Daily Briefing

AROUND THE NFL A team (initially secretive, but now outed as the Packers) wants to put the Tush Push on ice.  Bryan DeArdo of CBSSports.com: The Philadelphia Eagles’ “Tush Push” play is as controversial as it is successful. While the play was not banned by the NFL last offseason, the league’s executive vice president of football operations…

AROUND THE NFL Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com talked to an “experienced GM” who has a crystal ball on two big name quarterbacks: The Scouting Combine in Indianapolis will become not only Tampering Central but also the thickest patch in the NFL grapevine of the offseason. Rumors will be rampant. Some will be accurate, some won’t be.This year, the…

AROUND THE NFL NFC EAST  NEW YORK GIANTSCould QB MATTHEW STAFFORD be headed to the Giants?  Dan Duggan and Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic explore how and if that might happen: It’s no secret the New York Giants are desperate to find a quarterback. They literally don’t have one — there are no quarterbacks currently under contract. General manager Joe…

AROUND THE NFL BURGLARY RING BROKENFollowing up on the arrest by Ohio police of three illegal Chileans, the FBI has now arrested seven South Americans who were invading homes of famous athletes.  Richard Pollina of the New York Post: A gang of Chilean nationals has been charged with a string of robberies that stole millions in valuables…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH  CHICAGOJacob Robinson of The Athletic has two navy-and-orange teams winning the offseason so far.  The Bear are one: Can a team “win” an offseason? And if they do, does it mean anything? Asking for Bears fans, as Chicago again landed the offseason’s biggest fish, head coach Ben Johnson (though NFL insiders disagreed). Joining his…

AROUND THE NFL WHAT NEXT FOR AARON RODGERS?Mike Jones of The Athletic ponders the options for QB AARON RODGERS: So what’s next for Rodgers? The 41-year-old rebounded from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in Week 1 of 2023 to complete 63 percent of his passes for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season. Rodgers’ passer rating of…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH  CHICAGODan Pompei of The Athletic, from the funeral, on the gentle greatness of Virginia McCaskey: They came in droves to say goodbye to the daughter of George Halas, the matriarch of the Chicago Bears, Mrs. McCaskey to all who were not kin. The wake for Virginia Halas McCaskey was open to the public…

AROUND THE NFL KADARIUS TONEYHe’s charged with non-fatal strangulation in Douglas County, Georgia.  TMZ.com: Two-time Super Bowl champion Kadarius Toney was arrested last week over allegations he strangled a woman, TMZ Sports has learned. According to police documents we obtained, the former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver was accused of putting his hand around a woman’s throat during…

AROUND THE NFL NFC EAST  PHILADELPHIANot every Super Bowl participant has played four games, in fact most haven’t, but this still is impressive.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: With their 40-22 win at Super Bowl LIX, the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles finished a playoff run in which they scored more points than any team has ever scored in…

AROUND THE NFL In the first 58 Super Bowls, no player drafted from Alabama had ever scored in a Super Bowl. In the first 58 Super Bowls, no player drafted from Texas had ever scored in a Super Bowl. But on Sunday night, Alabama’s DeVONTA SMITH caught a TD pass for the Eagles and WR XAVIER WORTHY…

AROUND THE NFL SUPER BOWL 59As Bill Barnwell points out at ESPN.com, the Chiefs actually did some good things on defense.   Complete and utter dominance. On the biggest stage, with the Chiefs dominating the headlines in their attempt to win a third consecutive title, the Eagles comprehensively manhandled them in New Orleans. The 40-22 final score in Super…

AROUND THE NFL Chris Myers, with some DB stats, takes a look at the Super Bowl 59 matchup at FoxSports.com. We are 8-4 with our playoff picks so far, as we turn to the Super Bowl. It would not shock us if the Eagles dominated the game with their great lines, but the longer the game goes with…