Daily Briefing

AROUND THE NFL We’ll let Peter King catch us up on the weekend’s WR ANTONIO BROWN developments (and King “goes there” in a boldfaced paragraph).   I would not describe Tom Brady as giddy, or overly bubbly, about the prospect of playing football with the great but troubled wide receiver he’ll meet today, Antonio Brown.…

AROUND THE NFL The leisurely preseason turned into a dud of a regular season opener.  Andy Nesbitt of USA TODAY:   Well, that was brutal.   I’m talking, of course, about that opening-night stinker between the Packers and Bears.   The Packers might have won the scoreboard, 10-3, but everyone involved in this one –…

AROUND THE NFL Bill Barnwell makes the case for all 32 teams to win the Super Bowl here, The more improbable cases are below with the respective teams, as well as a few others of interest.   – – – The Panthers sold for $2.3 billion last year.  Could another mid-range (and maybe that’s generous)…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH   GREEN BAY QB AARON RODGERS has won the right to call plays, for good or bad, at the line of scrimmage.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:   Rock, paper, scissors, Rodgers.   In a development that should surprise no one, Packers coach Matt LaFleur says that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers…

AROUND THE NFL Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com breaks down the huge trade between the Texans and Dolphins:   The trade that sent Dolphins left tackle Laremy Tunsil to Houston was an enormous one.   The Texans are sending two first-round picks and a second-round pick to Miami to acquire Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny…

AROUND THE NFL Well-connected Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports on what will take the place of the shortened preseason:   Amid mounting criticism of an uncompelling exhibition-season product with sparsely attended stadiums and star players being withheld from games to avoid injury, there is increasing conviction within the NFL to shorten the preseason.…

AROUND THE NFL NFC EAST   NEW YORK GIANTS Cleveland QB BAKER MAYFIELD has reached out to Giants rookie QB DANIEL JONES.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:   On Wednesday, Mayfield clarified his comments from the GQ article and said he texted Jones.   “That interview was done back in April, I think right after the…

AROUND THE NFL Bill Barnwell of ESPN with thoughts on the diminished preseason – does it matter or not matter?   The march of the league has been toward risking starters less frequently during the preseason for years now, but that trend is accelerating. The key mover here is likely Sean McVay, who kept most…

AROUND THE NFL ANDREW LUCK It’s been less than 48 hours since ANDREW LUCK’s retirement was revealed by Adam Schefter – and the reaction has been immense.  We anticipate an extraordinarily long report here today, but first some DB thoughts –   1 – Not to doubt Luck’s sincerity, but this is not necessarily the…

AROUND THE NFL Chaos in Manitoba.   Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:   The Packers announced they will sit 33 players tonight, including Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams.   The team didn’t say why, but the reason is obvious.   The Packers were expected to play their starters, but that was before the field conditions in…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH   CHICAGO Coach Matt Nagy with some thoughts on his long search for a kicker after he threw CODY PARKEY to the curb.   With few holes to poke on Chicago’s roster, much of the coverage around Bears camp this spring and summer has revolved around the kicker competition. That…

AROUND THE NFL NFC EAST   DALLAS A cornerstone player gets an extension – but it is not QB DAK PRESCOTT, RB EZEKIEL ELLIOTT or WR AMARI COOPER.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:   The Cowboys officially announced the contract extension they reached with linebacker Jaylon Smith on Tuesday afternoon and then went ahead and announced…