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Aaron Hernandez fiancee opens up about his sexuality, mystery suicide note
- By CGI_Ram
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 9 Replies
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/a...-up-about-his-sexuality-mystery-suicide-note/
Aaron Hernandez fiancee opens up about his sexuality, mystery suicide note
Dr. Phil didn't hold anything back this week when he interviewed Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez. In her first interview since her fiancé, Aaron Hernandez, committed suicide in a Massachusetts prison, Dr. Phil attempted to get an explanation for several questions that have remained unanswered since Hernandez's death on April 19 .
One of the biggest mysteries revolves around the contents of one of the suicide notes that were found with Hernandez's body on the morning he died. Shortly after Hernandez's death, the district attorney's office said that the first two notes were intended for Hernandez's fiancée and his 4-year-old daughter. However, they were mum about the contents of the third note.
Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez was interviewed by Dr. Phil. Peteski Productions/CBS Television
According to a report from Newsweek that came out April 21 , the final note was intended for Hernandez's prison boyfriend, a 22-year-old man named Kyle Kennedy. However, Jenkins-Hernandez firmly denied that during her interview with Dr. Phil.
"There's nothing for Kyle Kennedy. There's no letter for Kyle Kennedy," Jenkins-Hernandez said. "There's one addressed to our daughter [one for me] and then there was another one to his lawyers."
Kennedy's lawyer, Larry Army, had said that the third note was intended for his client.
Not only did Jenkins-Hernandez shoot that theory down, but she doesn't seem to believe that there was any type of romantic relationship between her fiancé and Kennedy.
'If Kyle Kennedy was such a close friend, and Aaron was telling him he wanted to [commit suicide] he would still be here because Kyle Kennedy should have, you know, poked that lightbulb in somebody's head and been a true friend and stopped it," Jenkins-Hernandez said.
Jenkins-Hernandez also took exception to the fact that Army insisted that Hernandez had left a $50,000 watch for Kennedy before killing himself.
"I think it's very foolish for a man, or his counsel, to come out and talk about a $50,000 watch when he has a child, and offer his condolences to his fiancée and his child, but then asking for such things or saying such things. It's not commendable," Jenkins-Hernandez said.
With Kennedy's lawyer insisting that Hernandez was very close with his client, Dr. Phil asked the obvious follow up question: Was Aaron gay?
"The Aaron that I know? No. I got no indication or any feeling that he was such," Jenkins-Hernandez said. "He was very much a man to me. It's embarrassing in a sense."
On the other hand, Jenkins-Hernandez did concede that just because she didn't see it doesn't mean it didn't happen.
"It's hurtful, regardless of if it's true or not," Jenkins-Hernandez said. "It's not something I saw. It's not something I believe. It's just not him.
While Hernandez was still alive, Jenkins-Hernandez said she "asked him if it was true [that he was gay] and he said that it wasn't."
Jenkins-Hernandez also added that Kennedy's name never came up once during her conversations with her fiancé.
"I don't know who this Kyle Kennedy is. I've never heard of him, honestly. Aaron has never mentioned him," Jenkins-Hernandez said.
One thing Jenkins-Hernandez couldn't explain about Aaron's death was the suicide note that he left for her . Near the end of the note, Aaron wrote the words, "You're rich" to Jenkins-Hernandez. When Dr. Phil asked if what that meant, Jenkins-Hernandez admitted she wasn't sure.
"That I don't know," she said. "I think anything's a possibility, but I don't know what this was for."
One theory is that Hernandez killed himself so that his murder conviction for killing Odin Lloyd would be vacated, which is exactly what happened on May 9 . The vacated conviction means that Hernandez died without a murder conviction on his record, something that could potentially pave the way for her to collect money from the NFL.
Jenkins-Hernandez's interview with Dr. Phil was recorded on the same day that Hernandez's conviction was thrown out (May 9). The interview aired as a two-part special on Monday and Tuesday this week. During the first part of the interview, Jenkins-Hernandez said she thought Aaron's suicide was a hoax when she first got the call that he had killed himself.
Jenkins-Hernandez also said she has a lot of questions left for Aaron.
"If he was sitting right here, there are tons of stuff I would ask," she said. "I can't speculate on what he was thinking. It's unbelievable to me. I don't believe any of it and I don't believe that was the cause."
Aaron Hernandez fiancee opens up about his sexuality, mystery suicide note
Dr. Phil didn't hold anything back this week when he interviewed Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez. In her first interview since her fiancé, Aaron Hernandez, committed suicide in a Massachusetts prison, Dr. Phil attempted to get an explanation for several questions that have remained unanswered since Hernandez's death on April 19 .
One of the biggest mysteries revolves around the contents of one of the suicide notes that were found with Hernandez's body on the morning he died. Shortly after Hernandez's death, the district attorney's office said that the first two notes were intended for Hernandez's fiancée and his 4-year-old daughter. However, they were mum about the contents of the third note.
Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez was interviewed by Dr. Phil. Peteski Productions/CBS Television
According to a report from Newsweek that came out April 21 , the final note was intended for Hernandez's prison boyfriend, a 22-year-old man named Kyle Kennedy. However, Jenkins-Hernandez firmly denied that during her interview with Dr. Phil.
"There's nothing for Kyle Kennedy. There's no letter for Kyle Kennedy," Jenkins-Hernandez said. "There's one addressed to our daughter [one for me] and then there was another one to his lawyers."
Kennedy's lawyer, Larry Army, had said that the third note was intended for his client.
Not only did Jenkins-Hernandez shoot that theory down, but she doesn't seem to believe that there was any type of romantic relationship between her fiancé and Kennedy.
'If Kyle Kennedy was such a close friend, and Aaron was telling him he wanted to [commit suicide] he would still be here because Kyle Kennedy should have, you know, poked that lightbulb in somebody's head and been a true friend and stopped it," Jenkins-Hernandez said.
Jenkins-Hernandez also took exception to the fact that Army insisted that Hernandez had left a $50,000 watch for Kennedy before killing himself.
"I think it's very foolish for a man, or his counsel, to come out and talk about a $50,000 watch when he has a child, and offer his condolences to his fiancée and his child, but then asking for such things or saying such things. It's not commendable," Jenkins-Hernandez said.
With Kennedy's lawyer insisting that Hernandez was very close with his client, Dr. Phil asked the obvious follow up question: Was Aaron gay?
"The Aaron that I know? No. I got no indication or any feeling that he was such," Jenkins-Hernandez said. "He was very much a man to me. It's embarrassing in a sense."
On the other hand, Jenkins-Hernandez did concede that just because she didn't see it doesn't mean it didn't happen.
"It's hurtful, regardless of if it's true or not," Jenkins-Hernandez said. "It's not something I saw. It's not something I believe. It's just not him.
While Hernandez was still alive, Jenkins-Hernandez said she "asked him if it was true [that he was gay] and he said that it wasn't."
Jenkins-Hernandez also added that Kennedy's name never came up once during her conversations with her fiancé.
"I don't know who this Kyle Kennedy is. I've never heard of him, honestly. Aaron has never mentioned him," Jenkins-Hernandez said.
One thing Jenkins-Hernandez couldn't explain about Aaron's death was the suicide note that he left for her . Near the end of the note, Aaron wrote the words, "You're rich" to Jenkins-Hernandez. When Dr. Phil asked if what that meant, Jenkins-Hernandez admitted she wasn't sure.
"That I don't know," she said. "I think anything's a possibility, but I don't know what this was for."
One theory is that Hernandez killed himself so that his murder conviction for killing Odin Lloyd would be vacated, which is exactly what happened on May 9 . The vacated conviction means that Hernandez died without a murder conviction on his record, something that could potentially pave the way for her to collect money from the NFL.
Jenkins-Hernandez's interview with Dr. Phil was recorded on the same day that Hernandez's conviction was thrown out (May 9). The interview aired as a two-part special on Monday and Tuesday this week. During the first part of the interview, Jenkins-Hernandez said she thought Aaron's suicide was a hoax when she first got the call that he had killed himself.
Jenkins-Hernandez also said she has a lot of questions left for Aaron.
"If he was sitting right here, there are tons of stuff I would ask," she said. "I can't speculate on what he was thinking. It's unbelievable to me. I don't believe any of it and I don't believe that was the cause."
MMQB: Why You Can’t Let Young QBs Learn from the Bench
- By Prime Time
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 13 Replies
http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/05/17/nfl-problem-rookie-quarterbacks-not-enough-practice-time
Why You Can’t Let Young QBs Learn from the Bench
Every team would love to keep its highly drafted quarterback under wraps for a season or two so he can slowly transform into a franchise player, but it’s a pipedream in today’s NFL
by Andy Benoit
Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Every year we see NFL teams draft an unready quarterback in the first or second round, with the intention of having him learn from the bench as a rookie. The Bears (Mitchell Trubisky), the Texans (Deshaun Watson) and especially the Chiefs (Pat Mahomes) will toy with this idea in 2017.
It’s a logical and admirable approach. Every team wants its guy to be like Aaron Rodgers emerging from Brett Favre’s shadow, turning an apprenticeship into stardom. The only problem: that never happens anymore.
Literally. It … does … not … happen. Since 2006, no team that drafted a quarterback in the first two rounds sat him for the entirety of his rookie season and then saw him become a long-term franchise quarterback.
In fact, only two QBs in that time who sat out their entire rookie seasons have even gone on to start at least 48 games: Colin Kaepernick, with the 49ers, and Chad Henne, with the Dolphins.
The previous generation of quarterbacks saw a handful of highly drafted players sit and learn. The best examples were Carson Palmer in Cincinnati, Drew Brees in San Diego, Philip Rivers in San Diego, and, of course, Rodgers in Green Bay.
There were also the unique cases of Tony Romo and Tom Brady, guys who were brought in to fill the back of the roster and wound up developing well enough to become quality starters once they took the field. (Incidentally, both permanently replaced Drew Bledsoe.)
But those quarterbacks were all drafted at least 12 years ago. No one has followed that path since.
What’s changed in those dozen years? You can start at everyone’s favorite place and blame the culture. The NFL is an impatient, win-now league more than ever!
There’s some truth to that, plus the simple fact that teams who draft a quarterback in the early rounds usually do so because they didn’t have a good one to begin with. The Favre-led Packers selecting Rodgers is an extreme outlier. Many teams with highly drafted QBs don’t have a solid starter for him to sit behind.
But the bigger issue is time. In 2011, the current collective bargaining agreement significantly reduced practice hours, both during the season and and during the offseason. Naturally, it’s the backup players’ reps that disappear.
There’s barely enough time for the first-teamers to practice. Which means the only way to evaluate a QB and let him learn kinetically is to put him with your first team. And voila! There’s your new starting quarterback.
Eventually, something will give. Stylistically, the NFL and college games are drifting farther and farther apart. Incoming NFL quarterbacks are less prepared each year. With fewer chances for them to practice, young quarterbacks must continue to learn under the fire of live games. This diminishes the NFL’s product and can help ruin careers.
There is, however, one saving grace. The nature of today’s pass-happy NFL is prolonging quarterbacks’ careers. The days of repetitive deep dropback passes are practically over. Teams now regularly throw the ball quickly after the snap. Quicker, shorter passes place a greater emphasis on the intellectual side of quarterbacking and less on the physical side.
A quarterback no longer has to consistently throw the ball as far or hold it as long. Instead, he’s reading the defense more before the snap, which is how he’s able to throw so quickly after it. (This is how most college offenses operate, but they’re executing many of those quick throws differently than what you see in the NFL.
In college, the hash marks are spaced farther apart, which allows for wider formations. The wider side of these formations create more defined, almost indefensible quick throws. Everything becomes easier for the quarterback.)
Look at all the thirtysomething quarterbacks who are still performing at their highest levels:
Tom Brady, almost 40
Drew Brees, 38
Carson Palmer, 37
Eli Manning, 36
Philip Rivers, 35
Ben Roethlisberger, 35
Peyton Manning threw for 5,477 yards at age 37 and, after finally getting pushed up against the ropes by Father Time, still won a Super Bowl at age 39.
The NFL no longer gives young quarterbacks enough time to develop, but at least more stars at this position are staying around a little longer. At some point, of course, new quarterbacks will be needed. Hopefully in the next CBA teams can get back to practicing more. Developing QBs from the bench needs to be a real option rather than the pipedream that it has become.
Why You Can’t Let Young QBs Learn from the Bench
Every team would love to keep its highly drafted quarterback under wraps for a season or two so he can slowly transform into a franchise player, but it’s a pipedream in today’s NFL
by Andy Benoit
Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Every year we see NFL teams draft an unready quarterback in the first or second round, with the intention of having him learn from the bench as a rookie. The Bears (Mitchell Trubisky), the Texans (Deshaun Watson) and especially the Chiefs (Pat Mahomes) will toy with this idea in 2017.
It’s a logical and admirable approach. Every team wants its guy to be like Aaron Rodgers emerging from Brett Favre’s shadow, turning an apprenticeship into stardom. The only problem: that never happens anymore.
Literally. It … does … not … happen. Since 2006, no team that drafted a quarterback in the first two rounds sat him for the entirety of his rookie season and then saw him become a long-term franchise quarterback.
In fact, only two QBs in that time who sat out their entire rookie seasons have even gone on to start at least 48 games: Colin Kaepernick, with the 49ers, and Chad Henne, with the Dolphins.
The previous generation of quarterbacks saw a handful of highly drafted players sit and learn. The best examples were Carson Palmer in Cincinnati, Drew Brees in San Diego, Philip Rivers in San Diego, and, of course, Rodgers in Green Bay.
There were also the unique cases of Tony Romo and Tom Brady, guys who were brought in to fill the back of the roster and wound up developing well enough to become quality starters once they took the field. (Incidentally, both permanently replaced Drew Bledsoe.)
But those quarterbacks were all drafted at least 12 years ago. No one has followed that path since.
What’s changed in those dozen years? You can start at everyone’s favorite place and blame the culture. The NFL is an impatient, win-now league more than ever!
There’s some truth to that, plus the simple fact that teams who draft a quarterback in the early rounds usually do so because they didn’t have a good one to begin with. The Favre-led Packers selecting Rodgers is an extreme outlier. Many teams with highly drafted QBs don’t have a solid starter for him to sit behind.
But the bigger issue is time. In 2011, the current collective bargaining agreement significantly reduced practice hours, both during the season and and during the offseason. Naturally, it’s the backup players’ reps that disappear.
There’s barely enough time for the first-teamers to practice. Which means the only way to evaluate a QB and let him learn kinetically is to put him with your first team. And voila! There’s your new starting quarterback.
Eventually, something will give. Stylistically, the NFL and college games are drifting farther and farther apart. Incoming NFL quarterbacks are less prepared each year. With fewer chances for them to practice, young quarterbacks must continue to learn under the fire of live games. This diminishes the NFL’s product and can help ruin careers.
There is, however, one saving grace. The nature of today’s pass-happy NFL is prolonging quarterbacks’ careers. The days of repetitive deep dropback passes are practically over. Teams now regularly throw the ball quickly after the snap. Quicker, shorter passes place a greater emphasis on the intellectual side of quarterbacking and less on the physical side.
A quarterback no longer has to consistently throw the ball as far or hold it as long. Instead, he’s reading the defense more before the snap, which is how he’s able to throw so quickly after it. (This is how most college offenses operate, but they’re executing many of those quick throws differently than what you see in the NFL.
In college, the hash marks are spaced farther apart, which allows for wider formations. The wider side of these formations create more defined, almost indefensible quick throws. Everything becomes easier for the quarterback.)
Look at all the thirtysomething quarterbacks who are still performing at their highest levels:
Tom Brady, almost 40
Drew Brees, 38
Carson Palmer, 37
Eli Manning, 36
Philip Rivers, 35
Ben Roethlisberger, 35
Peyton Manning threw for 5,477 yards at age 37 and, after finally getting pushed up against the ropes by Father Time, still won a Super Bowl at age 39.
The NFL no longer gives young quarterbacks enough time to develop, but at least more stars at this position are staying around a little longer. At some point, of course, new quarterbacks will be needed. Hopefully in the next CBA teams can get back to practicing more. Developing QBs from the bench needs to be a real option rather than the pipedream that it has become.
This argument will never die
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 26 Replies
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/05/clippers-logo-bad-agua-caliente-nba
There are several pro sports team that could dramatically improve their logos with one small change. We’ve picked out five to upgrade with a simple change. Let’s start with the Clippers…
1. Los Angeles Clippers: Get rid of the black
I thought we left the black accents back in the late ’90s where they belonged? Teams like the Mets and Knicks dropped it and instantly improved their logos. The Clippers need to follow suit and drop the black.
2. Tennessee Titans: Drop the flames
The Titans logo has been referred to as the Flaming Thumbtack, which is a fitting name. That’s exactly what it looks like. It’s actually supposed to be a shield (I think), so what’s the deal with the flames? Extinguish them and you have a much more stylish design.
3. Texas Rangers: No more drop shadow
Do you know how you can tell when a logo was designed back at the turn of the century? Drop shadows. Teams have gone away from using them of late, and it’s time the Rangers hop on that trend. A simple blue outline gives the logo a much more classic look.
4. Los Angeles Angels: Add some color and no beveling
You can throw beveling in the same trash bin as drop shadows. Flatter looks are in now, and for good reason: Look how snazzy that upgraded Angels logo is. All we did is drop the darker red and add some color to the halo.
5. Los Angeles Rams: Use the classic color scheme
Everyone is just waiting for the Rams to return to their classic blue and yellow color scheme. Here’s how their current logo would look in the throwback colors.
There are several pro sports team that could dramatically improve their logos with one small change. We’ve picked out five to upgrade with a simple change. Let’s start with the Clippers…
1. Los Angeles Clippers: Get rid of the black
I thought we left the black accents back in the late ’90s where they belonged? Teams like the Mets and Knicks dropped it and instantly improved their logos. The Clippers need to follow suit and drop the black.
2. Tennessee Titans: Drop the flames
The Titans logo has been referred to as the Flaming Thumbtack, which is a fitting name. That’s exactly what it looks like. It’s actually supposed to be a shield (I think), so what’s the deal with the flames? Extinguish them and you have a much more stylish design.
3. Texas Rangers: No more drop shadow
Do you know how you can tell when a logo was designed back at the turn of the century? Drop shadows. Teams have gone away from using them of late, and it’s time the Rangers hop on that trend. A simple blue outline gives the logo a much more classic look.
4. Los Angeles Angels: Add some color and no beveling
You can throw beveling in the same trash bin as drop shadows. Flatter looks are in now, and for good reason: Look how snazzy that upgraded Angels logo is. All we did is drop the darker red and add some color to the halo.
5. Los Angeles Rams: Use the classic color scheme
Everyone is just waiting for the Rams to return to their classic blue and yellow color scheme. Here’s how their current logo would look in the throwback colors.
Redskins sign Bob Marley's grandson to roster
- By Prime Time
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 6 Replies
This is merely an excuse for some Bob Marley videos in the NFL section. 
************************************************************************
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...on-of-bob-marley-signs-contract-with-redskins
Nico Marley, Grandson of Bob Marley, Signs Contract with Washington
JOSEPH ZUCKER
Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press
The Washington Redskins signed former Tulane Green Wave linebacker Nico Marley on Tuesday. Marley is the grandson of music legend Bob Marley.
Marley played four seasons at Tulane and finished the 2016 season with 86 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Marley's father, Rohan, also played football. Upon leaving the Miami Hurricanes, he spent a season with the Ottawa Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League.
In a 2014 interview with Sports Illustrated's Michael McKnight, Nico expressed his desire to carve his own path and not rely solely on his family name.
"I always wanted to make something for myself," he said. "I've never said, 'I'm gonna do it like my dad did it,' or 'I want to be like my grandfather.' Every individual is supposed to have something he wants to go get, something he wants so bad he don't need anybody's help. That's what I get from my father and grandfather."
Marley joined the team shortly after the 2017 NFL draft but didn't have an official contract with the team until Tuesday.
Last Saturday, the Washington Post's Mike Jones reported Marley was working with the Redskins' second-string as an inside linebacker.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...s-grandson-lands-a-roster-spot-in-washington/
Marley played at Tulane, where he was credited with 48.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and four interceptions over 48 games. As pointed out in a recent profile on The Undefeated, Marley’s production came despite being undersized for the position at 5’8″ and 200 pounds and didn’t land him an invite to the Scouting Combine.
The undersized, undrafted Marley merited a profile on the site because of his lineage. He’s the grandson of music icon Bob Marley and the son of former University of Miami linebacker Rohan Marley, which won’t help him stick with the team in the regular season but does explain how Marley grabbed a bit more notice than your average NFL long shot.
************************************************************************
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...on-of-bob-marley-signs-contract-with-redskins
Nico Marley, Grandson of Bob Marley, Signs Contract with Washington
JOSEPH ZUCKER
Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press
The Washington Redskins signed former Tulane Green Wave linebacker Nico Marley on Tuesday. Marley is the grandson of music legend Bob Marley.
Marley played four seasons at Tulane and finished the 2016 season with 86 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Marley's father, Rohan, also played football. Upon leaving the Miami Hurricanes, he spent a season with the Ottawa Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League.
In a 2014 interview with Sports Illustrated's Michael McKnight, Nico expressed his desire to carve his own path and not rely solely on his family name.
"I always wanted to make something for myself," he said. "I've never said, 'I'm gonna do it like my dad did it,' or 'I want to be like my grandfather.' Every individual is supposed to have something he wants to go get, something he wants so bad he don't need anybody's help. That's what I get from my father and grandfather."
Marley joined the team shortly after the 2017 NFL draft but didn't have an official contract with the team until Tuesday.
Last Saturday, the Washington Post's Mike Jones reported Marley was working with the Redskins' second-string as an inside linebacker.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...s-grandson-lands-a-roster-spot-in-washington/
Marley played at Tulane, where he was credited with 48.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and four interceptions over 48 games. As pointed out in a recent profile on The Undefeated, Marley’s production came despite being undersized for the position at 5’8″ and 200 pounds and didn’t land him an invite to the Scouting Combine.
The undersized, undrafted Marley merited a profile on the site because of his lineage. He’s the grandson of music icon Bob Marley and the son of former University of Miami linebacker Rohan Marley, which won’t help him stick with the team in the regular season but does explain how Marley grabbed a bit more notice than your average NFL long shot.
Rams Announce 10 OTA Dates
- By Florida_Ram
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 3 Replies
Rams Announce 10 OTA Dates
Myles Simmons
Rams Insider
05/16/2017
The Rams are just about through Phase II of the offseason program, and on Tuesday announced the dates of their 10 organized team activity practices.
The third phase of the offseason program runs four weeks where teams may hold up to 10 OTAs. While there may not be contact, teams can run 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills in practice.
In addition to the 10 OTAs, the Rams are slated to hold a mandatory minicamp from June 13-15.
These sessions are not open to the public, but the Rams will have open practices for training camp. Though the camp schedule has not yet been released, it typically begins the last weekend of July.
Below are the Rams’ 10 OTA dates:
May 22
May 23
May 25
May 30
May 31
June 2
June 5
June 6
June 7
June 8
http://www.therams.com
Myles Simmons
Rams Insider
05/16/2017
The Rams are just about through Phase II of the offseason program, and on Tuesday announced the dates of their 10 organized team activity practices.
The third phase of the offseason program runs four weeks where teams may hold up to 10 OTAs. While there may not be contact, teams can run 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills in practice.
In addition to the 10 OTAs, the Rams are slated to hold a mandatory minicamp from June 13-15.
These sessions are not open to the public, but the Rams will have open practices for training camp. Though the camp schedule has not yet been released, it typically begins the last weekend of July.
Below are the Rams’ 10 OTA dates:
May 22
May 23
May 25
May 30
May 31
June 2
June 5
June 6
June 7
June 8
http://www.therams.com
Peter King: MMQB - 5/15/17 - The Bills Begin ... Again
- By Prime Time
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 5 Replies
These are excerpts. To read the whole article click the link below. The only mention of the Rams is at the end of the article where PK is beating the drum for someone, anyone to sign Colin Kaepernick.
**************************************************************
http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/05/15/buffalo-bills-sean-mcdermott-brandon-beane-nfl-peter-king
The Bills Begin ... Again
Buffalo hasn’t fielded a playoff team in 17 years, and its new brain trust of Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane has a plan to get back. Plus the perfect fit for Kaepernick, Blandino Pt. 2 and more
New Bills coach Sean McDermott (right) used this book to help recruit Brandon Beane to become the team’s general manager
Photo: Getty Images (2) || Multnomah
Since the 2000 season, which started the Buffalo Bills’ current 17-season playoff drought, eight coaches and six general managers have failed to make the franchise great again. Sean McDermott will be the ninth coach to try. Brandon Beane will be the seventh GM/personnel czar to try.
On Friday, via conference call from Buffalo, the new brain trust of the Bills—so ordained by owners Terry and Kim Pegula this offseason—addressed the drought, their relationship, the Patriots, their growth in Carolina and how their similar backgrounds led them to this day.
We’ll share that conversation in a moment, and later in the column we’ll tackle the huge challenge ahead for the NFL’s new officiating leader, remember a two-way pro football legend and reveal the perfect team fit for Colin Kaepernick. But first, the Bills...
MMQB: How did you two meet?
McDermott: We met one of my first days down in Carolina in 2011, and then I started to better understand his background in the league, similar to mine—starting off at one of the lower levels of the organization. I started off as an intern in several departments and worked my way up. It wasn’t always fun or glamorous, but I developed a solid background.
Beane: I had mad respect for him from afar when he was coaching in Philadelphia, and so, you always have your pictures of who these people are, and when Sean came into the building, he was so humble and hardworking. I researched him and just it’s amazing how mirrored our backgrounds were to get to the positions that we are in today.
We had great conversations. I would go back into his office and he had the depth chart of the defense up. We would talk about the strengths of the defense, the weaknesses. Sometimes he’d tell me stuff that I didn’t know. Hey, this player, he’s a pain in the butt in the meeting room.
McDermott: I just was reminded of something. I knew after our first interview here it was going to take some effort to convince him to leave Carolina—he’s lived there his whole life, and his wife’s from there. I took a picture of a book that I am currently reading. It’s called “Chase the Lion,” and the subtitle is, “If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It’s Too Small.” And I took a picture of it and I sent it to Brandon, and that was kind of my recruiting approach to convince him that this is a chance for him and his career and what he and his family have sacrificed over the years.
Beane: When I got it, I was lying in bed, watching TV with my wife. I was like, This is so Sean.
McDermott: It was a recruiting ploy.
Beane: When I saw that picture, I laughed, but there is a lot of truth behind that. It did help. There were a lot of reasons to go back for that second interview,Sean and I am so glad I did. I’m excited to get going with you [talking to McDermott].
MMQB: Describe a time you worked together, the way you’ll have to here, to change the Carolina defensive roster.
McDermott: Whether it was a corner or a safety or whatever position, as a defensive coordinator, I tried to look at the defense like I was the head coach of the defense, and thankfully [coach] Ron Rivera gave me that space to do that. As coaches sometimes, we forget that we have to deal with the money part of decisions at times. So Brandon had a good way of saying, Look, there are some other things at play once in a while that we just need to keep in mind.
Beane: Sometimes we might talk down in the weight room, or on a jog. It would be an education for us both. Sometimes I would try to ease his mind, like, We realize we are weak at corner, and we have something in play, I can't give you a firm answer on what it is going to be, but we agree with you and are working to get it better.
MMQB: Is Buffalo’s quarterback of the future on the roster now?
McDermott: He is, in Tyrod Taylor. And then when you look at the competition we have behind him. We’ve drafted Nathan Peterman, we’ve added T.J. Yates, and then Cardale Jones in the draft a year ago. I’m not sure there is a team out there that has the depth that we do at the quarterback position.
So we feel good about that. We’re anxious to see how Tyrod develops in his third year as a starter in a new system, a system that he has some familiarity with in terms of [new Buffalo offensive coordinator] Rick Dennison’s system in Baltimore a few years back with Gary Kubiak.
Beane: We have open competition everywhere. Obviously it is a quarterback league, but with Tyrod … He has some tools, his speed, he is tough to game-plan for. He has some strengths and he is still a young starter in this league. It is going to be a competition for every position, to let them fight it out and earn the right to start on this team.
McDermott: I think that’s the key. Going back to your question, Can we guarantee he is on our roster right now? That remains to be seen and that is true at a lot of positions on our roster.
Tyrod Taylor is 15-14 over the past two seasons as the Bills starting quarterback
Photo: Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images
MMQB: Why should a beleaguered Bills fan believe in you both?
McDermott: We have to earn everything we are about to do here. That is no different than what Brandon and I have done over the course of our careers. That same approach is what we are going to ask of this football team and these players and the staff, to earn every minute of success that we are fortunate enough to get. There are a lot of good teams out there and a lot of good coaches, New England being one of them, with Bill Belichick. We have nothing but respect for them and how they do things.
Beane: We have to keep the same mindset we’ve had our whole career. Keep our head down, work on ourselves, learn our strengths, learn our weaknesses, and then obviously know our division. And then one of the first things you want to do for success is win your division. We feel bad for the city of Buffalo. These fans have had to endure a 17-year deal, but we’re focused on being part of the solution with the whole organization to get it right.
MMQB: You know the NFL—this might be your only shot at being a head coach, Sean, and the same for you as GM, Brandon. It’s sort of serendipitous, the coach-GM pairings in this league sometimes. How do you feel about being tied at the hip?
Beane: That was part of the attraction of the job. There were a lot of attractions, but I don’t have to get to know the guy I am going to be working side by side with personally, away from the office. I already know that. I have that box checked. I know that this guy is going to have my back, and he knows I am going to have his back. And that’s a huge thing in this business.
We know how important it is to trust each other. It’s so funny when people ask, Who’s got control? Who has the 53-man roster? Honestly, we don’t care about it. We are going to make decisions together and we are going to talk about everything that affects the roster, the staff, and that is what’s exciting.
You don’t get that everywhere. You read about dysfunction in various organizations, and that is part of the reason I am here. I did not want to leave Carolina for something I was unsure of. This seemed like as sure a thing as there can be in the NFL, to partner up with Sean.
McDermott: Sometimes you get a chance and you have to take it. I wanted him to know that there is a soft landing on this side because of his familiarity with me. If we are tied at the hip, there is no one I would rather be tied at the hip with than Brandon.
At the end of our conversation, Beane wanted to be sure he credited the man he felt did the most for him to get to this point—former Carolina GM Marty Hurney. It’s a story lots of new college graduates this spring should hear.
Beane: I did a training camp internship [in media relations] in 1998 with the Panthers. It was a four-week deal. Towards the end of my internship I had spoken to people in football and said, My passion would be on the football side, football ops and scouting, and if anything comes open, let me know. I got a call from [media relations official] Bruce Speight saying they have an opening for the season, a football ops intern. I said, ‘I’m in.’ He said he didn’t know what it pays. And I said, ‘I don’t care.’
So I worked that year as a minimum-wage intern. My wife was teaching for about $22,000 a year. I think she looked at me sideways that I was going to go do this for intern pay, but it was for the love of the game. Marty was there that year, and he hired me full time in ’99. I was a sponge to him and I never wanted to let him down, and the more I was around him, I just grew.
Every year he gave me more rope, and more things to do. He taught me the cap. We did CBA stuff. He let me do behind-the-scenes scouting, watching tape, whether it was college or pro or free agents and just be another sounding board with him along the way. I wouldn’t be here without him.
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The New Blandino
Alberto Riveron is a career ref who’s worked NFL sidelines, which will give him a different perspective from the man he replaces as NFL vice president of officiating
Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
The NFL on Wednesday named Alberto Riveron, Dean Blandino’s former top lieutenant, to succeed Blandino as senior vice president of officiating, and it buttressed the officiating department with two stalwarts to work with Riveron inside the league’s command center as it transitions to deciding replay reviews in the league office: longtime head linesman Wayne Mackie and replay-booth veteran Russell Yurk.
Riveron, aided by Mackie and Yurk during games, will oversee the replay process and make the final calls with input from the ref and replay official at the game sites.
Riveron has worked the replay center with Blandino for all three years that the league has had New York consult with refs and replay officials during games. But he hasn’t been in the big chair. He hasn’t gotten the avalanche of criticism when a play is missed on the field, or a replay decision gets criticized by the public and the media.
When Riveron, born in Cuba, became the league’s first-ever Hispanic referee in 2008, there was attention paid to him. But there was not a white-hot spotlight. There will be one now. I maintain that from Labor Day through the first week of February, the officiating czar becomes the league’s second-most-important employee, behind Roger Goodell.
He’s certainly the most visible employee other than Goodell. Blandino was on TV explaining calls, on Twitter explaining calls, on the phone to teams and coaches explaining calls. He never satisfied everyone, but he did lend a sense of authority to the proceedings.
“Are you ready for the intense scrutiny, and the media part of the job?” I asked Riveron on Friday.
“I look forward to it,” Riveron said from his office on Park Avenue. “I embrace it. The way I see it, as long as the message stays consistent, we’ll be doing our jobs. There are going to be times when I have to come out and say, ‘We could have done better.’ Hopefully they’re few and far between … But I have seen the heat. I have felt the heat many times on the field. I am ready for it.”
Owners and the football establishment were comfortable with Blandino—as they were with former officiating head Mike Pereira—because they had confidence that both men could stand up when the sky was falling about some call and take whatever guff was coming. They’d explain the call calmly and clearly and let the outside mayhem happen. The man between them, Carl Johnson, wasn’t as smooth. So the pressure will be on Riveron not only to make the right calls but to make them sound good too.
But if the league wasn’t confident Riveron could handle the media side of it, he wouldn’t have gotten this gig. We’ll see how he handles it.
Riveron doesn’t believe the process is going to change much, which leads him to think the shift away from Blandino isn’t a revolution. “The process the last three years has been the same: Dean and I put on a headset, have a conversation with a ref and the replay official, and come to an agreement. The only thing that has changed in the process is the final decision will be made in New York City and not on the field.
The rules have not changed. The equipment—we’ll still have the quote-unquote hood … only instead of the referees going to the sideline under the hood, they’ll have a tablet handed to them on the sideline. They will still have the ability to look at a play. I always want that ref … I want him to be able to explain why we got to where we did. When he gets to the sidelines and explains to the coach, I want him to understand exactly why the call is being made, so he can explain it.”
He kept coming back to that in our conversation. “The process has not changed,” he repeated. “Dean and I had the same say-so when we had the headsets on. Now we have two additional officials in the room [Mackie and Yurk], and they’ll be on the same page as I am.”
Riveron is a career official. Blandino was the outlier—a head of officiating who’d never been an official. “I bring almost 40 years of officiating experience to the job,” Riveron said. “I think that’s extremely important.”
But Blandino never had that. And Riveron sounded like he still marveled at Blandino’s ability to do the job without ever being on the field.
“Dean is just that crazy guy,” said Riveron. “I honestly don’t know how he did it. No other human being who hasn’t been in stripes [in an official’s uniform] has ever been able to do what he did.”
Strange as it is, Blandino’s going to be the standard for Riveron to measure up.
* * *
“Eat a crap sandwich with a smile.”
—Atlanta coach Dan Quinn, on one of his credos for the 2017 Falcons.
Per Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Quinn wore wristbands saying “Embrace The Suck” to work last week, to remind him, his staff and his player about the grind of the long preseason and season.
* * *
“Having been cut five times in the NFL from teams, I think what goes into it is a great amount of respect I have for all the players that are on the field. When I’ve been the head coach, I’ve said every year … I understand the politics and the financial stuff that goes into it, but as a coach you stand up in front of a team and you tell them, just like I told these guys, I really don’t care how you got here. I really don’t.
I don’t care if you’ve been drafted, I don’t care if you’re a tryout person or if you’re a signed free agent. Everyone in this room has an opportunity to make a first impression, to go out there and do something to maybe create another opportunity.”
—Jacksonville coach Doug Marrone, after his first practice day with his team Saturday.
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Stat of the Week
Quarterbacks went 2-10-12 (Mitchell Trubisky, Pat Mahomes, Deshaun Watson) in the 2017 draft. In the 2011 draft, quarterbacks went 8-10-12 (Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder).
If history repeats, the Bears and Chiefs and Texans will be sorry.
• Career record of Locker, Gabbert, Ponder: 32-66-1 (.328)
• Winning seasons posted by Locker, Gabbert, Ponder, combined: 1. (Minimum of eight starts)
• Playoff wins by Locker, Gabbert, Ponder, combined: 0.
• Combined career passer rating of Locker, Gabbert, Ponder: 74.8.
That combined 74.8 passer rating of Locker, Gabbert and Ponder, if compiled by one quarterback in a season, would have placed 32nd among NFL quarterbacks in 2013, 32nd in 2014, 33rd in 2015 and 29th in 2016.
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Photo: Otto Gruele Jr./Getty Images
Things I Think I Think
1. I think these are my reasons why Colin Kaepernick should sign with Seattle:
a. The backups to Russell Wilson are Trevone Boykin (who has been arrested twice this offseason), Jake Heaps, Skyler Howard and Michael Birdsong.
b. If you’ve watched the Seattle offensive line, you know that backup quarterback is one of the 12 most important spots on the 2017 Seahawks. Wilson was a punching bag last year.
c. Coach Pete Carroll leads the sports universe in free spirits/distractions on the roster.
d. GM John Schneider is open-minded enough to bring in the best players he can find and figure if they fit. Kaepernick is a perfect test case for this approach.
e. Owner Paul Allen—unlike most arch-conservative NFL owners—is not going to forbid Schneider from signing a player who knelt for the national anthem last year, enraging some in football and some fans. He is more likely to ask this question: “Is having this guy on our bench worth the potential fan anger he might engender?”
f. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has taken an unconventional quarterback and reveled in coaching Russell Wilson. I don’t know if Kaepernick will be a good fit with Bevell. But it’s worth a look. Bevell and the coaches may determine that Kaepernick isn’t a good fit, perhaps because he’d chafe at being a clear and decisive backup to Wilson. But it’s pretty hard to discover that without investigating, and without bringing in Kaepernick, or at least spending time talking to him.
g. What’s the worst thing that can happen? You employ Kaepernick for 16 weeks (the time between today and final cuts) and you get a free look at a quarterback whose tools are unique, has 75 NFL starts, and is only 29.
h. Did I mention Boykin, Heaps, Howard and Birdsong?
i. There is not a quarterback on the Seattle roster other than Wilson who has started an NFL game. Total completions by all other QBs on the roster: 13.
j. The city’s not going to rebel. I know Seattle enough to know that.
k. I will give you a few more reasons Tuesday, in a column here at The MMQB. But I spent time speaking with the New York City man who has spent the past five months getting Kaepernick’s body and mind prepared for his next NFL shot. If you read that column and don’t think that Kaepernick is worth at least a phone call or a visit to judge his fitness and readiness and eagerness to play, then we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one. And I will have to question your openmindedness.
2. I think, regarding Kaepernick, there’s a time when you have to think for yourself, rather than engage in group-think. And for Seattle and Buffalo and Dallas and Indianapolis and the Chargers and the Rams, now’s that time.
(What are you implying PK? That the Rams should sign Kaepernick?) :shocking:
3. I think Jacksonville’s intent is to start Cam Robinson at left tackle, and good for them. Robinson’s started 43 games at the highest level of college football, at Alabama, and at 6'6" and 326, he’s got the size and savvy to get a legitimate chance to start opening day. Let him have the shot.
4. I think Tom Brady’s becoming quite a Dangerfield as he ages.
5. I think I love the Sidney Jones pick by the Eagles. Jones is the physical cover corner from Washington drafted by the Eagles with the 43rd overall pick (and the Eagle fans at the draft impressed me with their wild cheering for the pick) … despite tearing his Achilles at his pro day March 11. Such an injury is probably a six-month rehab and recovery, at least, meaning Jones might be able to play early in the season.
The Eagles aren’t putting any pressure on Jones. But my view is even if he couldn’t play at all (or well) this year, this is a good value pick for the long term. Jones is only 20, and he would likely have gone between 10 and 17 in the first round had he not been hurt.
6. I think one of the most interesting storylines of the summer camp season is going to be at Bears camp—and not necessarily how quickly Mitchell Trubisky can start a game. (I expect Mike Glennon to get a fair shot at keeping the quarterback job for the year.) But it’s the Division II tight end, Adam Shaheen. He’s 6'6" and 277 pounds, and the book on him coming out of Ashland (Ohio) College was that he’s nimble.
7. I think the vacated conviction of Aaron Hernandez is a gross miscarriage of justice. I don’t care if it follows existing Massachusetts law. The law is idiotic and should be changed. Yesterday.
8. I think the Daryl Washington cutting by the Cardinals can’t come as much of a surprise. As Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic aptly notes: “In seven seasons on the Cardinals roster, Washington played for 59 games. He was suspended for 52.” Especially after being rewarded with a huge contract and then being suspended for three-and-a-quarter years for substance abuse and domestic violence offenses, it would have been a surprise if Arizona kept a linebacker who at one time was on the verge of being a perennial Pro Bowler.
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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/05/15/buffalo-bills-sean-mcdermott-brandon-beane-nfl-peter-king
The Bills Begin ... Again
Buffalo hasn’t fielded a playoff team in 17 years, and its new brain trust of Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane has a plan to get back. Plus the perfect fit for Kaepernick, Blandino Pt. 2 and more
New Bills coach Sean McDermott (right) used this book to help recruit Brandon Beane to become the team’s general manager
Photo: Getty Images (2) || Multnomah
Since the 2000 season, which started the Buffalo Bills’ current 17-season playoff drought, eight coaches and six general managers have failed to make the franchise great again. Sean McDermott will be the ninth coach to try. Brandon Beane will be the seventh GM/personnel czar to try.
On Friday, via conference call from Buffalo, the new brain trust of the Bills—so ordained by owners Terry and Kim Pegula this offseason—addressed the drought, their relationship, the Patriots, their growth in Carolina and how their similar backgrounds led them to this day.
We’ll share that conversation in a moment, and later in the column we’ll tackle the huge challenge ahead for the NFL’s new officiating leader, remember a two-way pro football legend and reveal the perfect team fit for Colin Kaepernick. But first, the Bills...
MMQB: How did you two meet?
McDermott: We met one of my first days down in Carolina in 2011, and then I started to better understand his background in the league, similar to mine—starting off at one of the lower levels of the organization. I started off as an intern in several departments and worked my way up. It wasn’t always fun or glamorous, but I developed a solid background.
Beane: I had mad respect for him from afar when he was coaching in Philadelphia, and so, you always have your pictures of who these people are, and when Sean came into the building, he was so humble and hardworking. I researched him and just it’s amazing how mirrored our backgrounds were to get to the positions that we are in today.
We had great conversations. I would go back into his office and he had the depth chart of the defense up. We would talk about the strengths of the defense, the weaknesses. Sometimes he’d tell me stuff that I didn’t know. Hey, this player, he’s a pain in the butt in the meeting room.
McDermott: I just was reminded of something. I knew after our first interview here it was going to take some effort to convince him to leave Carolina—he’s lived there his whole life, and his wife’s from there. I took a picture of a book that I am currently reading. It’s called “Chase the Lion,” and the subtitle is, “If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It’s Too Small.” And I took a picture of it and I sent it to Brandon, and that was kind of my recruiting approach to convince him that this is a chance for him and his career and what he and his family have sacrificed over the years.
Beane: When I got it, I was lying in bed, watching TV with my wife. I was like, This is so Sean.
McDermott: It was a recruiting ploy.
Beane: When I saw that picture, I laughed, but there is a lot of truth behind that. It did help. There were a lot of reasons to go back for that second interview,Sean and I am so glad I did. I’m excited to get going with you [talking to McDermott].
MMQB: Describe a time you worked together, the way you’ll have to here, to change the Carolina defensive roster.
McDermott: Whether it was a corner or a safety or whatever position, as a defensive coordinator, I tried to look at the defense like I was the head coach of the defense, and thankfully [coach] Ron Rivera gave me that space to do that. As coaches sometimes, we forget that we have to deal with the money part of decisions at times. So Brandon had a good way of saying, Look, there are some other things at play once in a while that we just need to keep in mind.
Beane: Sometimes we might talk down in the weight room, or on a jog. It would be an education for us both. Sometimes I would try to ease his mind, like, We realize we are weak at corner, and we have something in play, I can't give you a firm answer on what it is going to be, but we agree with you and are working to get it better.
MMQB: Is Buffalo’s quarterback of the future on the roster now?
McDermott: He is, in Tyrod Taylor. And then when you look at the competition we have behind him. We’ve drafted Nathan Peterman, we’ve added T.J. Yates, and then Cardale Jones in the draft a year ago. I’m not sure there is a team out there that has the depth that we do at the quarterback position.
So we feel good about that. We’re anxious to see how Tyrod develops in his third year as a starter in a new system, a system that he has some familiarity with in terms of [new Buffalo offensive coordinator] Rick Dennison’s system in Baltimore a few years back with Gary Kubiak.
Beane: We have open competition everywhere. Obviously it is a quarterback league, but with Tyrod … He has some tools, his speed, he is tough to game-plan for. He has some strengths and he is still a young starter in this league. It is going to be a competition for every position, to let them fight it out and earn the right to start on this team.
McDermott: I think that’s the key. Going back to your question, Can we guarantee he is on our roster right now? That remains to be seen and that is true at a lot of positions on our roster.
Tyrod Taylor is 15-14 over the past two seasons as the Bills starting quarterback
Photo: Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images
MMQB: Why should a beleaguered Bills fan believe in you both?
McDermott: We have to earn everything we are about to do here. That is no different than what Brandon and I have done over the course of our careers. That same approach is what we are going to ask of this football team and these players and the staff, to earn every minute of success that we are fortunate enough to get. There are a lot of good teams out there and a lot of good coaches, New England being one of them, with Bill Belichick. We have nothing but respect for them and how they do things.
Beane: We have to keep the same mindset we’ve had our whole career. Keep our head down, work on ourselves, learn our strengths, learn our weaknesses, and then obviously know our division. And then one of the first things you want to do for success is win your division. We feel bad for the city of Buffalo. These fans have had to endure a 17-year deal, but we’re focused on being part of the solution with the whole organization to get it right.
MMQB: You know the NFL—this might be your only shot at being a head coach, Sean, and the same for you as GM, Brandon. It’s sort of serendipitous, the coach-GM pairings in this league sometimes. How do you feel about being tied at the hip?
Beane: That was part of the attraction of the job. There were a lot of attractions, but I don’t have to get to know the guy I am going to be working side by side with personally, away from the office. I already know that. I have that box checked. I know that this guy is going to have my back, and he knows I am going to have his back. And that’s a huge thing in this business.
We know how important it is to trust each other. It’s so funny when people ask, Who’s got control? Who has the 53-man roster? Honestly, we don’t care about it. We are going to make decisions together and we are going to talk about everything that affects the roster, the staff, and that is what’s exciting.
You don’t get that everywhere. You read about dysfunction in various organizations, and that is part of the reason I am here. I did not want to leave Carolina for something I was unsure of. This seemed like as sure a thing as there can be in the NFL, to partner up with Sean.
McDermott: Sometimes you get a chance and you have to take it. I wanted him to know that there is a soft landing on this side because of his familiarity with me. If we are tied at the hip, there is no one I would rather be tied at the hip with than Brandon.
At the end of our conversation, Beane wanted to be sure he credited the man he felt did the most for him to get to this point—former Carolina GM Marty Hurney. It’s a story lots of new college graduates this spring should hear.
Beane: I did a training camp internship [in media relations] in 1998 with the Panthers. It was a four-week deal. Towards the end of my internship I had spoken to people in football and said, My passion would be on the football side, football ops and scouting, and if anything comes open, let me know. I got a call from [media relations official] Bruce Speight saying they have an opening for the season, a football ops intern. I said, ‘I’m in.’ He said he didn’t know what it pays. And I said, ‘I don’t care.’
So I worked that year as a minimum-wage intern. My wife was teaching for about $22,000 a year. I think she looked at me sideways that I was going to go do this for intern pay, but it was for the love of the game. Marty was there that year, and he hired me full time in ’99. I was a sponge to him and I never wanted to let him down, and the more I was around him, I just grew.
Every year he gave me more rope, and more things to do. He taught me the cap. We did CBA stuff. He let me do behind-the-scenes scouting, watching tape, whether it was college or pro or free agents and just be another sounding board with him along the way. I wouldn’t be here without him.
* * *
The New Blandino
Alberto Riveron is a career ref who’s worked NFL sidelines, which will give him a different perspective from the man he replaces as NFL vice president of officiating
Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
The NFL on Wednesday named Alberto Riveron, Dean Blandino’s former top lieutenant, to succeed Blandino as senior vice president of officiating, and it buttressed the officiating department with two stalwarts to work with Riveron inside the league’s command center as it transitions to deciding replay reviews in the league office: longtime head linesman Wayne Mackie and replay-booth veteran Russell Yurk.
Riveron, aided by Mackie and Yurk during games, will oversee the replay process and make the final calls with input from the ref and replay official at the game sites.
Riveron has worked the replay center with Blandino for all three years that the league has had New York consult with refs and replay officials during games. But he hasn’t been in the big chair. He hasn’t gotten the avalanche of criticism when a play is missed on the field, or a replay decision gets criticized by the public and the media.
When Riveron, born in Cuba, became the league’s first-ever Hispanic referee in 2008, there was attention paid to him. But there was not a white-hot spotlight. There will be one now. I maintain that from Labor Day through the first week of February, the officiating czar becomes the league’s second-most-important employee, behind Roger Goodell.
He’s certainly the most visible employee other than Goodell. Blandino was on TV explaining calls, on Twitter explaining calls, on the phone to teams and coaches explaining calls. He never satisfied everyone, but he did lend a sense of authority to the proceedings.
“Are you ready for the intense scrutiny, and the media part of the job?” I asked Riveron on Friday.
“I look forward to it,” Riveron said from his office on Park Avenue. “I embrace it. The way I see it, as long as the message stays consistent, we’ll be doing our jobs. There are going to be times when I have to come out and say, ‘We could have done better.’ Hopefully they’re few and far between … But I have seen the heat. I have felt the heat many times on the field. I am ready for it.”
Owners and the football establishment were comfortable with Blandino—as they were with former officiating head Mike Pereira—because they had confidence that both men could stand up when the sky was falling about some call and take whatever guff was coming. They’d explain the call calmly and clearly and let the outside mayhem happen. The man between them, Carl Johnson, wasn’t as smooth. So the pressure will be on Riveron not only to make the right calls but to make them sound good too.
But if the league wasn’t confident Riveron could handle the media side of it, he wouldn’t have gotten this gig. We’ll see how he handles it.
Riveron doesn’t believe the process is going to change much, which leads him to think the shift away from Blandino isn’t a revolution. “The process the last three years has been the same: Dean and I put on a headset, have a conversation with a ref and the replay official, and come to an agreement. The only thing that has changed in the process is the final decision will be made in New York City and not on the field.
The rules have not changed. The equipment—we’ll still have the quote-unquote hood … only instead of the referees going to the sideline under the hood, they’ll have a tablet handed to them on the sideline. They will still have the ability to look at a play. I always want that ref … I want him to be able to explain why we got to where we did. When he gets to the sidelines and explains to the coach, I want him to understand exactly why the call is being made, so he can explain it.”
He kept coming back to that in our conversation. “The process has not changed,” he repeated. “Dean and I had the same say-so when we had the headsets on. Now we have two additional officials in the room [Mackie and Yurk], and they’ll be on the same page as I am.”
Riveron is a career official. Blandino was the outlier—a head of officiating who’d never been an official. “I bring almost 40 years of officiating experience to the job,” Riveron said. “I think that’s extremely important.”
But Blandino never had that. And Riveron sounded like he still marveled at Blandino’s ability to do the job without ever being on the field.
“Dean is just that crazy guy,” said Riveron. “I honestly don’t know how he did it. No other human being who hasn’t been in stripes [in an official’s uniform] has ever been able to do what he did.”
Strange as it is, Blandino’s going to be the standard for Riveron to measure up.
* * *
“Eat a crap sandwich with a smile.”
—Atlanta coach Dan Quinn, on one of his credos for the 2017 Falcons.
Per Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Quinn wore wristbands saying “Embrace The Suck” to work last week, to remind him, his staff and his player about the grind of the long preseason and season.
* * *
“Having been cut five times in the NFL from teams, I think what goes into it is a great amount of respect I have for all the players that are on the field. When I’ve been the head coach, I’ve said every year … I understand the politics and the financial stuff that goes into it, but as a coach you stand up in front of a team and you tell them, just like I told these guys, I really don’t care how you got here. I really don’t.
I don’t care if you’ve been drafted, I don’t care if you’re a tryout person or if you’re a signed free agent. Everyone in this room has an opportunity to make a first impression, to go out there and do something to maybe create another opportunity.”
—Jacksonville coach Doug Marrone, after his first practice day with his team Saturday.
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Stat of the Week
Quarterbacks went 2-10-12 (Mitchell Trubisky, Pat Mahomes, Deshaun Watson) in the 2017 draft. In the 2011 draft, quarterbacks went 8-10-12 (Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder).
If history repeats, the Bears and Chiefs and Texans will be sorry.
• Career record of Locker, Gabbert, Ponder: 32-66-1 (.328)
• Winning seasons posted by Locker, Gabbert, Ponder, combined: 1. (Minimum of eight starts)
• Playoff wins by Locker, Gabbert, Ponder, combined: 0.
• Combined career passer rating of Locker, Gabbert, Ponder: 74.8.
That combined 74.8 passer rating of Locker, Gabbert and Ponder, if compiled by one quarterback in a season, would have placed 32nd among NFL quarterbacks in 2013, 32nd in 2014, 33rd in 2015 and 29th in 2016.
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Photo: Otto Gruele Jr./Getty Images
Things I Think I Think
1. I think these are my reasons why Colin Kaepernick should sign with Seattle:
a. The backups to Russell Wilson are Trevone Boykin (who has been arrested twice this offseason), Jake Heaps, Skyler Howard and Michael Birdsong.
b. If you’ve watched the Seattle offensive line, you know that backup quarterback is one of the 12 most important spots on the 2017 Seahawks. Wilson was a punching bag last year.
c. Coach Pete Carroll leads the sports universe in free spirits/distractions on the roster.
d. GM John Schneider is open-minded enough to bring in the best players he can find and figure if they fit. Kaepernick is a perfect test case for this approach.
e. Owner Paul Allen—unlike most arch-conservative NFL owners—is not going to forbid Schneider from signing a player who knelt for the national anthem last year, enraging some in football and some fans. He is more likely to ask this question: “Is having this guy on our bench worth the potential fan anger he might engender?”
f. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has taken an unconventional quarterback and reveled in coaching Russell Wilson. I don’t know if Kaepernick will be a good fit with Bevell. But it’s worth a look. Bevell and the coaches may determine that Kaepernick isn’t a good fit, perhaps because he’d chafe at being a clear and decisive backup to Wilson. But it’s pretty hard to discover that without investigating, and without bringing in Kaepernick, or at least spending time talking to him.
g. What’s the worst thing that can happen? You employ Kaepernick for 16 weeks (the time between today and final cuts) and you get a free look at a quarterback whose tools are unique, has 75 NFL starts, and is only 29.
h. Did I mention Boykin, Heaps, Howard and Birdsong?
i. There is not a quarterback on the Seattle roster other than Wilson who has started an NFL game. Total completions by all other QBs on the roster: 13.
j. The city’s not going to rebel. I know Seattle enough to know that.
k. I will give you a few more reasons Tuesday, in a column here at The MMQB. But I spent time speaking with the New York City man who has spent the past five months getting Kaepernick’s body and mind prepared for his next NFL shot. If you read that column and don’t think that Kaepernick is worth at least a phone call or a visit to judge his fitness and readiness and eagerness to play, then we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one. And I will have to question your openmindedness.
2. I think, regarding Kaepernick, there’s a time when you have to think for yourself, rather than engage in group-think. And for Seattle and Buffalo and Dallas and Indianapolis and the Chargers and the Rams, now’s that time.
(What are you implying PK? That the Rams should sign Kaepernick?) :shocking:
3. I think Jacksonville’s intent is to start Cam Robinson at left tackle, and good for them. Robinson’s started 43 games at the highest level of college football, at Alabama, and at 6'6" and 326, he’s got the size and savvy to get a legitimate chance to start opening day. Let him have the shot.
4. I think Tom Brady’s becoming quite a Dangerfield as he ages.
5. I think I love the Sidney Jones pick by the Eagles. Jones is the physical cover corner from Washington drafted by the Eagles with the 43rd overall pick (and the Eagle fans at the draft impressed me with their wild cheering for the pick) … despite tearing his Achilles at his pro day March 11. Such an injury is probably a six-month rehab and recovery, at least, meaning Jones might be able to play early in the season.
The Eagles aren’t putting any pressure on Jones. But my view is even if he couldn’t play at all (or well) this year, this is a good value pick for the long term. Jones is only 20, and he would likely have gone between 10 and 17 in the first round had he not been hurt.
6. I think one of the most interesting storylines of the summer camp season is going to be at Bears camp—and not necessarily how quickly Mitchell Trubisky can start a game. (I expect Mike Glennon to get a fair shot at keeping the quarterback job for the year.) But it’s the Division II tight end, Adam Shaheen. He’s 6'6" and 277 pounds, and the book on him coming out of Ashland (Ohio) College was that he’s nimble.
7. I think the vacated conviction of Aaron Hernandez is a gross miscarriage of justice. I don’t care if it follows existing Massachusetts law. The law is idiotic and should be changed. Yesterday.
8. I think the Daryl Washington cutting by the Cardinals can’t come as much of a surprise. As Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic aptly notes: “In seven seasons on the Cardinals roster, Washington played for 59 games. He was suspended for 52.” Especially after being rewarded with a huge contract and then being suspended for three-and-a-quarter years for substance abuse and domestic violence offenses, it would have been a surprise if Arizona kept a linebacker who at one time was on the verge of being a perennial Pro Bowler.