alexander?
Alexander is quite honestly the most swagger-filled, in-your-face, scrappy and pesty cornerback in this class. He also might be the best. Alexander fell victim to a freak injury this season when a player dove low at his legs trying to tackle him on a field goal block return, Alexander tried to flip to avoid a potential ACL tear but ended up spraining his knee which gave him problems throughout the year. He missed six games due to this. The biggest knock on Alexander was his injury-ridden 2017 season but his 23 games played in the previous two years leave optimism that it's not there is not a pattern looming. Pro Football Focus graded Alexander as the highest returning player coming into the 2017 season, even ahead of Minkah Fitzpatrick and when he was targeted, Alexander only allowed a 17.7 passer rating. On top of the fact he's a shutdown style corner, he has the recovery speed in which he proved back in the Spring testing when he ran a 4.32 in the forty-yard dash.
Strengths
Alexander is a very instinctual cornerback that has a little bit of everything. He does not fit the new-age model of cornerbacks such as a Richard Sherman, but he wins off mental processing, quickness, acceleration and honestly...gambling. This is someone that will play the ball like a receiver and be easy to react and attack. He's a total disrupter off the line of scrimmage as a press corner and still has the impressive skill-set to play zone. He's what you would call scheme versatile and will thrive wherever he is on the field, whether it's press man or off-man he's going to make plays on the ball. His vision as a returner is excellent but if teams are worried with his injury history, it might be best to just keep him at cornerback. His run defense needs more work but he's a good tackler and can make the big hit when you need him too. Alexander has no issue at all flipping his hips as they are as smooth as it gets, he's a very natural mover on the football field and should be a day one starter with the potential to become an eventual All-Pro.
Weaknesses
Alexander is clearly capable of stopping the run but his inconsistency shows on tape. In some cases, he will be quick to the ball-carrier and be filling out his assignment but in others, you see kind of a laid-back and passive player that isn't willing to get his hands dirty. His body is what concerns many, he's 192 pounds according to ESPN but he looks like he's in the 170's. That could lead to a durability issue if Alexander is indeed unable to bulk up a bit.
How does he fit with the Rams?
In Wade Phillips' defense in year's past he had Aqib Talib who was the physical new-age cornerback and he had Chris Harris, who was the scrappy shutdown corner. I think the Rams could use another guy with size but Alexander would fill the Harris role well. Alexander has the ability to play either off-man or press man and I think that will give Wade the ability to mix things up. If the Rams brought back Trumaine Johnson and placed Alexander on the other side, that would start to closely emulate what the Broncos had in the secondary. The Rams haven't had the type of playmaking and speedy cornerback that Alexander is, since Janoris Jenkins.
Draft Grade
Late 1st - Early 2nd
Player comparison
Janoris Jenkins
Some may agree, some may disagree, but I see so much of Jenkins in Jaire Alexander. You talk about that swagger, you talk about the shutdown and playmaking ability it's all there. Alexander is probably a better prospect than Jenkins was but I think he compares to the Jenkins we see now in New York. With the Rams, Jenkins was a giant gambler, but he was not as lockdown as Alexander was at Louisville. Now, Jenkins has significantly improved in the Big Apple and he turned into more of a lockdown guy. Both guys are around the same build, both are scrappy and both can change the game. Jenkins is one of the top 10 cornerbacks in football today, but Alexander could end up being that type of player if he works out. Both players were scheme versatile coming out of college so it will be interesting.
February 5, 2018
| By:
Jake Ellenbogen
Who is the 5-foot-11 and 192 pound CB Jaire Alexander?
Alexander is quite honestly the most swagger-filled, in-your-face, scrappy and pesty cornerback in this class. He also might be the best. Alexander fell victim to a freak injury this season when a player dove low at his legs trying to tackle him on a field goal block return, Alexander tried to flip to avoid a potential ACL tear but ended up spraining his knee which gave him problems throughout the year. He missed six games due to this. The biggest knock on Alexander was his injury-ridden 2017 season but his 23 games played in the previous two years leave optimism that it's not there is not a pattern looming. Pro Football Focus graded Alexander as the highest returning player coming into the 2017 season, even ahead of Minkah Fitzpatrick and when he was targeted, Alexander only allowed a 17.7 passer rating. On top of the fact he's a shutdown style corner, he has the recovery speed in which he proved back in the Spring testing when he ran a 4.32 in the forty-yard dash.
Strengths
Alexander is a very instinctual cornerback that has a little bit of everything. He does not fit the new-age model of cornerbacks such as a Richard Sherman, but he wins off mental processing, quickness, acceleration and honestly...gambling. This is someone that will play the ball like a receiver and be easy to react and attack. He's a total disrupter off the line of scrimmage as a press corner and still has the impressive skill-set to play zone. He's what you would call scheme versatile and will thrive wherever he is on the field, whether it's press man or off-man he's going to make plays on the ball. His vision as a returner is excellent but if teams are worried with his injury history, it might be best to just keep him at cornerback. His run defense needs more work but he's a good tackler and can make the big hit when you need him too. Alexander has no issue at all flipping his hips as they are as smooth as it gets, he's a very natural mover on the football field and should be a day one starter with the potential to become an eventual All-Pro.
Weaknesses
Alexander is clearly capable of stopping the run but his inconsistency shows on tape. In some cases, he will be quick to the ball-carrier and be filling out his assignment but in others, you see kind of a laid-back and passive player that isn't willing to get his hands dirty. His body is what concerns many, he's 192 pounds according to ESPN but he looks like he's in the 170's. That could lead to a durability issue if Alexander is indeed unable to bulk up a bit.
How does he fit with the Rams?
In Wade Phillips' defense in year's past he had Aqib Talib who was the physical new-age cornerback and he had Chris Harris, who was the scrappy shutdown corner. I think the Rams could use another guy with size but Alexander would fill the Harris role well. Alexander has the ability to play either off-man or press man and I think that will give Wade the ability to mix things up. If the Rams brought back Trumaine Johnson and placed Alexander on the other side, that would start to closely emulate what the Broncos had in the secondary. The Rams haven't had the type of playmaking and speedy cornerback that Alexander is, since Janoris Jenkins.
Draft Grade
Late 1st - Early 2nd
Player comparison
Janoris Jenkins
Some may agree, some may disagree, but I see so much of Jenkins in Jaire Alexander. You talk about that swagger, you talk about the shutdown and playmaking ability it's all there. Alexander is probably a better prospect than Jenkins was but I think he compares to the Jenkins we see now in New York. With the Rams, Jenkins was a giant gambler, but he was not as lockdown as Alexander was at Louisville. Now, Jenkins has significantly improved in the Big Apple and he turned into more of a lockdown guy. Both guys are around the same build, both are scrappy and both can change the game. Jenkins is one of the top 10 cornerbacks in football today, but Alexander could end up being that type of player if he works out. Both players were scheme versatile coming out of college so it will be interesting.
Draft News And Mocks
- By Prime Time
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 5 Replies
All draft news will be allowed in the Rams - NFL Talk section but all mocks should be posted in the NFL Draft/College Football section. So don't get mad at the mods if your mock gets moved. 
Carry on.
Carry on.
Peter King: MMQB - 2/5/18
- By Prime Time
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 9 Replies
These are excerpts. To read the whole article click the link below.
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https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/02/05/super-bowl-52-eagles-patriots-peter-king-mmqb
The Philly Special: Inside the ‘Set of Stones’ Play Call That Helped the Eagles Win the Super Bowl
By PETER KING
MIKE EHRMAN/GETTY IMAGES
MINNEAPOLIS — Thirty Eagles bounced to the beat of a popular rap song, “MotorSport,” an hour after the pulsating Super Bowl 52 victory over the dynastic Patriots. White, black, players, coaches, one equipment guy at least. When the deafening song was over, 50-year-old Doug Pederson, one of the unlikeliest Super Bowl-winning head coaches ever, found his way to the front of his men for his post-game address.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am!” the hoarse Pederson said, straining to be heard, his face a road map of glee. “World champions! World champions! This is what you’ve accomplished—it’s for this moment right here!”
Then he said: “An individual can make a difference, but a team makes a miracle!”
One player yelled: “Coach of the year!”
If the balloting included the post-season, and counted three straight wins as underdogs, the award would be Pederson’s. But he’s fine with this award for his team and his football-loving city: Eagles 41, Patriots 33, in what could well be the single biggest sports victory in the history of Philadelphia.
The Eagles are NFL champions for the first time in the Super Bowl era, for the first time since three weeks before the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. And it never would have happened without the head coach whom USA Todayranked seventh of seven new NFL coaching hires in January 2016.
“He’s got a big set of stones,” offensive coordinator Frank Reich said, trying to find the words just before the clock struck 12 Sunday night.
That’ll do.
Doug Pederson is a coach of the people. No idea is too weird. No time to run a play is ever inopportune. I don’t mean to say this should be his legacy, but it might turn out to be. He is a Super Bowl champion in his second year as an NFL head coach, in part, because of one of the strangest play calls in Super Bowl history, called on fourth down late in the first half in a three-point game, the biggest game of his life.
The Patriots are flying home losers today despite putting up a Super Bowl-record 613 yards and despite Tom Brady playing one of the games of his life. They are flying home losers because a head coach who was a backup NFL quarterback (Pederson) and an offensive coordinator who was a backup NFL quarterback (Reich) and a quarterback who was a backup NFL quarterback (Foles) beat Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. They knew the only chance to beat the Patriots was to call a top-secret play when it wouldn’t have mattered if the Patriots had 15 players on defense.
Inside the Eagles’ locker room, I got Pederson alone and asked where this football ethos came from.
“Playing quarterback, watching a lot of teams, a lot of football,” he said. “You learn if you play passive, if you play conservative, if you call plays conservatively, you are going to be 8-8, 9-7 every year. Every year. Frank and I just having that collaborative spirit to talk about things and talk with our quarterbacks and just come up with ways of keeping this game fresh and fun and exciting for our players. And that's really where it all stems from.”
In this case, the key moment of the game, and of the season, came when Pederson, the Eagles’ play-caller, looked over his play sheet and fixated on the play he has loved for three weeks.
Target left bunch, Philly special.
On Saturday night, Pederson said to Reich: “We’ll build a lead, and in the third or fourth quarter, that play will be the dagger.”
I love five parts of this play.
• Reich told me the kernel of the idea originated from an industrious Eagles quality-control coach, Press Taylor. Said Reich: “Press has this, what we call this vault of trick plays. It's an immense vault, so every week we go into Press's vault looking for plays.” Taylor, it appears, found the play in a meaningless Week 17 game in 2016.
At 1:10 this morning, The MMQB’s Kalyn Kahler found a play from the Chicago-Minnesota game that doubtless led to Target left bunch, Philly special. Bears running back Jeremy Langford took a direct snap from center, quarterback Matt Barkley lined up behind the right tackle, and wideout Cam Meredith circled back behind Langford and took a pitch from him.
Barkley leaked out of the backfield into the end zone. No one covered him. At the 11-yard line, Meredith tossed the ball to Barkley, two yards deep in the end zone. Touchdown. Watch that play and keep it in mind. You’ll need it. “We’re fine with ideas coming from anywhere,” Reich said. “Doug loves ideas.”
• The Patriots are known for their exhaustive research to discover the roots of a play, with mad scientist/analytics expert Ernie Adams knowing every play a team might run going back at least a couple of years. But if a play hasn’t been run by the Eagles, how would Adams have seen it? And how would Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia been able to prepare for it?
• Why Burton as the triggerman? He was recruited as a dual-threat quarterback out of high school in Florida. He pitched in high school. So Pederson knew Burton could throw it—and he saw it when the team practiced the play some this month. And the Eagles knew the Patriots wouldn’t expect Burton to throw a pass. In his four NFL seasons, he hadn’t thrown a single one.
• The Super Bowl’s a big stage. The Eagles practiced the play in privacy back in Philadelphia—in fact, they thought they might use it against Minnesota but didn’t need it in the 38-7 NFC title win 15 days ago—but once they got to Minneapolis, they didn’t want to expose it to prying eyes of outsiders, a few of whom are at every practice.
They ran it twice on Friday afternoon in a walk-through practice at their Mall of America hotel, the Radisson Blu, a five-minute walk from the Orange Julius, seven minutes from Shake Shack. On one of the attempts, Burton threw behind Foles, but the quarterback reached behind him and made a nice grab. Burton didn’t beg, but he asked Pederson stridently, “Can we run this?”
• Foles had not been thrown a pass since his first season quarterbacking the Arizona Wildcats in 2009. He caught it … for a loss of nine yards.
This is what it takes to stun the Patriots: a play they’d never seen run by the Eagles, with a passer who’d never thrown an NFL pass, and a receiver who’d never been thrown an NFL pass.
Run in the Super Bowl, in a three-point game, against the best team of the generation. Burton’s glad he didn’t have much time to think about it.
“It was fourth down,” I said to him. “It was fourth down in the Super Bowl!”
“Doug’s got some guts, doesn’t he?” Burton said.
Eagles 15, Patriots 12. Third-and-goal from the Pats’ one, with 41 seconds left.
“I made up my mind we were going for it on fourth down if we didn’t make it on third,” Pederson said.
Incomplete. Fourth-and-goal now.
“We had a couple of options at that point, but then my eyes just kind of hit that play,” Pederson said. “I was thinking, ‘We keep talking about that play, and calling it in the second half of the game … but are we going to be in a situation like this, to put us up by two scores? There are certain plays that you spend time doing them, repping them, and you have no doubt they are going to work. Without a shadow of a doubt you know. I knew.”
RICH GRAESSLE/ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY IMAGES
Pederson called into his headset to Foles: “Target left bunch, Philly special.”
This is about to be a touchdown, guard Stefan Wisniewski thought when he heard the call.
“The end was a little wider than I thought,” Foles said. “So I really had to sell it like I’m not doing anything. It worked.”
You can cue up the Bears’ play at Minnesota from 25 months ago. It is a precise carbon copy, all the way down to Burton taking the pitch, throwing from his 11 and Foles catching it two yards deep. No one there. Touchdown.
“That play is Doug epitomized,” Reich said. “That play is our team, our season.”
So the Eagles took a 22-12 lead at the half. New England assumed a brief second-half lead, but from the half, it was like the Patriots were always playing uphill. New England is good at it, but the Eagles keep counter-punching.
One more note about this: After the play, Twitter was filled with people saying the Eagles were short one man on the line of scrimmage at the snap of the ball. The NFL requires seven offensive players to be on the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped. And it does appear that six Eagles were within a yard of the line, which is permissible, and the seventh, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, to the top of the formation, was two yards off the line. In theory, the officials could have called an illegal formation with only six men on the line.
Except Jeffery claimed he got the okay from the official on the right sideline. The way formation rules work, players can look over at a side judge or other official nearby to see if he’s in the permissible spot.
“I’m on the ball,” Jeffery said. “I pointed. What are you talking about? Man, you know I checked with the ref!”
No call. Eagles win ... eventually.
* * *
The Eagles were as euphoric a team in the locker room as I recall after a Super Bowl. Pure happiness. Not a bit of guile. Reich said it, Pederson said it, a couple of players said it: This was a great football game, with two excellent teams (well, excellent offenses anyway) playing at their peak, without being cowed by the stage. And playing without being chippy.
So the Super Bowl champs fly Eagles fly to (what’s left of) Philly today to be received like Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins down the Canyon of Heroes in lower Manhattan after the Apollo 11 moon landing. Oh, it’s going to be crazy when that parade goes up Broad Street, likely on Wednesday.
“I don’t know who we’d compare to,” said defensive end Chris Long, who, after winning the Super Bowl with New England last year, migrated four hours down I-95 to play for the Eagles. “Maybe the Giants, when they made all those key plays to beat the Patriots a few years ago. We had so many guys go down, and it’s like nobody around here cared.”
The backup thing really is crazy. Backup quarterback as coach, as coordinator, as quarterback. Foles had a 115.7 rating in this postseason, completing 73 percent of his passes. Just crazy. It’s clear Foles has complete confidence in what’s drawn up during the week by Reich (with help from the Press Taylors all over his coaching staff) and called by Pederson on Sunday.
It’s what’s wonderful about football. No one saw this coming when Carson Wentz went down in mid-December with his torn ACL. Whoever says they did is a liar. But that’s football. Pederson preaches treating his foes as “faceless opponents,” and you can be sure he didn’t go all gee-whiz about Belichick and Brady in the run-up to this game. Learn the man across from you. Learn everything. Forget the noise. His preaching worked. The backups are on top of the mountain today.
“That sounds pretty sweet,” Reich said in a quiet moment an hour after the game, thinking about the backups beating the legends. “Especially against those two. Those guys are legends. They are literally living legends. If you want to be champions, there can't be any better way of doing it than beating Coach Belichick and Tom Brady, and doing it the way we did it.”
I told Pederson he was the Brett Favre of coaches now. He’ll wing it, and he’ll take his chances, and he won’t be safe. He’ll lose some games he probably should have won, but that’s okay. He’ll be bold, and his players will love him. And man, with the Wentz-Foles depth chart going forward, this could be the start of a great run in a place with a big-league inferiority complex.
“Hey,” Pederson said, shrugging his shoulders, “you just gotta keep throwing the ball. Keep slinging the mud.”
The next big thing, folks, is going to be pretty fun to watch.
* * *
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE PATRIOTS
This Super Bowl felt strange from the start. You could walk 21 steps from the Tom Brady interview podium inside the JW Marriott at the Mall of America and be out in the concourse of the gargantuan shopping complex, overlooking Anthropologie. When offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels took a wrong turn into the mall instead of into a hotel restaurant on Tuesday night, Patriots fans chanted for him to stay with the team instead of leaving to become the Colts’ next coach.
The game was unusual like that too. “We never had control of the game,” Brady said when it was over. “We never played the game on our terms.”
Sounds crazy to say when you throw for 505 yards, but Brady’s right—it never felt as if the Patriots had the game in their hands, not even when they took a 33-32 lead with 9:26 left in the fourth quarter. And maybe that’s a harbinger of things to come. The Patriots, despite some reports that McDaniels might not go to the Colts, left U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday night expecting their offensive coordinator would have a Wednesday news conference in Indiana to be introduced as the next Indianapolis coach.
Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia will be named Detroit coach this week. Special teams coordinator Joe Judge could leave as well, and some in the organization expect offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who turns 70 this month, to retire, though that’s not a sure thing.
Adam Schefter reported it was likely Bill Belichick would return to coach the team, and Brady assured Jim Gray on Westwood One radio on Sunday that he’d be back. There’s an expectation that Belichick and owner Robert Kraft could meet early in the off-season to iron out whatever differences they have in the wake of a damaging ESPN story in December about their relationship. But all sides seem to think Kraft, Belichick and Brady will be back for season 19 together in 2018.
It’s been a fantastic run of greatness, even with a third Patriots Super Bowl loss since 2007. We should let the dust settle, and see who will run this historic offense in 2018, before judging very much about the future. So we will. But with a coach turning 66 and a quarterback turning 41 in 2018, it’s a lot closer to the end of this era than the beginning.
It’s reasonable to wonder if we’ll see the Patriots atop the football world again. The defense will need some major surgery, and coaches will have to be replaced effectively. The Patriots will nurse their wounds this week, and get back to the business of trying to make it nine Super Bowl in 19 years in 2019. It seems like it’s going to be pretty difficult to do that.
* * *
• This place really hates the Eagles. As our Conor Orr wrote in the Morning Huddle, the vile treatment of Vikings fans in Philadelphia (at least by several stories emanating from the NFC title game two weeks ago) made Minneapolis—Lyft drivers, mall-walkers, restaurant servers, from my casual investigation—pull hard for the Patriots. I ran into Vikings offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles on Radio Row, inside the Mall of America, and asked him about the Eagles trumping the Vikes and being the “home” team in this game. Sirles frowned and said: “This game will be like watching your best friend marry your ex-girlfriend in your own backyard. It stinks, obviously.”
* * *
ON THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2018
This was a fascinating Hall of Fame season. Every year before the selection meeting (Saturday, MSP Airport Marriott, 6:59 a.m. start time), I write down my order of the 15 Modern Era finalists. This year when I did that, I figured, even before the presentations began I would have voted my top 12 for enshrinement. So it was a deep class, to be sure.
After the meeting I was happy about the class, mostly. I loved Brian Dawkins, one of the truly great two-way safeties of his day and exceedingly deserving. Ray Lewis, a given. Brian Urlacher, nearly a given, and absolutely deserving. My one disappointment was no Tony Boselli.
I feel like there hasn’t been a better left tackle in the game, post-Muñoz, in the 34 seasons I’ve covered the game, and I felt Boselli’s chances skyrocketed after two players who played fewer games (Terrell Davis and Kenny Easley) were inducted into the Hall last year. But I think the logjam of high-quality offensive linemen hurt Boselli—and will continue to do so, based on the discussions among voters on Saturday.
But all else was good, I thought.
Facts, figures, thoughts, stories from the voting session, which ended with the election of this class of eight football men: GM Bobby Beathard (Contributors Committee), linebacker Robert Brazile and guard Jerry Kramer (Seniors Committee), and the five modern-era players: safety Brian Dawkins, linebackers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher, wide receivers Randy Moss and Terrell Owens:
• Time of meeting. Eight hours, 18 minutes.
• Voters present: 47.
• Time of discussions for each candidate: Robert Brazile 6:02, Jerry Kramer 23:36, Bobby Beathard 21:51, Brian Dawkins 23:14, Ty Law 16:15, John Lynch 17:28, Everson Walls 21:01, Edgerrin James 11:39, Ray Lewis 6:01, Brian Urlacher 14:23, Tony Boselli 20:19, Alan Faneca 8:44, Steve Hutchinson 12:10, Joe Jacoby 13:57, Kevin Mawae 31:42, Isaac Bruce 13:23, Randy Moss 34:45, Terrell Owens 45:18.
• Cut from 15 to 10: Boselli, Dawkins, Faneca, Hutchinson, Law, Lewis, Mawae, Moss, Owens, Urlacher. (Eliminated: Bruce, Jacoby, James, Lynch, Walls.)
• Cut from 10 to 5: Dawkins, Lewis, Moss, Owens, Urlacher. (Eliminated: Boselli, Faneca, Hutchinson, Law, Mawae.)
• We got the receivers right. I’ve found over the years that as the meeting goes on, the presentations and discussions late in the day get a little shorter. It’s human nature. Get it done. But the last two names on our list Saturday, as you just saw, were the longest discussions. We are forbidden from writing about and revealing specific points about the candidates outside the room, so I cannot be specific about what was talked about for each. But I can say the debate on both players was spirited, respectful, smart and less angry that it was in the past.
We all know Moss had issues of effort in his career. We all know Owens had been a divisive figure on several of his teams, and it came back to haunt him in his previous two failed nominations. But this year, while both men had their detractors, it was clear that the greatness of the players on the field won the day. I’ve always had this feeling about people we consider for the Hall who may have a bad side. We need to consider everything about players—the good, the history-making, the ugly.
And taken as complete packages, there is no question in my mind that Moss and Owens should be bronzed in Canton. I favored Moss, because he’s the most explosive play-making receiver I’ve covered in my 34 seasons following the NFL. But Owens is worthy too. Odd, but worthy. I’m glad they both got in.
• I voted for Jerry Kramer. Not saying I’m right, not saying I’m wrong. But I do believe when I enter the room I owe it to every candidate to have an open mind. Kramer was named as one of two guards on the NFL’s 50-year anniversary team in 1969 after an 11-year Packer career that ended that year. As many readers know, I’d been against Kramer’s candidacy. Two reasons: He had his case heard 11 times previously—10 times as a modern-era finalist, and once as a Seniors Committee nominees. He’d failed to get the 80 percent vote required to gain entry, ever.
And now, 21 years after his last attempt, here came the former Packers guard who’d made the most famous block in NFL history, the pile-clearing block that allowed Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr to score the winning sneak in the Ice Bowl 50 years ago, as a Seniors Committee nominee again. Basically, I didn’t like that today’s 48-member committee was being asked to clean up the mess left by the committees of yesteryear.
Maybe those committee members were right in spurning Kramer. How could we know? We could watch some highlights, and rely on old timers’ recollections of his play. But of the 48 current members of the voting committee, no one covered the Packers back then. At-large member Vito Stellino did see Kramer play. But we didn’t cover the man. Those who did never voted him in.
Two: Five-and-a-half years ago, I spoke to Starr and asked him if there was anyone he felt had been forgotten by the Hall of Fame over the years. Yes, he said; tackle Bob Skoronski. Anyone else, I wondered? Starr said no. In recent months, and particularly over the weekend, the weight of Kramer’s accomplishments, and theories about why he never made it (old AFL writers on the committee thinking the Hall was overstuffed with Packers, for instance, as well as pushback from players and media over his enlightening, not-quite-Ball-Four-book Instant Replay), made a dent on me.
I just thought there was a good chance I was wrong. I’m still not certain I was, but I listened to those I respect on the committee and put an X in the “Yes” box when I voted. Glad I did. For more on Kramer, read Andy Benoit’s story after he spent much of the evening with Kramer on Saturday.
• It’s about to get very crowded. The new candidates in 2019 include Tony Gonzalez, Ed Reed and Champ Bailey, who made a combined 35 Pro Bowls. The newbies in 2020, the NFL’s 100th anniversary season, will be thinner—Troy Polamalu at the head of that class. It gets crowded in 2021, with Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson and Calvin Johnson. So the job of the voters is going to get harder.
* * *
OPENING DAY IS 213 DAYS AWAY
Thirty weeks and three days until the Sept. 6 Thursday night opener, and we’ve got these 11 games to look forward to in 2018:
• Green Bay at New England. Regular-season game of the year. I find this amazing: Assuming Tom Brady comes back in 2018 for his 19th season, this will be the second time Aaron Rodgers (34 on opening day) and Brady (41) will start an NFL game against each other. Rodgers played in relief of Brett Favre in a 2006 game … Rodgers missed the 2010 meeting with a concussion—his only missed start of that season …
Green Bay won the 2014 meeting, the only head-to-head game between the greats, 26-21, at Lambeau Field. Each threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions that day. The 2018 game would normally be on FOX if played on Sunday afternoon, but the league might want it on Sunday night to get maximum ratings exposure. The networks could brawl over this game.
• Los Angeles at Los Angeles. Chargers at Rams, at the Coliseum.
• Oakland at San Francisco. Many reasons: Last Oakland-SF game in the Bay Area before the Raiders move to Vegas in 2020. Carr vs. Garoppolo. Gruden vs. Shanahan.
• Pittsburgh at Oakland. Shed tears. Likely the last game ever in the Black Hole for the Steelers. I hate that this rivalry is going away, even though this will be only the fourth meeting between the Steelers and Raiders in Oakland in the past 13 years. Pittsburgh at Las Vegas … not the same.
• Indianapolis at New England. Josh McDaniels returns.
• New England at Detroit. Matt Patricia and what might have been.
• Jacksonville at New York Giants. Tom Coughlin back in the Meadowlands, presumably in triumph.
• Dallas at Houston. Battle of Texas happens once every four years, which is not enough. Prescott-Watson will be cool to see.
• Jacksonville at Buffalo. Just wondering how Doug Marrone will be welcomed when he walks out of the tunnel for the first time since walking away from the Bills after the 2014 season.
• Houston at New England. The Broken Record Bowl: Fourth time in three years that Bill O’Brien brings his Texans to Foxboro.
• New England at Pittsburgh. Jesse James Revenge Bowl.
Finally, NFL senior vice president of broadcasting Howard Katz, the schedule czar, will have an excellent menu to choose from for the NFL’s opening night next September. With the Eagles hosting the first game, Katz and Rodger Goodell could pick from a slew of top quarterbacks to face Philly—unsure if the opening-night starter will be Nick Foles or Carson Wentz, because Wentz could still be rehabbing from knee surgery.
Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Deshaun Watson, Andrew Luck and whoever quarterbacks Minnesota will travel to Lincoln Financial Field in 2018, as well as Dak Prescott, Eli Manning (presumably) and Alex Smith of Washington in division games.
* * *
THE AWARD SECTION
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Nick Foles, quarterback, Philadelphia. He did everything imaginable to make the world forget he is a backup quarterback. He went 28 of 43 for 373 yards and three touchdown passes, but the stats do not tell the story here. On the game’s biggest stage, Foles went toe-to-toe with the five-time champion Brady, even one-upping the league MVP by hauling in a pass (for a touchdown) after Brady dropped a similar opportunity earlier in the game. Foles was named the Super Bowl MVP and is now headed to Disneyland. What a story.
Tom Brady, quarterback, New England. An unreal performance—a Super Bowl-record 505 passing yards and three touchdowns—but don’t just take my word for it. “Tom Brady is unbelievable! Unbelievable! UNBELIEVABLE!” Eagle Chris Long gushed in the locker room. “The only way you beat Tom Brady is to keep attacking.” Philadelphia did, and that was the difference, as this next guy proved.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brandon Graham, defensive end, Philadelphia. Brady and the Patriots had their chance to pull off another late Super Bowl comeback, down 5 but with the ball and 2:21 on the clock. But the Eagles defense kept attacking, and finally got to Brady. Brandon Graham tore off the edge, got around New England's Shaq Mason and knocked the ball out of Brady’s hand. Graham’s teammate Derek Barnett recovered and a very offensive Super Bowl finally had its signature defensive play. It would be the Eagles’ only sack of the game.
COACH OF THE WEEK
Doug Pederson, head coach, Philadelphia. Didn’t coach scared. That’s the formula to beat New England. Attack, attack, attack, and if you make mistakes or don’t convert the long throws or the change-up plays, you’re going to lose. But if you don’t take chances you’re going to lose too. In the first half, Nick Foles threw a lovely arcing 34-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery—perfectly executed on both ends—and in the second quarter, just before halftime, there was the play of the game, the fourth-down touchdown pass from the third-string tight end to the backup (now starting) quarterback, Foles. Pederson understood the ethos of this game. To beat the Patriots, play 60 minutes and play boldly.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jake Elliott, kicker, Philadelphia. The former high school tennis player, who began kicking on a lark in high school in Illinois, lined up for a 46-yarder in the final minute for insurance … and nailed it.
GOATS OF THE WEEK
Jordan Richards, safety, New England. Eagles ball, third-and-three at their 37, 1:46 left, first half. Philadelphia 15, New England 12. Foles looks for running back Corey Clement leaking out of the backfield on a wheel route to the right. Richards picks him up in coverage, but Clement gets two steps on him. This is something that Richards cannot allow. It’s clear the Eagles just need to convert to keep the drive going. They needed three or four yards.
Because Richards didn’t do his job and lost coverage on Clement, the Eagles gained 55 yards on the play. Instead of Tom Brady getting the ball back and having a legit chance to tie the game at halftime or put the Patriots ahead with a touchdown drive, the Eagles got the late-half touchdown … and went into halftime with a 22-12 lead.
The New England placekicking team (snapper Joe Cardona, holder Ryan Allen, kicker Stephen Gostkowski). Missing two short kicks in a game is bad enough. Missing them in the Super Bowl, in one half of play, is inexcusable. On the first, a 26-yard field goal attempt early in the second quarter, Cardona snapped low, but Allen should have had it and put it down cleanly; he didn’t, and Gostkowski kicked a duck off the left upright. On a point-after attempt late in the quarter, Gostkowski simply kicked it wide left. Folks, this is the same thing as a 33-yard field goal. It’s a kick you make in ninth grade. Instead of a 22-16 halftime deficit, the Patriots trailed 22-12.
* * *
THINGS I THINK I THINK WHEN I'M NOT CRYING IN MY BEER BECAUSE THE PATRIOTS LOST
1. I think these are my quick thoughts on Super Bowl 52:
a. Great anthem, P!nk.
b. Interesting to see Malcolm Butler on the bench for the Patriots. He told our Albert Breer on Thursday that he’d had a “sh---- season,” and the Patriots played former Eagle Eric Rowe early … and it paid off. Rowe broke up a potential touchdown pass on the Eagles’ first series.
c. Best defensive player on the field for New England in the first quarter: Kyle Van Noy. Remember the Pats’ trade for him? Oct. 25, 2016: Patriots deal a sixth-round pick to Detroit for Van Noy and a seventh-round pick. Think of that—New England traded the 215th pick and got the 239th back. Negligible. And got an effective play-making linebacker.
d. First time both quarterbacks threw for more than 100 yards in the first quarter of a Super Bowl: Foles 102, Brady 120. That was a sign of things to come.
e. Amazing how much play-caller Doug Pederson has come to trust Nick Foles, and here’s why: the TD pass to Alshon Jeffery traveled 51 yards in the air, and landed right in Jeffery’s hands nine yards deep in the end zone for a touchdown.
f. Brady’s gotta catch that pass from Danny Amendola. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write in my life.
g. “Cooks will not return. Head injury.” The press-box announcement was a wow, and became a huge factor in the game.
h. How Gamecock-ey: Stephon Gilmore with the defensive play of the first half against his University of South Carolina roommate, stripping Alshon Jeffery, with the ball popping up in the air and Duron Harmon intercepting it.
i. Nelson Agholor showed America something—toughness, productivity, worthy of the first round.
j. Nice zebra-like fur coat, Floyd Mayweather.
k. Foles threw two bad passes all night—overthrowing Jeffery twice. That’s it. What a night.
l. Well, three: He waited too long to throw to Clement on the two-point conversion that would have made it 40-33.
m. Hell of a way to go out, Bob Angelo.
n. Angelo and three good friends, masters of their camera craft at NFL Films, shot their last games Sunday.
2. I think if Rob Gronkowski never played another football game, and I was still a Hall of Fame voter when he’d be eligible in 2023, I’d vote him into the Hall. He’s played 115 games, including 13 in the playoffs, and scored 12 playoff touchdowns. He's generally been uncoverable for so much of his career.
3. I think this was just a sloppy game for the New England defense. Time and again the Patriots missed tackles and allowed the Eagles to extend drives. The one that comes to mind: New England cut the Eagles’ lead to 22-19, and had Philadelphia with a third-and-six at the Eagle 19.
Foles threw to Nelson Agholor well short of the first down, but Pats cornerback Johnson Bademosi let Agholor get out of his tackle, and Agholor gained 17. I know how the game ended, but that doesn’t absolve a whole slew of bad defensive plays by the Patriots
4. I think the Malcolm Butler fall from grace will be one of the great stories of the day after, and the week after.
5. I think, before you even ask, Carson Wentz is going to be the Eagles’ starting quarterback next season as soon as he is healthy. Period.
6. I think the league understands it has some rules problems, thankfully. Roger Goodell implied in his state of the league press conference that he wants to see the catch rule torn down and rewritten from scratch. That’s going to be hard, for sure, because every attempted simplification of the rule invites an opposite action. If a player is deemed to have caught the ball if he has two hands on it and two feet on the ground before he makes what’s become known as a football move, that would invite defenders to cream the ball-carrier more than is done now, trying to dislodge the ball.
Regarding replay, Goodell said: “We did have more replay interruptions this year. I think that’s something we have to look at, we can improve on. You know, we spent a great deal of time in the offseason on game presentation. How do we make our game more attractive? Less stoppages, shorter stoppages when they do occur whether they’re commercial or otherwise.
I think that’s one of the things we’re going to focus on—how do we do the replay in a way that will ensure correcting an obvious mistake but make sure it doesn’t interrupt the flow of the game?” Here’s an idea: correct only the obviously wrong calls, not the replay marginalia.
7. I think kudos are in order to the NFL for giving away 500 tickets to the Super Bowl this year—to people far and wide, such as the youth football team from the tough neighborhood in Minneapolis, and the fire chief in Westchester County, N.Y., battling cancer. That's not a big deal to the NFL's bottom line, and it's a tremendous gesture of goodwill.
8. I think I think you’ll enjoy something we’re doing at The MMQB that’s new and interesting: a 13-part series, running every Thursday, following Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield between now and the NFL Draft. One story a week, each Thursday, by The MMQB’sRobert Klemko. Writes Klemko: “Mayfield is refreshingly honest for a high-profile draft prospect, and he provides a wonderful test case for the NFL's tolerance for a candid quarterback, a rare bird we very rarely encounter in this business.
As Mayfield told me in his first interview, ‘I'm going to be honest because that's how I am. Apparently not everybody likes to hear the truth.’” Come back Thursday for more, and every Thursday until draft day April 26
9. I think you need to read this story about the overwhelming sadness of depression, from Chargers tackle Joe Barksdale. Tremendous job by Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, and even better for Barksdale to share his soul-crushing stories that nearly ended in suicide.
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https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/02/05/super-bowl-52-eagles-patriots-peter-king-mmqb
The Philly Special: Inside the ‘Set of Stones’ Play Call That Helped the Eagles Win the Super Bowl
By PETER KING
MIKE EHRMAN/GETTY IMAGES
MINNEAPOLIS — Thirty Eagles bounced to the beat of a popular rap song, “MotorSport,” an hour after the pulsating Super Bowl 52 victory over the dynastic Patriots. White, black, players, coaches, one equipment guy at least. When the deafening song was over, 50-year-old Doug Pederson, one of the unlikeliest Super Bowl-winning head coaches ever, found his way to the front of his men for his post-game address.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am!” the hoarse Pederson said, straining to be heard, his face a road map of glee. “World champions! World champions! This is what you’ve accomplished—it’s for this moment right here!”
Then he said: “An individual can make a difference, but a team makes a miracle!”
One player yelled: “Coach of the year!”
If the balloting included the post-season, and counted three straight wins as underdogs, the award would be Pederson’s. But he’s fine with this award for his team and his football-loving city: Eagles 41, Patriots 33, in what could well be the single biggest sports victory in the history of Philadelphia.
The Eagles are NFL champions for the first time in the Super Bowl era, for the first time since three weeks before the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. And it never would have happened without the head coach whom USA Todayranked seventh of seven new NFL coaching hires in January 2016.
“He’s got a big set of stones,” offensive coordinator Frank Reich said, trying to find the words just before the clock struck 12 Sunday night.
That’ll do.
Doug Pederson is a coach of the people. No idea is too weird. No time to run a play is ever inopportune. I don’t mean to say this should be his legacy, but it might turn out to be. He is a Super Bowl champion in his second year as an NFL head coach, in part, because of one of the strangest play calls in Super Bowl history, called on fourth down late in the first half in a three-point game, the biggest game of his life.
The Patriots are flying home losers today despite putting up a Super Bowl-record 613 yards and despite Tom Brady playing one of the games of his life. They are flying home losers because a head coach who was a backup NFL quarterback (Pederson) and an offensive coordinator who was a backup NFL quarterback (Reich) and a quarterback who was a backup NFL quarterback (Foles) beat Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. They knew the only chance to beat the Patriots was to call a top-secret play when it wouldn’t have mattered if the Patriots had 15 players on defense.
Inside the Eagles’ locker room, I got Pederson alone and asked where this football ethos came from.
“Playing quarterback, watching a lot of teams, a lot of football,” he said. “You learn if you play passive, if you play conservative, if you call plays conservatively, you are going to be 8-8, 9-7 every year. Every year. Frank and I just having that collaborative spirit to talk about things and talk with our quarterbacks and just come up with ways of keeping this game fresh and fun and exciting for our players. And that's really where it all stems from.”
In this case, the key moment of the game, and of the season, came when Pederson, the Eagles’ play-caller, looked over his play sheet and fixated on the play he has loved for three weeks.
Target left bunch, Philly special.
On Saturday night, Pederson said to Reich: “We’ll build a lead, and in the third or fourth quarter, that play will be the dagger.”
I love five parts of this play.
• Reich told me the kernel of the idea originated from an industrious Eagles quality-control coach, Press Taylor. Said Reich: “Press has this, what we call this vault of trick plays. It's an immense vault, so every week we go into Press's vault looking for plays.” Taylor, it appears, found the play in a meaningless Week 17 game in 2016.
At 1:10 this morning, The MMQB’s Kalyn Kahler found a play from the Chicago-Minnesota game that doubtless led to Target left bunch, Philly special. Bears running back Jeremy Langford took a direct snap from center, quarterback Matt Barkley lined up behind the right tackle, and wideout Cam Meredith circled back behind Langford and took a pitch from him.
Barkley leaked out of the backfield into the end zone. No one covered him. At the 11-yard line, Meredith tossed the ball to Barkley, two yards deep in the end zone. Touchdown. Watch that play and keep it in mind. You’ll need it. “We’re fine with ideas coming from anywhere,” Reich said. “Doug loves ideas.”
• The Patriots are known for their exhaustive research to discover the roots of a play, with mad scientist/analytics expert Ernie Adams knowing every play a team might run going back at least a couple of years. But if a play hasn’t been run by the Eagles, how would Adams have seen it? And how would Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia been able to prepare for it?
• Why Burton as the triggerman? He was recruited as a dual-threat quarterback out of high school in Florida. He pitched in high school. So Pederson knew Burton could throw it—and he saw it when the team practiced the play some this month. And the Eagles knew the Patriots wouldn’t expect Burton to throw a pass. In his four NFL seasons, he hadn’t thrown a single one.
• The Super Bowl’s a big stage. The Eagles practiced the play in privacy back in Philadelphia—in fact, they thought they might use it against Minnesota but didn’t need it in the 38-7 NFC title win 15 days ago—but once they got to Minneapolis, they didn’t want to expose it to prying eyes of outsiders, a few of whom are at every practice.
They ran it twice on Friday afternoon in a walk-through practice at their Mall of America hotel, the Radisson Blu, a five-minute walk from the Orange Julius, seven minutes from Shake Shack. On one of the attempts, Burton threw behind Foles, but the quarterback reached behind him and made a nice grab. Burton didn’t beg, but he asked Pederson stridently, “Can we run this?”
• Foles had not been thrown a pass since his first season quarterbacking the Arizona Wildcats in 2009. He caught it … for a loss of nine yards.
This is what it takes to stun the Patriots: a play they’d never seen run by the Eagles, with a passer who’d never thrown an NFL pass, and a receiver who’d never been thrown an NFL pass.
Run in the Super Bowl, in a three-point game, against the best team of the generation. Burton’s glad he didn’t have much time to think about it.
“It was fourth down,” I said to him. “It was fourth down in the Super Bowl!”
“Doug’s got some guts, doesn’t he?” Burton said.
Eagles 15, Patriots 12. Third-and-goal from the Pats’ one, with 41 seconds left.
“I made up my mind we were going for it on fourth down if we didn’t make it on third,” Pederson said.
Incomplete. Fourth-and-goal now.
“We had a couple of options at that point, but then my eyes just kind of hit that play,” Pederson said. “I was thinking, ‘We keep talking about that play, and calling it in the second half of the game … but are we going to be in a situation like this, to put us up by two scores? There are certain plays that you spend time doing them, repping them, and you have no doubt they are going to work. Without a shadow of a doubt you know. I knew.”
RICH GRAESSLE/ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY IMAGES
Pederson called into his headset to Foles: “Target left bunch, Philly special.”
This is about to be a touchdown, guard Stefan Wisniewski thought when he heard the call.
“The end was a little wider than I thought,” Foles said. “So I really had to sell it like I’m not doing anything. It worked.”
You can cue up the Bears’ play at Minnesota from 25 months ago. It is a precise carbon copy, all the way down to Burton taking the pitch, throwing from his 11 and Foles catching it two yards deep. No one there. Touchdown.
“That play is Doug epitomized,” Reich said. “That play is our team, our season.”
So the Eagles took a 22-12 lead at the half. New England assumed a brief second-half lead, but from the half, it was like the Patriots were always playing uphill. New England is good at it, but the Eagles keep counter-punching.
One more note about this: After the play, Twitter was filled with people saying the Eagles were short one man on the line of scrimmage at the snap of the ball. The NFL requires seven offensive players to be on the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped. And it does appear that six Eagles were within a yard of the line, which is permissible, and the seventh, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, to the top of the formation, was two yards off the line. In theory, the officials could have called an illegal formation with only six men on the line.
Except Jeffery claimed he got the okay from the official on the right sideline. The way formation rules work, players can look over at a side judge or other official nearby to see if he’s in the permissible spot.
“I’m on the ball,” Jeffery said. “I pointed. What are you talking about? Man, you know I checked with the ref!”
No call. Eagles win ... eventually.
* * *
The Eagles were as euphoric a team in the locker room as I recall after a Super Bowl. Pure happiness. Not a bit of guile. Reich said it, Pederson said it, a couple of players said it: This was a great football game, with two excellent teams (well, excellent offenses anyway) playing at their peak, without being cowed by the stage. And playing without being chippy.
So the Super Bowl champs fly Eagles fly to (what’s left of) Philly today to be received like Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins down the Canyon of Heroes in lower Manhattan after the Apollo 11 moon landing. Oh, it’s going to be crazy when that parade goes up Broad Street, likely on Wednesday.
“I don’t know who we’d compare to,” said defensive end Chris Long, who, after winning the Super Bowl with New England last year, migrated four hours down I-95 to play for the Eagles. “Maybe the Giants, when they made all those key plays to beat the Patriots a few years ago. We had so many guys go down, and it’s like nobody around here cared.”
The backup thing really is crazy. Backup quarterback as coach, as coordinator, as quarterback. Foles had a 115.7 rating in this postseason, completing 73 percent of his passes. Just crazy. It’s clear Foles has complete confidence in what’s drawn up during the week by Reich (with help from the Press Taylors all over his coaching staff) and called by Pederson on Sunday.
It’s what’s wonderful about football. No one saw this coming when Carson Wentz went down in mid-December with his torn ACL. Whoever says they did is a liar. But that’s football. Pederson preaches treating his foes as “faceless opponents,” and you can be sure he didn’t go all gee-whiz about Belichick and Brady in the run-up to this game. Learn the man across from you. Learn everything. Forget the noise. His preaching worked. The backups are on top of the mountain today.
“That sounds pretty sweet,” Reich said in a quiet moment an hour after the game, thinking about the backups beating the legends. “Especially against those two. Those guys are legends. They are literally living legends. If you want to be champions, there can't be any better way of doing it than beating Coach Belichick and Tom Brady, and doing it the way we did it.”
I told Pederson he was the Brett Favre of coaches now. He’ll wing it, and he’ll take his chances, and he won’t be safe. He’ll lose some games he probably should have won, but that’s okay. He’ll be bold, and his players will love him. And man, with the Wentz-Foles depth chart going forward, this could be the start of a great run in a place with a big-league inferiority complex.
“Hey,” Pederson said, shrugging his shoulders, “you just gotta keep throwing the ball. Keep slinging the mud.”
The next big thing, folks, is going to be pretty fun to watch.
* * *
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE PATRIOTS
This Super Bowl felt strange from the start. You could walk 21 steps from the Tom Brady interview podium inside the JW Marriott at the Mall of America and be out in the concourse of the gargantuan shopping complex, overlooking Anthropologie. When offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels took a wrong turn into the mall instead of into a hotel restaurant on Tuesday night, Patriots fans chanted for him to stay with the team instead of leaving to become the Colts’ next coach.
The game was unusual like that too. “We never had control of the game,” Brady said when it was over. “We never played the game on our terms.”
Sounds crazy to say when you throw for 505 yards, but Brady’s right—it never felt as if the Patriots had the game in their hands, not even when they took a 33-32 lead with 9:26 left in the fourth quarter. And maybe that’s a harbinger of things to come. The Patriots, despite some reports that McDaniels might not go to the Colts, left U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday night expecting their offensive coordinator would have a Wednesday news conference in Indiana to be introduced as the next Indianapolis coach.
Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia will be named Detroit coach this week. Special teams coordinator Joe Judge could leave as well, and some in the organization expect offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who turns 70 this month, to retire, though that’s not a sure thing.
Adam Schefter reported it was likely Bill Belichick would return to coach the team, and Brady assured Jim Gray on Westwood One radio on Sunday that he’d be back. There’s an expectation that Belichick and owner Robert Kraft could meet early in the off-season to iron out whatever differences they have in the wake of a damaging ESPN story in December about their relationship. But all sides seem to think Kraft, Belichick and Brady will be back for season 19 together in 2018.
It’s been a fantastic run of greatness, even with a third Patriots Super Bowl loss since 2007. We should let the dust settle, and see who will run this historic offense in 2018, before judging very much about the future. So we will. But with a coach turning 66 and a quarterback turning 41 in 2018, it’s a lot closer to the end of this era than the beginning.
It’s reasonable to wonder if we’ll see the Patriots atop the football world again. The defense will need some major surgery, and coaches will have to be replaced effectively. The Patriots will nurse their wounds this week, and get back to the business of trying to make it nine Super Bowl in 19 years in 2019. It seems like it’s going to be pretty difficult to do that.
* * *
• This place really hates the Eagles. As our Conor Orr wrote in the Morning Huddle, the vile treatment of Vikings fans in Philadelphia (at least by several stories emanating from the NFC title game two weeks ago) made Minneapolis—Lyft drivers, mall-walkers, restaurant servers, from my casual investigation—pull hard for the Patriots. I ran into Vikings offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles on Radio Row, inside the Mall of America, and asked him about the Eagles trumping the Vikes and being the “home” team in this game. Sirles frowned and said: “This game will be like watching your best friend marry your ex-girlfriend in your own backyard. It stinks, obviously.”
* * *
ON THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2018
This was a fascinating Hall of Fame season. Every year before the selection meeting (Saturday, MSP Airport Marriott, 6:59 a.m. start time), I write down my order of the 15 Modern Era finalists. This year when I did that, I figured, even before the presentations began I would have voted my top 12 for enshrinement. So it was a deep class, to be sure.
After the meeting I was happy about the class, mostly. I loved Brian Dawkins, one of the truly great two-way safeties of his day and exceedingly deserving. Ray Lewis, a given. Brian Urlacher, nearly a given, and absolutely deserving. My one disappointment was no Tony Boselli.
I feel like there hasn’t been a better left tackle in the game, post-Muñoz, in the 34 seasons I’ve covered the game, and I felt Boselli’s chances skyrocketed after two players who played fewer games (Terrell Davis and Kenny Easley) were inducted into the Hall last year. But I think the logjam of high-quality offensive linemen hurt Boselli—and will continue to do so, based on the discussions among voters on Saturday.
But all else was good, I thought.
Facts, figures, thoughts, stories from the voting session, which ended with the election of this class of eight football men: GM Bobby Beathard (Contributors Committee), linebacker Robert Brazile and guard Jerry Kramer (Seniors Committee), and the five modern-era players: safety Brian Dawkins, linebackers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher, wide receivers Randy Moss and Terrell Owens:
• Time of meeting. Eight hours, 18 minutes.
• Voters present: 47.
• Time of discussions for each candidate: Robert Brazile 6:02, Jerry Kramer 23:36, Bobby Beathard 21:51, Brian Dawkins 23:14, Ty Law 16:15, John Lynch 17:28, Everson Walls 21:01, Edgerrin James 11:39, Ray Lewis 6:01, Brian Urlacher 14:23, Tony Boselli 20:19, Alan Faneca 8:44, Steve Hutchinson 12:10, Joe Jacoby 13:57, Kevin Mawae 31:42, Isaac Bruce 13:23, Randy Moss 34:45, Terrell Owens 45:18.
• Cut from 15 to 10: Boselli, Dawkins, Faneca, Hutchinson, Law, Lewis, Mawae, Moss, Owens, Urlacher. (Eliminated: Bruce, Jacoby, James, Lynch, Walls.)
• Cut from 10 to 5: Dawkins, Lewis, Moss, Owens, Urlacher. (Eliminated: Boselli, Faneca, Hutchinson, Law, Mawae.)
• We got the receivers right. I’ve found over the years that as the meeting goes on, the presentations and discussions late in the day get a little shorter. It’s human nature. Get it done. But the last two names on our list Saturday, as you just saw, were the longest discussions. We are forbidden from writing about and revealing specific points about the candidates outside the room, so I cannot be specific about what was talked about for each. But I can say the debate on both players was spirited, respectful, smart and less angry that it was in the past.
We all know Moss had issues of effort in his career. We all know Owens had been a divisive figure on several of his teams, and it came back to haunt him in his previous two failed nominations. But this year, while both men had their detractors, it was clear that the greatness of the players on the field won the day. I’ve always had this feeling about people we consider for the Hall who may have a bad side. We need to consider everything about players—the good, the history-making, the ugly.
And taken as complete packages, there is no question in my mind that Moss and Owens should be bronzed in Canton. I favored Moss, because he’s the most explosive play-making receiver I’ve covered in my 34 seasons following the NFL. But Owens is worthy too. Odd, but worthy. I’m glad they both got in.
• I voted for Jerry Kramer. Not saying I’m right, not saying I’m wrong. But I do believe when I enter the room I owe it to every candidate to have an open mind. Kramer was named as one of two guards on the NFL’s 50-year anniversary team in 1969 after an 11-year Packer career that ended that year. As many readers know, I’d been against Kramer’s candidacy. Two reasons: He had his case heard 11 times previously—10 times as a modern-era finalist, and once as a Seniors Committee nominees. He’d failed to get the 80 percent vote required to gain entry, ever.
And now, 21 years after his last attempt, here came the former Packers guard who’d made the most famous block in NFL history, the pile-clearing block that allowed Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr to score the winning sneak in the Ice Bowl 50 years ago, as a Seniors Committee nominee again. Basically, I didn’t like that today’s 48-member committee was being asked to clean up the mess left by the committees of yesteryear.
Maybe those committee members were right in spurning Kramer. How could we know? We could watch some highlights, and rely on old timers’ recollections of his play. But of the 48 current members of the voting committee, no one covered the Packers back then. At-large member Vito Stellino did see Kramer play. But we didn’t cover the man. Those who did never voted him in.
Two: Five-and-a-half years ago, I spoke to Starr and asked him if there was anyone he felt had been forgotten by the Hall of Fame over the years. Yes, he said; tackle Bob Skoronski. Anyone else, I wondered? Starr said no. In recent months, and particularly over the weekend, the weight of Kramer’s accomplishments, and theories about why he never made it (old AFL writers on the committee thinking the Hall was overstuffed with Packers, for instance, as well as pushback from players and media over his enlightening, not-quite-Ball-Four-book Instant Replay), made a dent on me.
I just thought there was a good chance I was wrong. I’m still not certain I was, but I listened to those I respect on the committee and put an X in the “Yes” box when I voted. Glad I did. For more on Kramer, read Andy Benoit’s story after he spent much of the evening with Kramer on Saturday.
• It’s about to get very crowded. The new candidates in 2019 include Tony Gonzalez, Ed Reed and Champ Bailey, who made a combined 35 Pro Bowls. The newbies in 2020, the NFL’s 100th anniversary season, will be thinner—Troy Polamalu at the head of that class. It gets crowded in 2021, with Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson and Calvin Johnson. So the job of the voters is going to get harder.
* * *
OPENING DAY IS 213 DAYS AWAY
Thirty weeks and three days until the Sept. 6 Thursday night opener, and we’ve got these 11 games to look forward to in 2018:
• Green Bay at New England. Regular-season game of the year. I find this amazing: Assuming Tom Brady comes back in 2018 for his 19th season, this will be the second time Aaron Rodgers (34 on opening day) and Brady (41) will start an NFL game against each other. Rodgers played in relief of Brett Favre in a 2006 game … Rodgers missed the 2010 meeting with a concussion—his only missed start of that season …
Green Bay won the 2014 meeting, the only head-to-head game between the greats, 26-21, at Lambeau Field. Each threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions that day. The 2018 game would normally be on FOX if played on Sunday afternoon, but the league might want it on Sunday night to get maximum ratings exposure. The networks could brawl over this game.
• Los Angeles at Los Angeles. Chargers at Rams, at the Coliseum.
• Oakland at San Francisco. Many reasons: Last Oakland-SF game in the Bay Area before the Raiders move to Vegas in 2020. Carr vs. Garoppolo. Gruden vs. Shanahan.
• Pittsburgh at Oakland. Shed tears. Likely the last game ever in the Black Hole for the Steelers. I hate that this rivalry is going away, even though this will be only the fourth meeting between the Steelers and Raiders in Oakland in the past 13 years. Pittsburgh at Las Vegas … not the same.
• Indianapolis at New England. Josh McDaniels returns.
• New England at Detroit. Matt Patricia and what might have been.
• Jacksonville at New York Giants. Tom Coughlin back in the Meadowlands, presumably in triumph.
• Dallas at Houston. Battle of Texas happens once every four years, which is not enough. Prescott-Watson will be cool to see.
• Jacksonville at Buffalo. Just wondering how Doug Marrone will be welcomed when he walks out of the tunnel for the first time since walking away from the Bills after the 2014 season.
• Houston at New England. The Broken Record Bowl: Fourth time in three years that Bill O’Brien brings his Texans to Foxboro.
• New England at Pittsburgh. Jesse James Revenge Bowl.
Finally, NFL senior vice president of broadcasting Howard Katz, the schedule czar, will have an excellent menu to choose from for the NFL’s opening night next September. With the Eagles hosting the first game, Katz and Rodger Goodell could pick from a slew of top quarterbacks to face Philly—unsure if the opening-night starter will be Nick Foles or Carson Wentz, because Wentz could still be rehabbing from knee surgery.
Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Deshaun Watson, Andrew Luck and whoever quarterbacks Minnesota will travel to Lincoln Financial Field in 2018, as well as Dak Prescott, Eli Manning (presumably) and Alex Smith of Washington in division games.
* * *
THE AWARD SECTION
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Nick Foles, quarterback, Philadelphia. He did everything imaginable to make the world forget he is a backup quarterback. He went 28 of 43 for 373 yards and three touchdown passes, but the stats do not tell the story here. On the game’s biggest stage, Foles went toe-to-toe with the five-time champion Brady, even one-upping the league MVP by hauling in a pass (for a touchdown) after Brady dropped a similar opportunity earlier in the game. Foles was named the Super Bowl MVP and is now headed to Disneyland. What a story.
Tom Brady, quarterback, New England. An unreal performance—a Super Bowl-record 505 passing yards and three touchdowns—but don’t just take my word for it. “Tom Brady is unbelievable! Unbelievable! UNBELIEVABLE!” Eagle Chris Long gushed in the locker room. “The only way you beat Tom Brady is to keep attacking.” Philadelphia did, and that was the difference, as this next guy proved.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brandon Graham, defensive end, Philadelphia. Brady and the Patriots had their chance to pull off another late Super Bowl comeback, down 5 but with the ball and 2:21 on the clock. But the Eagles defense kept attacking, and finally got to Brady. Brandon Graham tore off the edge, got around New England's Shaq Mason and knocked the ball out of Brady’s hand. Graham’s teammate Derek Barnett recovered and a very offensive Super Bowl finally had its signature defensive play. It would be the Eagles’ only sack of the game.
COACH OF THE WEEK
Doug Pederson, head coach, Philadelphia. Didn’t coach scared. That’s the formula to beat New England. Attack, attack, attack, and if you make mistakes or don’t convert the long throws or the change-up plays, you’re going to lose. But if you don’t take chances you’re going to lose too. In the first half, Nick Foles threw a lovely arcing 34-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery—perfectly executed on both ends—and in the second quarter, just before halftime, there was the play of the game, the fourth-down touchdown pass from the third-string tight end to the backup (now starting) quarterback, Foles. Pederson understood the ethos of this game. To beat the Patriots, play 60 minutes and play boldly.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jake Elliott, kicker, Philadelphia. The former high school tennis player, who began kicking on a lark in high school in Illinois, lined up for a 46-yarder in the final minute for insurance … and nailed it.
GOATS OF THE WEEK
Jordan Richards, safety, New England. Eagles ball, third-and-three at their 37, 1:46 left, first half. Philadelphia 15, New England 12. Foles looks for running back Corey Clement leaking out of the backfield on a wheel route to the right. Richards picks him up in coverage, but Clement gets two steps on him. This is something that Richards cannot allow. It’s clear the Eagles just need to convert to keep the drive going. They needed three or four yards.
Because Richards didn’t do his job and lost coverage on Clement, the Eagles gained 55 yards on the play. Instead of Tom Brady getting the ball back and having a legit chance to tie the game at halftime or put the Patriots ahead with a touchdown drive, the Eagles got the late-half touchdown … and went into halftime with a 22-12 lead.
The New England placekicking team (snapper Joe Cardona, holder Ryan Allen, kicker Stephen Gostkowski). Missing two short kicks in a game is bad enough. Missing them in the Super Bowl, in one half of play, is inexcusable. On the first, a 26-yard field goal attempt early in the second quarter, Cardona snapped low, but Allen should have had it and put it down cleanly; he didn’t, and Gostkowski kicked a duck off the left upright. On a point-after attempt late in the quarter, Gostkowski simply kicked it wide left. Folks, this is the same thing as a 33-yard field goal. It’s a kick you make in ninth grade. Instead of a 22-16 halftime deficit, the Patriots trailed 22-12.
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THINGS I THINK I THINK WHEN I'M NOT CRYING IN MY BEER BECAUSE THE PATRIOTS LOST
1. I think these are my quick thoughts on Super Bowl 52:
a. Great anthem, P!nk.
b. Interesting to see Malcolm Butler on the bench for the Patriots. He told our Albert Breer on Thursday that he’d had a “sh---- season,” and the Patriots played former Eagle Eric Rowe early … and it paid off. Rowe broke up a potential touchdown pass on the Eagles’ first series.
c. Best defensive player on the field for New England in the first quarter: Kyle Van Noy. Remember the Pats’ trade for him? Oct. 25, 2016: Patriots deal a sixth-round pick to Detroit for Van Noy and a seventh-round pick. Think of that—New England traded the 215th pick and got the 239th back. Negligible. And got an effective play-making linebacker.
d. First time both quarterbacks threw for more than 100 yards in the first quarter of a Super Bowl: Foles 102, Brady 120. That was a sign of things to come.
e. Amazing how much play-caller Doug Pederson has come to trust Nick Foles, and here’s why: the TD pass to Alshon Jeffery traveled 51 yards in the air, and landed right in Jeffery’s hands nine yards deep in the end zone for a touchdown.
f. Brady’s gotta catch that pass from Danny Amendola. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write in my life.
g. “Cooks will not return. Head injury.” The press-box announcement was a wow, and became a huge factor in the game.
h. How Gamecock-ey: Stephon Gilmore with the defensive play of the first half against his University of South Carolina roommate, stripping Alshon Jeffery, with the ball popping up in the air and Duron Harmon intercepting it.
i. Nelson Agholor showed America something—toughness, productivity, worthy of the first round.
j. Nice zebra-like fur coat, Floyd Mayweather.
k. Foles threw two bad passes all night—overthrowing Jeffery twice. That’s it. What a night.
l. Well, three: He waited too long to throw to Clement on the two-point conversion that would have made it 40-33.
m. Hell of a way to go out, Bob Angelo.
n. Angelo and three good friends, masters of their camera craft at NFL Films, shot their last games Sunday.
2. I think if Rob Gronkowski never played another football game, and I was still a Hall of Fame voter when he’d be eligible in 2023, I’d vote him into the Hall. He’s played 115 games, including 13 in the playoffs, and scored 12 playoff touchdowns. He's generally been uncoverable for so much of his career.
3. I think this was just a sloppy game for the New England defense. Time and again the Patriots missed tackles and allowed the Eagles to extend drives. The one that comes to mind: New England cut the Eagles’ lead to 22-19, and had Philadelphia with a third-and-six at the Eagle 19.
Foles threw to Nelson Agholor well short of the first down, but Pats cornerback Johnson Bademosi let Agholor get out of his tackle, and Agholor gained 17. I know how the game ended, but that doesn’t absolve a whole slew of bad defensive plays by the Patriots
4. I think the Malcolm Butler fall from grace will be one of the great stories of the day after, and the week after.
5. I think, before you even ask, Carson Wentz is going to be the Eagles’ starting quarterback next season as soon as he is healthy. Period.
6. I think the league understands it has some rules problems, thankfully. Roger Goodell implied in his state of the league press conference that he wants to see the catch rule torn down and rewritten from scratch. That’s going to be hard, for sure, because every attempted simplification of the rule invites an opposite action. If a player is deemed to have caught the ball if he has two hands on it and two feet on the ground before he makes what’s become known as a football move, that would invite defenders to cream the ball-carrier more than is done now, trying to dislodge the ball.
Regarding replay, Goodell said: “We did have more replay interruptions this year. I think that’s something we have to look at, we can improve on. You know, we spent a great deal of time in the offseason on game presentation. How do we make our game more attractive? Less stoppages, shorter stoppages when they do occur whether they’re commercial or otherwise.
I think that’s one of the things we’re going to focus on—how do we do the replay in a way that will ensure correcting an obvious mistake but make sure it doesn’t interrupt the flow of the game?” Here’s an idea: correct only the obviously wrong calls, not the replay marginalia.
7. I think kudos are in order to the NFL for giving away 500 tickets to the Super Bowl this year—to people far and wide, such as the youth football team from the tough neighborhood in Minneapolis, and the fire chief in Westchester County, N.Y., battling cancer. That's not a big deal to the NFL's bottom line, and it's a tremendous gesture of goodwill.
8. I think I think you’ll enjoy something we’re doing at The MMQB that’s new and interesting: a 13-part series, running every Thursday, following Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield between now and the NFL Draft. One story a week, each Thursday, by The MMQB’sRobert Klemko. Writes Klemko: “Mayfield is refreshingly honest for a high-profile draft prospect, and he provides a wonderful test case for the NFL's tolerance for a candid quarterback, a rare bird we very rarely encounter in this business.
As Mayfield told me in his first interview, ‘I'm going to be honest because that's how I am. Apparently not everybody likes to hear the truth.’” Come back Thursday for more, and every Thursday until draft day April 26
9. I think you need to read this story about the overwhelming sadness of depression, from Chargers tackle Joe Barksdale. Tremendous job by Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, and even better for Barksdale to share his soul-crushing stories that nearly ended in suicide.
Best Super Bowl Photo!!!!
- By DaveFan'51
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 32 Replies
This it the Best SB LII photo I've found, So far!!
Can anyone find a Better one!!?!
I would love to see more angles of the Sack/FF!!!
