THE DAILY BRIEFING
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NFC NORTH
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CHICAGO
The Bears won their Thursday night ESPN preseason game in Seattle. Josh Schrock ofNBCSports.com:
Break up the (preseason) Bears.S
For the second time in five days, Matt Eberflus’ team came away victorious in the preseason, beating the Seattle Seahawks 27-11 on Thursday at Lumen Field.
Justin Fields and the offense played just one series but put points on the board for the first time this preseason. Elsewhere, Kyler Gordon and Velus Jones Jr. made their debuts, while Teven Jenkins got his first crack at playing right guard in the NFL.
Here’s what we learned from the Bears’ win in Seattle:
Improved Fields-Kmet connection shows
The Bears’ passing game clearly missed Cole Kmet during the preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. The tight end is essential to Luke Getsy’s offense, and the Bears’ other tight ends aren’t close to the same kind of threat as Kmet.
Fields and Kmet have worked all offseason to improve their chemistry. It has shown up on the practice field several times during training camp, but Thursday was our first look at the connection in a game setting.
It didn’t disappoint.
Fields found Kmet for 12 yards on a tight end screen to open the game. Later in the drive, Fields bootlegged to the left, squared his body, and zipped a dart to Kmet for 19.
Fields’ lone offensive drive stalled out and ended with a 35-yard Cairo Santos field goal. But his chemistry with Kmet seems vastly improved from a year ago.
The quarterback finished his night going 5-for-7 for 39 yards, 31 of which went to Kmet.
Given how Getsy wants to use the tight end and the Bears’ lack of weapons not named Darnell Mooney, Kmet will have an opportunity to have a breakout season in Year 3.
Right guard issue solved?
After spending two practices at right guard this week, Teven Jenkins got the start between center Sam Mustipher and right tackle Larry Borom.
It wasn’t perfect, but overall, I liked what I saw from Jenkins at a position the Bears have been searching for answers at all offseason.
Jenkins did get bulldozed by Seahawks defensive tackle Poona Ford on one snap, but he was able to recover enough to give Fields time to get rid of the ball and avoid a sack. As a run blocker, Jenkins was pretty effective in his two series in Seattle.
It can get better, but Jenkins’ first live-action at guard should give the Bears some confidence that their offensive line is getting solidified.
Good and bad from Velus Jones and Kyler Gordon
After missing the preseason opener vs. the Chiefs, third-round pick Velus Jones Jr. got his first taste of NFL action Thursday in the Pacific Northwest.
Jones’ day almost started in disaster. The Bears rookie fumbled the opening kickoff at the 28-yard line, but he was able to recover it and the Bears kept possession.
The Tennessee product’s next touch went much better.
Jones caught Michael Dickson’s punt at the Bears’ 19-yard line and turned on the jets.
The rookie outran two defenders to the corner and turned it up the left sideline, bobbing and weaving his way to the Seahawks’ 33-yard line for a gain of 48.
Jones showed off the size, speed, and vision that could make him an elite weapon in the return game.
As for Gordon, the Bears’ top draft pick entered as the nickel on the second play of the game.
The Bears brought Gordon on a blitz, and the corner nearly got home for the sack. Gordon also helped force a fumble with a Peanut Punch, but the Seahawks were able to recover.
But it wasn’t all good for the Washington native.
Gordon was one of several Bears who missed a tackle on a 33-yard run by Travis Homer. He also was burned on a slant route later on but got bailed out by an illegal hands-to-the-face penalty on the Seahawks.
The second-round pick played most of the first half, showing off the instincts and speed that have the Bears excited about his future.
That Gordon started in the slot even with Kindle Vildor inactive is further evidence the Bears are leaning toward having the rookie open the season as their starting nickelback.
Five days after Jaquan Brisker had a sensational preseason debut, Gordon and Jones had up-and-down days. That’s to be expected from rookies.
All in all, the Bears should leave Seattle encouraged by what they saw from two players they hope will be foundational to their rebuild.
More on QB JUSTIN FIELDS from Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:
Bears quarterback Justin Fields played just one series in Thursday night’s preseason win over the Seahawks, but in that one series, head coach Matt Eberflus saw the same thing he’s been seeing from Fields in practice: Improvement.
Fields went 5-for-7 for 39 yards, led the offense into field goal range for the Bears to take a 3-0 lead, and perhaps more importantly avoided taking any sacks despite repeatedly facing pressure behind a shaky offensive line. Eberflus said Fields’ solid play in the preseason game mirrored what he’s been showing on the practice field.
“I see more progress in practice,” Eberflus said. “His footwork’s getting better, his delivery when he’s feeling pressure, how he slides in the pocket and delivers the ball, that’s getting a lot better too. He’s improving every single day.”
Eberflus noted that Fields throws well on the move, something Bears fans often complained Fields wasn’t asked to do enough of last year under former head coach Matt Nagy.
“He does a really good job with the movement passes, the play-actions, in pocket, out of pocket, and to be able to deliver the ball,” Eberflus said. “So we’re excited about that.”
Fields’ development is the Bears’ top priority this season, and Eberflus is seeing progress.
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GREEN BAY
Now that QB AARON RODGERS loves himself, he’s working on loving his receiving corps. Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com:
Rip them one day, meet with them the next. Those were the last two days in the life of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ quest to get a young group of receivers ready for the fast-approaching start of the regular season.
A day after Rodgers expressed his frustration with the group, they were instructed to report to the quarterback meeting room at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday. When they arrived, they found all three quarterbacks plus the key members of the offensive coaching staff who work directly on the passing game in the room.
Rodgers did not call the meeting, but he spoke extensively during it, according to several participants.
“It was just really giving us advice,” rookie receiver Samori Toure said. “Basically, letting us know that the Green Bay receiving corps has always been held to a super-high standard. All the legends who have been through here. It’s just about us carrying on that standard and stepping up.”
Toure, a seventh-round pick, proceeded to have perhaps his best practice of camp, not only catching a 50-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love in a two-minute drill but also snagging the drill-winning 2-point conversion to wrap up two days of joint practices with the New Orleans Saints.
“Aaron spoke to us about what he likes or what not just based on concepts or what he sees,” said rookie receiver Romeo Doubs, who also had a touchdown catch on Wednesday.
Tuesday marked the first time Rodgers spoke critically in public of the group trying to help replace All-Pro Davante Adams, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in March.
Rodgers called for more consistency and bemoaned “a lot of drops, a lot of bad route decisions, running the wrong route” and saying, “We’ve got to get better in that area.”
“He just wants us to see what he sees,” said Doubs, a fourth-round pick. “So then that way we can be able to react faster, play faster and just be able to dominate and continue to be who we are.”
Veteran receivers Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard also spoke during the meeting.
“Both Randall and Allen have been playing with 12 for quite a long time so certain things that we do, that we may have a mistake on, just from experience they’ve went through that same stage as well,” Doubs said. “Just them picking up the young guys throughout these dog days of camp has been a tremendous blessing and great piece of advice.”
When asked whether players appreciate Rodgers’ approach, Cobb said: “It doesn’t matter if they appreciate it or not. This is the way that we do things here. It’s either you deal with it or you get out of the room and we’ll find somebody else that’s going to get onboard with what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Rodgers was not only upset with mistakes in practice but he also reiterated that the three interceptions Love threw in last week’s preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers were largely the result of mistakes by the pass-catchers: a dropped ball by tight end Tyler Davis, a weak route and catch by Doubs and a wrong route by second-year receiver Amari Rodgers.
This wasn’t the first time Rodgers and the receivers have shared meeting space. Early in camp, Rodgers came into the receiver room to help explain a concept.
“I’m trying to echo the same message he is just to get everybody on the same page,” Love said. “But yeah, I think it’s a little different coming from Aaron, the way he demands it. They look up to Aaron a little bit different. Obviously he’s got a lot of experience and a lot more knowledge than me. But I think we all demand the same thing. The receivers know what they need to do and everybody is on the same page with it.”
And this from Brianna Williams of ESPN.com:
Green Bay Packers star QB Aaron Rodgers is a big Nicolas Cage guy, and he hasn’t been shy about showing it.
The reigning NFL MVP arrived to training camp in full Cameron Poe-inspired attire, channeling Cage’s character from the 1997 action flick “Con Air.”
On Tuesday, there was an item left in Rodger’s locker to prove that someone took note of the reigning MVP’s interest in the Academy Award-winning actor.
“It’s Nic Cage,” Rodgers said of the bust left in his locker after practice. “Somebody just sent this to me yesterday with no message.”
While it is still unclear who was responsible for the gift, it appears that he was grateful for the surprise.
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MINNESOTA
Jeff Howe of The Athletic on the forces that have shaped Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell:
Kevin O’Connell can only be one man.
The new Vikings coach, who was once drafted by Bill Belichick, taught by Josh McDaniels and employed by Sean McVay, naturally learned plenty from his coaching mentors. But as the 37-year-old embarks on his first head coaching opportunity, he knows he’s got to be himself to be successful.
“I just don’t know any other way. That’s just — right, wrong or indifferent — how I’ve always tried (to be),” O’Connell told The Athletic. “I feel like the No. 1 thing to be is that authentic person, because I think players can see if you’re not. I think the organization can feel that if it’s not real every single day.
“There (will be) times when you’ve got to coach these guys hard. There are still times when you’ve got to coach the coaches hard. Everybody is not always smiling. Everybody is not always having a blast. It’s a professional work environment where ultimately I think being myself fits with that because I have that kind of personality where I want to treat everybody with respect. I want everybody to always know I care about them.”
There’s been an energy shift with O’Connell’s presence. The Vikings, coming off back-to-back sub-.500 seasons, overhauled their leadership structure this offseason. They fired general manager Rick Spielman after 16 seasons with the organization, replacing him with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and ousted coach Mike Zimmer after an eight-year run.
O’Connell, who spent the previous two years as the Rams offensive coordinator, emits a similar vibe to McVay, and it feels natural. They’re both personable, welcoming and collaborative. That has yielded trust with Vikings players, who clearly believe in his plan.
“The collaboration that goes on in this building, I want our players to be empowered,” O’Connell said. “I want it to be a player-led team. I want it to be a team that, with that player ownership and with the type of leadership we have with some of our veteran players, I think that’s when teams are at their best in this league. I’ve seen it. That’s what I know, as something I was a part of that was really successful. That’s what we’re trying to build here.
“Luckily, you’re so hopeful to get that first job as a head coach in this league. They’re very difficult to get. But when you do, and you realize the people you’re going to work with all over our building and, more importantly, the players who are already here, it makes it really fun for me to come here every day and try to continue to build what we’ve already started.”
For O’Connell, that process started in the days following the Rams’ Super Bowl victory. Maybe even before.
The former San Diego State quarterback was drafted by Belichick’s Patriots in the third round in 2008. O’Connell studied under McDaniels and alongside quarterback Tom Brady before bouncing around the NFL for a few seasons.
O’Connell got into coaching with the Browns in 2015 and was an offensive coordinator with Washington by 2019. Such a rapid ascension put him on the head coaching radar around the league, and his stock boomed — as many tend to do — when he linked up with McVay in 2020.
When O’Connell had a chance to reflect after the Super Bowl, he understood how he’d want to operate if he ever got an opportunity as a head coach. And when the Vikings zeroed in on him, O’Connell didn’t want to waste a moment. He was introduced Feb. 17, a day after the Rams’ parade.
O’Connell began Facetiming players on his first day in the office. He wanted to let them know who he was as a person and how he’d approach his new job.
“Even before the offseason program started, reaching out and talking to these guys, really letting them kind of start learning about who I am and who we’re going to be as a staff for them,” O’Connell said. “Once you actually get officially started in the spring and even training camp, we’re working our culture on a daily basis. Our football foundation and philosophies come with that. I’ve hired some incredible teachers, some incredible football minds, but also guys who can connect with these guys on a personal level.
“I want guys to feel like we’re invested in them and ultimately that we’re always going to try to do what we can to win. That’s the bottom line in our business, but we’re going to do it in a way that people enjoy coming to this building every day. And then when we go out on the road together or we go play an opponent at U.S. Bank Stadium, and we’ve got that mindset of we’re all in this doing it our way because it is our team — not just my team.”
Though O’Connell sometimes catches himself repeating a phrase he’s heard from McVay, Belichick or McDaniels, the Vikings coach isn’t trying to emulate his mentors. Surely, he’s borrowing plenty he has learned along the way — the Vikings’ practice structure has a similar feel to the Rams’ workouts, for instance — but O’Connell has focused on staying true to himself.
“Even though Sean has had an unbelievable impact on me and is one of my closest friends and colleagues in this profession, if I tried to be him every single day, I think I would fall short of who I am,” O’Connell said. “And that authenticity would be called into question by some of our players and coaches. If I just continue to use those as resources, use those as experiences that helped shape and form my football philosophy and team-building philosophy, I think I’ll be OK from a standpoint of having my imprint and how I want it on this team.”
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NFC EAST
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NEW YORK GIANTS
QB DANIEL JONES had a mysterious “non-football related” neck procedure last winter that only now has come to light. Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com:
Daniel Jones missed the final six games of the 2021 season due to a neck injury. On Thursday, weeks before the start of the 2022 season, the Giants quarterback revealed to reporters that he underwent surgery in that area over the winter. Asked about offseason pictures that appeared to show a surgical scar on his upper chest, Jones insisted the procedure was unrelated to his injury.
“I had a non-football-related procedure done on my neck,” Jones said, per ESPN. “I saw there was something about it. It was completely unrelated, but I feel good. (My) neck is great.”
The 25-year-old former first-round draft pick, who’s entering the final season of his rookie contract, visited multiple spinal surgeons and specialists late in 2021, after suffering a neck injury in a Week 12 win over the Eagles. He was ultimately diagnosed with disc herniations and spinal stenosis, according to the New York Post, and received an injection to alleviate inflammation. Jones didn’t take a single snap after the injury, returning to the field for the first time this preseason.
Asked about Jones’ operation this offseason, one medical source speculated that the QB could’ve undergone spinal fusion surgery, which can require a frontal entry, hence the upper-chest scarring. The Giants have not addressed the operation, previously downplaying the long-term severity of Jones’ neck injury. Jones himself has dismissed the notion of his ailment having any effect on his game, telling reporters he felt fine in New York’s recent preseason opener.
The former Duke prospect is set to enter 2022 as the Giants’ starter, but the team signed veteran journeyman Tyrod Taylor in free agency, and new coach Brian Daboll hinted this week that Taylor will get first-team reps ahead of the regular season.
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NFC SOUTH
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TAMPA BAY
Todd Bowles does not offer a date specific for the return of QB TOM BRADY. The Athletic:
Tom Brady is not in the building and Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles doesn’t seem to know when he’ll be back. The legendary quarterback is currently away from the team on an excused leave of absence, and Bowles told reporters “We’ll see” and “We’ll talk about it next week” in regards to when he might return.
Brady’s absence began last week and the team said it was “to deal with some personal things.” At the time, Bowles said the quarterback “will not be here until after Tennessee.”
That matchup with Tennessee will be played Saturday, but after two days of joint practices with the Titans, Bowles said he doesn’t have any exact date for when Brady would be back.
“I’m not concerned about it right now. We’re trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game,” Bowles said Thursday. “I said sometime after Tennessee. There’s no definitive date for me. We’ll check on it, we’ll keep in touch and find out.”
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AFC WEST
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DENVER
In Denver, they are saying that QB RUSSELL WILSON is free of the restraints imposed by Pete Carroll. Jon Heath of YahooSports.com:
The Broncos are ‘letting Russ be Russ’
Russell Wilson seemingly had a falling out with the Seattle Seahawks before his trade to the Broncos earlier this year. There were multiple reasons for the fallout. One of them seems to be that Wilson wasn’t as involved as he’d like to be. Denver will make sure he’s involved now.
“You never know what you have until it’s gone,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said Wednesday. “For us, we’re just so excited to have somebody here like him. I think for us, it’s just about letting Russ be Russ and watch him go out there and execute.
“[It’s about] supporting him and being there for him so we can continually bring that energy every day and that standard that he sets. I think he’s re-energized. He’s fired up, and we just want to keep feeding off that every day.”
The Broncos have built their offense around Wilson’s strengths and while Hackett is the offensive mastermind with the final say, he has included his quarterback in the process of building an offensive scheme in Denver.
That might not sound like a big deal, but Wilson seemingly didn’t have that kind of coach-QB relationship in Seattle, and gaining it with Hackett could lead to great on-field results well beyond the 2022 season.
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LAS VEGAS
Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com looks at the Raiders running back room:
“The happiest person in the building should be Josh Jacobs. I know that.” — Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr on the team’s offensive system under new coach Josh McDaniels
HENDERSON, Nev. — Josh McDaniels landed in Las Vegas with the reputation of an elite playcaller, one who leans heavily on a roster of running backs just as big as it is versatile in skill sets.
Power backs? Check.
Pass-catching backs? Check again.
Pass-blocking backs? Check three times.
Indeed, with seven tailbacks and a fullback on the training camp roster, it might be a good problem for McDaniels to have when it comes to cutting down to an initial 53-man roster.
“It’s pretty interesting,” McDaniels said this week when asked about the depth and diversity of the running backs room. “There are some young guys that are learning but play really hard and give great effort. We have some guys that are kind of multifaceted in terms of what they do and bring. We’ve tried to give them all different opportunities here in the first few games to try to do some of those things.”
Case in point: the (relatively) heavy workload Jacobs, a Pro Bowler in 2020 and presumptive starter this season, played in the Hall of Fame Game. Jacobs starting and getting seven touches (five carries for 30 yards and two catches for 14 yards) on the first two series raised eyebrows.
Or veteran Kenyan Drake, who is returning from a broken right ankle, seeing significant time in both preseason games.
“I mean, the proof is in the pudding,” said Drake, who has carried the ball nine times for 24 yards while catching two passes for 17 yards combined, after the Raiders beat the Minnesota Vikings in the second preseason game.
“You see everybody on the field being productive, playing in every and any situation — from four-minute with Brittain [Brown] finishing it off to the two-back set that we have, me and Zamir [White] in the first half, and then, obviously, not to mention the [two] other guys that haven’t played that are going to make a big impact on this team, so the sky’s the limit for this room. I feel like we’re going to be the heartbeat of this team and we’re going to, every game, go out there and be the engine.”
Through two exhibitions, Austin Walter has rushed for a team-high 79 yards with a TD and caught a 3-yard pass, while White, a fourth-round draft pick out of Georgia, has rushed for 65 yards on 16 carries and is tied for the team lead with five catches for 27 yards.
Brown, a seventh-round pick from UCLA, has rushed for 54 yards and a score on 14 carries and caught two passes, while Ameer Abdullah has 7 rushing yards and a TD (his low-high roundhouse kicks followed by a twirl kick as an end zone celebration was a nod to the video game “Tekken” while also serving as inspiration to the kids on “Cobra Kai”) and also has two catches for 23 yards.
Interestingly, neither of the two backs who came from McDaniels’ old stomping grounds, the New England Patriots, have played in the preseason — tailback Brandon Bolden and fullback Jakob Johnson.
How much can you truly glean, though, from two games of a preseason for a new regime?
Well, it’s been a fairly balanced offensive attack this far, with the Raiders passing for a combined 322 yards on 59 attempts and rushing for 299 yards on 72 carries.
All eight backs survived the first round of cuts, from 90 players to 85, this week. The Raiders must get down to 80 players by Tuesday, three days after the exhibition at the Miami Dolphins (7 p.m. ET, Saturday).
“You just take it one day at a time,” said Abdullah, who is in his first camp with the Raiders after spending seven seasons with the Detroit Lions, Vikings and Carolina Panthers. “That’s what my father has always told me — you can’t live too much in the future, that breeds anxiety. You can’t live too much in the past, that breeds depression. Just staying present. Keeping everything that’s right in front of you, which is what you can control.”
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AFC NORTH
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CLEVELAND
Jason Lloyd and Zac Jackson of The Athletic contemplate 65% of the season without QB DESHAUN WATSON.
Jason: It took 152 days, but after trading for Deshaun Watson in March, the Browns finally have resolution on when their franchise quarterback will be available. Thursday, Watson and the league agreed to an 11-game suspension and a $5 million fine for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Zac, aside from feeling like this type of deal could’ve been reached weeks ago, were you surprised Watson and the NFL were able to come to terms on a settlement after both sides seemed so dug in? Was this a fair compromise?
Zac: First, I wasn’t surprised. And though I concede that some of this answer is my personal exhaustion with the situation talking, I think this is mostly a fair and reasonable outcome for both sides.
I can’t explain what took so long, but the longer it went on, the more I became convinced both that a settlement was in the works and that it would end up being the best for all parties, at least in the short term. The NFL is generally good with the whole public relations, controlling the message thing; Watson’s side has been awful throughout. But the NFL wanted to shut this door and get to the season, and because the league allowed this trade to be made in the first place, I think the Browns were at least somewhat deserving of clarity on what was going to happen next.
Did the Browns really do the kind of homework on Watson they want us to believe they did? That answer feels like no, but we may never know for certain. Why would the players association ever agree to a system in which there is an independent arbiter but Roger Goodell gets the final call? That’s an even harder one to explain, but it was best for both sides to get it wrapped up — at least the paperwork and procedure part.
Read more: Everything we know about Deshaun Watson’s 11-game suspension
Jason: I’ve long contested that if the league truly wanted a suspension of a full season, then they botched this when it didn’t put Watson on the exempt list. That way, the Browns and all the other finalists to land him would’ve stayed away. By not placing him on the exempt list, it signaled to the rest of the league it was fair to pursue him. I realize, and Goodell reiterated this at the owners’ meetings in March, that the exempt list has typically been reserved for criminal cases. But I’d also argue the NFL often just makes up the rules as it goes.
By settling on 11 games, the league got a little more flesh while still allowing the Browns, maybe, to salvage their season — although this suspension certainly is longer than the team anticipated when it made the risky decision to acquire him. So is this settlement good news or bad news for the Browns?
Zac: The messaging by the team continues to be sloppy, but from a pure football standpoint, getting resolution is a positive. And Watson only getting 11 games when the NFL was so openly seeking at least 17 is good news for the team, too.
In the bigger picture, the Browns know that Watson will be cleared to return on a certain date as long as he fulfills his counseling requirements. They also know the salary-cap situation going forward and can trust that once he’s back in the building and prepped for a return to football, there will be no further interruption to that side of the equation. An indefinite suspension would have lingered, obviously, in multiple ways.
As for the 2022 season, the book is open. I’m not sure the Browns can make the playoffs with 11 games of Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, but I think they can at least stay afloat through November. And though no one knows how long it will take Watson to get fully comfortable when he does return, a full-season suspension could have had effects on the locker-room psyche that we could neither predict nor fully measure. Nothing about this is ideal, obviously, but I think the way the last two months have gone, the Browns privately have to be pleased.
I still have concerns about whether the Browns really knew the extent of what they were getting themselves into. What happens upstairs if things go sideways in any way, not just on the field? There have to be trust issues with Watson, and there has to be concern about his ability to be the face of the franchise given what’s out there. There’s a reason owner Jimmy Haslam was so quick Thursday to say he didn’t want to address Judge Sue L. Robinson’s findings: because those findings — that Watson had engaged in “egregious” and “predatory” behavior — suggest that having him in a leadership position will be more than a little awkward.
Jason: I have serious reservations about 11 games of Brissett. As hard as we were on Baker Mayfield, I think you and I both agree he’s still a better quarterback than Brissett. That means the Browns have downgraded at the most important position for essentially two-thirds of the season, and expecting Watson to just show up in December and be an All-Pro right away after 700 days away from football might be a bit unrealistic.
But I want to go back to Thursday’s press conferences. You mentioned the messaging continues to be sloppy. What do you mean by that and what did you make of the comments from Watson, general manager Andrew Berry and Jimmy Haslam?
Zac: All along, I’ve said the Browns have continually failed to answer the big questions or even appear like they had a strong, united and coordinated front. If you’re going to make this move, you have to be ready to own it.
As for Thursday, Berry and Haslam had to cringe when Watson used the word “triggered” — the same word the team used in its statement when the initial ruling was made — and had to be less than pleased that Watson continued to couch his apologies. I have to think that the Browns believed this would have been long settled by now, that Watson would be talking football with reporters and that there would be coordinated efforts to have Watson out in the community trying to make a better name for himself. Instead, he’s standing up there saying that he stands on his innocence.
Haslam has owned it. I can’t say “to his credit,” really, but I’ll give him that. He keeps saying that Watson is a darn good NFL quarterback, and that’s what this is about. I just go back to January (and even before, probably) as the Browns went through this. Talking about taking Watson on and talking about having his talents in your huddle is one thing. Actually making this move is a whole different story, and the story keeps showing that the Browns were at least a little naive about (and maybe completely unprepared for) both the backlash and how long this was going to linger. To take Watson and all of his baggage on, this can’t work “a little bit” for it to be ultimately worthwhile. This has to be the slam dunk of slam dunks, and even “a little bit” of football success remains a long way away.
Jason: Haslam said today, “I don’t think we had any way of knowing” what the suspension was going to be. I found that a bit astonishing to hear out loud. It speaks to a “ready, fire, aim” approach where ownership and the front office just got in the car, buckled their seat belts, closed their eyes and hit the gas, speeding into oncoming traffic.
I spoke to a member of the organization recently who said the team in fact did do its research on this and had an indication things would go one way, only to learn it wound up going very, very differently. It’s easy to draw the conclusion that the league, as it often does, reversed course as a reaction to the public pressure from the case.
Regardless, I have to agree that this lingered much, much longer than anyone in the organization anticipated. They believed they’d have resolution and clarity by the start of training camp. Instead, we’re halfway through camp. No one is going to feel sorry for the Browns. They voluntarily put themselves in this position. But it’s incredibly difficult to run training camp and prepare for the season when you have no idea when your quarterback will take the field.
Zac: Absolutely. It’s been the freaking Twilight Zone. And I get that the other players don’t want to talk about it and that the people who run the place could only say so much, but in the pantheon of training camp challenges, not knowing when your quarterback can play is a pretty significant one. Knowing that not having your quarterback can pretty quickly sink your season — especially with the way last year went — isn’t something that’s necessarily going to affect standard practice work in mid-August, but it’s something that’s real. This cloud over everything the team has done has been real.
The Browns still have a good team. They still should have a strong defense and run game, and they’ll have a chance to be in almost every game they play. Can Brissett bring them back from 10 down when necessary? Is Brissett good enough to keep defenses guessing? We don’t know the answers to those questions.
I think organizationally, the Browns were fine with Brissett for four or six games. But now 11? They can’t be OK with that, and though I can’t say with certainty that they will, I think they have to have a nice, long talk about getting Jimmy Garoppolo in by the end of next week and having him ready for the end of September. Your thoughts?
Jason: You’re trying to get me to reveal my next column, aren’t you? I’ll say this much for now: Cleveland’s Week 7 through 11 opponents are Baltimore, Cincinnati, Miami, Buffalo and Tampa Bay. All but the Bengals and Bucs are on the road. That’s quite a gauntlet and drastically different opponents than what the Browns thought they were tackling when Robinson initially handed down her six-game suspension.
Garoppolo’s worst season in terms of quarterback rating is better than Brissett’s best. He could be the difference in one or two of those games, and in the NFL, one or two games is the difference between making the playoffs and going golfing in January.
I found it interesting that Berry was asked twice today about Brissett playing 11 games. He didn’t commit to Brissett either time. They have to discuss Garoppolo at this point. They owe it to the rest of the roster. But I’d better stop now or I’ll have nothing left to write for tomorrow.
Zac: Just a bizarre day. I could not believe my ears when Berry twice referred to the trade for Watson as “the transaction.” He’s really that programmed, and that’s a big part of my confusion about the whole deal. A transaction is what you make after realizing you need a third tight end or an emergency cornerback. This is a trade with many layers and enormous repercussions. This is a trade that defines everything. The Browns made it and want us to believe that all involved are fine with it. It’s just baffling.
I’m with you. They need to explore a Garoppolo transaction. The Watson trade never gets made if the roster isn’t ready to win now, and the cap decisions they made in the days and months following the Watson trade reinforce that they have to win soon. I don’t know where this thing is headed on any front, but for the first two or three months of the season, I think Garoppolo gives the Browns the best chance to win.
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Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com feels the Browns, from a management standpoint, would have been better off with Watson being sent home for the entire season:
It would have been bad for Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson to have been suspended for the full season. It arguably wouldn’t have been quite so bad for the Browns.
If Watson had missed the full season, his contract would have tolled until next year. It would have been a true suspension of his career. He would have gotten the minimum salary for 2023 (something in the range of $1 million), instead of the $46 million he’s due to earn. And he would have been under contract through 2027, not 2026.
The 11-game suspension doesn’t toll his contract. (Some are suggesting that a 12-game suspension would have delayed his contract by a year. Without getting into the specific details, that’s incorrect.) Thus, next year, the Browns will have to pay Watson $46 million, barring a restructuring. And they’ll only have him through 2026, not 2027 — barring an extension.
What will six games with Watson do for the Browns in 2022? Maybe they’ll tread water through a difficult schedule and have a chance to get hot down the stretch. But when he returns in December, it will be nearly 23 months since he last played in a regular-season game.
Whatever the Browns do this year, not having Watson for 11 games will make it harder to get there. But it still counts as the first of five years under his contract. He’ll have only four years left as of 2023.
So, yes, it arguably would have been better for the Browns to not have Watson at all in 2022. Especially if, when he returns, they’re something in the range of 4-7 or worse.
– – –
Judy Bautista of NFL.com with a column representative of those who require to do to Watson what Harris County did not.
Perhaps the only good thing to come of Thursday’s announcement that Deshaun Watson would be suspended 11 games, fined $5 million and required to undergo an evaluation and counseling for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy were a few words near the bottom of the NFL’s statement: “Today’s announcement concludes the process.”
The 11 games don’t feel like enough, considering there were 24 women who filed lawsuits accusing Watson of sexual misconduct, Judge Sue L. Robinson found that the NFL had proven according to its own definition that he committed sexual assault against the four women whose cases were presented to her, and Commissioner Roger Goodell called Watson’s alleged behavior “predatory” last week. The fine is laughably small in the context of the fully guaranteed contract (worth $230 million) the Cleveland Browns lavished on Watson in the spring.
The counseling, hopefully, is enough, because Watson’s insistence Thursday that he is innocent and never sexually assaulted or even disrespected anyone — that he was apologizing because so many people were “triggered” — indicate that this settlement is, for him, not accompanied by remorse or even self-awareness, but merely a desire to get on with his life.
Given the nature of Watson’s alleged behavior, and Robinson’s finding, it is not enough that Watson gets on with his life. He needs to change it, to understand that the Browns were seemingly so concerned about his ability to get a massage without incident that general manager Andrew Berry said Thursday the team put together a plan as soon as the trade was completed for how Watson would get massages if he ever had a soft tissue injury.
The NFL wanted to get on with its life, too, though, which is why there is a settlement. The league had initially pushed for (and sought while appealing Robinson’s initial six-game suspension) a full-year suspension, while the NFL Players Association wanted substantially less. The 11 games is significantly more than what Robinson first levied, but it is clear this agreement was all about this being over, about getting Watson and this seamy case out of the headlines and far away from the kickoff to the new season at the beginning of September. Had the NFL simply imposed the discipline it wanted, it was expected that the union would have taken the league to court. A league source explained the NFL’s rationale for accepting this agreement: “It’s significant, definitive, immediate and final.”
It is also unsatisfying, but that is what settlements generally are. Neither side gets everything it wants; both sides decide they can live with it anyway. Finality was important to everyone. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski used words like “clarity” and “certainty” in his comments Thursday. He gets to know what his quarterback situation is. The NFL avoids months of traipsing in and out of courtrooms — during a previous court case against a player, one owner remarked that the league fighting a player in court benefited nobody except the lawyers and their billable hours — and Watson knows what he has to do to get reinstated. The biggest winners, though, might be the public, who presumably won’t have to listen to Watson or the Browns’ owners talk about this again for awhile.
Owner Jimmy Haslam told reporters Thursday he would “absolutely” make the trade for Watson again, even knowing everything that has happened since Cleveland first acquired the quarterback from Houston in March, and he gave a passionate argument for people deserving second chances. He also said out loud what has been obvious since the Browns went after Watson. This was a play for the long-term, and he wants to win games, the allegations be damned.
“I think it’s important to remember, Deshaun is 26 years old and is a high-level NFL quarterback, and we’re planning on him being our quarterback for a long time,” Haslam said Thursday.
The Browns knew there would be some degree of discipline for Watson, although they almost certainly did not think it would be 11 games. But the bet the Browns made was a cynical one: Once Watson gets on the field, his play will be so transcendent, the wins rolling up so steadily, that fans will ultimately look past his alleged behavior. There is ample evidence from other cases to indicate that is the correct calculation, but it doesn’t make the comments from the owner — who also noted that ticket sales have been great — any less tone-deaf.
Dee Haslam, though, may have made the most important point of all Thursday. Without saying as much, she seemed to disagree with Watson’s own assessment that he had done nothing wrong. She said that counseling takes a lot of time — that’s part of the reason why the NFL wanted this agreement now, to get Watson evaluated by experts who will then lay out a course of treatment — and “I do think, in counseling, Deshaun will grow to learn a lot more about himself.”
Let’s hope so. If Watson fails to comply or participate, he would be subject to an increase in discipline or a delay to his reinstatement. Nobody wants that. Watson’s case was one of the most troubling the NFL has ever had involving a player. His own lack of contrition Thursday shows the discipline may not have gone far enough. The best, then, that can be said about the settlement is that this episode is, mercifully, over.
Mike Florio is also concerned that Watson truly doesn’t get it, and hopes that the evaluation process is not just a rubber stamp.
Last Friday, with a settlement of the Deshaun Watson‘s disciplinary case suddenly a possibility, the Browns quarterback for the first time apologized to the women “impacted” by his behavior. Immediately after resolving the situation on Thursday, Watson issued a statement in which he accepted accountability for his decisions.
Then, he basically said, “Psych!”
Like a criminal defendant who signs a plea agreement before proclaiming he didn’t do it, Watson insisted that he’s innocent during an ill-advised press conference. His agent, David Mulugheta, after deleting a tweet that attacked the ruling of Judge Sue L. Robinson that Watson didn’t appeal, tweeted that Watson has always stated that he is innocent.
That’s not what Judge Robinson found. In the decision that the NFLPA urged the NFL to accept, she found that Watson violated the Personal Conduct Policy in three different ways, by committing four instances of non-violent sexual assault. She found that his behavior was “egregious” and “predatory.” And now, after agreeing to a deal that extended her punishment by five games and added a fine of $5 million, Watson and Mulugheta have retreated to the long-held insistence that Watson didn’t do anything wrong.
The league has not yet responded to an email from PFT posing the simple question of whether Watson’s remarks constitute a violation of the terms of the settlement. Maybe he hasn’t violated the deal yet, but the “I didn’t do it” attitude doesn’t bode well for one specific aspect of the terms of the deal.
As noted by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, as part of an inherently contradictory stream of tweets and retweets that both carry water for Watson and dump it on his head, “Watson has to comply with [evaluation] and treatment recommendations of a third-party behavioral expert to be reinstated,” and his “reinstatement is contingent upon his compliance with the treatment plan.”
“If he doesn’t comply, his reinstatement could be delayed, plus further discipline,” Schefter says.
The evaluation and treatment should include frank, direct questions for Watson as to whether he truly accepts responsibility for his behavior. Whether he acknowledges that he engaged in non-violent sexual assault. Judge Robinson found that his “categorical denial” wasn’t truthful. She also found that his claim that he never got an erection during a massage was flat-out false, given that multiple massage therapists who vouched for him acknowledged that he became aroused during massages that they provided to him.
That’s why we shouldn’t assume Watson automatically will be back in Week 13 at Houston. If/when the person providing him with evaluation and/or treatment plays the video from today’s press conference and Watson doesn’t have a persuasive explanation for his decision to insist on his innocence, it’s possible that Watson won’t receive the appropriate certification to return and play.
It’s not some small issue. As noted by Schefter, the league viewed Watson’s apology from last Friday as an “important first step.” Today, he took three steps back.
Our guess? If he doesn’t make a clear and unequivocal public statement of responsibility before Week 13, there’s a chance he won’t be playing for the Browns when they visit the Texans.
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This from Robert Griffin III –
@RGIII
The NFL had an opportunity to show it had learned from its ugly history on standing up for Women with this Deshaun Watson case and IT FAILED. 11 games and a 5 million dollar fine doesn’t fit what he was accused of doing and found to have done by Judge Sue L. Robinson. Sickening.
In fairness to the NFL, they are a reluctant partner in all this with the NFLPA who fought them for every game and dollar. And without the NFLPA signing off, there might have been a better chance for Watson to prevail in federal court than Griffin and the other critics understand.
Suspended Calvin Ridley, suspended for a whole year for one parlay bet, has noticed:
@CalvinRidley1
2023 Calvin Ridley ‼️‼️‼️‼️
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AFC SOUTH
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INDIANAPOLIS
He is only a 6th round rookie, but camp observers say the loss of TE ANDREW OGLETREE will hurt the 2022 Colts. Zak Keefer in The Athletic:
Indianapolis Colts tight end Andrew Ogletree suffered a torn ACL, a source confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday.
Ogletree, 6-foot-5, 260-pounds, was selected by the Colts in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Youngstown State. The rookie was having an impressive training camp for Indianapolis, but will now be sidelined for the season with the injury.
Ogletree was one of the Colts’ most consistent offense weapons in camp — which is very rare for a rookie. Wasn’t just 1 good day or 1 good week. Was very solid since late July, climbing to the 1st-team offense. Team brass believes he has a really high ceiling in this league.
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THIS AND THAT
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FANTASY QB TIERS
Eric Karabell of ESPN.com slots his QBs for your draft consideration:
Say you don’t have a quarterback yet — it’s the smart move — but you’ve already invested in several flex-eligible players. Well, check your tiers for available options. The answers are there.
For example, perhaps you see four available quarterbacks in the highest tier, negligible difference between them. Pass. Pass for a while. There’s also quite the crew of wide receivers clumped together. Pass again. There’s ample wide receiver depth. You can wait. Then there are one or two running backs alone in a tier and, in your opinion, a significant jump in production compared to the next section. There — thanks to a tiered system — is the answer. Reduce your stress, crave efficiency. As the saying goes, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Anyway, fantasy managers should rank, project and tier players themselves, for their league format, using analysts as a guide to help construct their opinions. Then do what you want! The fantasy teams are yours. If you do not agree with the tiers below, well, good, you shouldn’t! Follow your own advice, your gut and build the teams you want. Below are one analyst’s tiers for quarterbacks (standard league, PPR), but again, make your own. You will be pleased you did.
Tier 1: Round 3
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Notes: Yes, Allen really does stand alone at the top, and it’s because of his ability to accrue rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. The passing strides he has made since the 2019 season are incredible. Also, don’t take a quarterback in the first three or even seven or eight rounds. The running back depth — and to some degree, wide receiver depth — ends earlier than you realize.
Tier 2: Rounds 4-5
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Notes: They’re great and you’ll be set at quarterback if you take them, but again, get your passers later. The value here just doesn’t work when compared to flex-eligible positions. Mahomes, by the way, has not finished among the top three quarterbacks in fantasy in any of the past three seasons, since he dominated in 2018. That seems a bit relevant.
Tier 3: Rounds 6-7
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Notes: Here we have three superstars adding considerable statistical value with their running prowess, though they are a bit flawed as passers. The quarterbacks in this tier are strong values compared to the quarterbacks in earlier ones.
Tier 4: Rounds 8-9
Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Notes: Yeah, that is a considerable tier with several future Hall of Famers, options who have won MVP awards and an up-and-comer we think will add tremendous value with his legs in Lance. After this, there seems to be quite a drop-off in talent, but in 10- and even 12-team leagues, you should be able to secure one of these players. Don’t feel the need to reach for quarterbacks in this tier five rounds earlier.
Tier 5: Rounds 11-12
Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Notes: Quarterback is deep enough and most of the top options are quite durable, so fantasy managers need not leave their traditional draft or salary cap draft — unless it’s a superflex format or 2-QB league — with more than one. Wait for the bye weeks. One can invest in a safe veteran such as Carr or Cousins, or take some chances with a young option such as Lawrence, Tagovailoa or Fields who might blossom into a star.
Tier 6: Rounds 14-15
Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints
Matt Ryan, Indianapolis Colts
Zach Wilson, New York Jets
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Notes: These are hardly bad quarterbacks, which proves the point that waiting on the position is wise. Winston threw for 5,000 yards in 2019. Ryan was the No. 2 fantasy QB in 2018. Wilson was right next to Jacksonville’s Lawrence in these rankings/tiers before hurting his knee in the first preseason game. Tannehill, like Ryan, could easily bounce back this season.
Tier 7: Undrafted
Mac Jones, New England Patriots
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Baker Mayfield, Carolina Panthers
Davis Mills, Houston Texans
Drew Lock/Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Marcus Mariota/Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons
Kenny Pickett/Mitch Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers
Jacoby Brissett/Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Notes: There is a fine line between late-round picks and picks who just aren’t worth it. Daniel Jones played well as a rookie in 2019 and might do so again. Many once loved his upside. Now, he has much to prove. So do Wentz and Mayfield in their new homes. There are rookies and veterans here. In standard leagues, they will be available during the season.
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NFC NORTH
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CHICAGO
The Bears won their Thursday night ESPN preseason game in Seattle. Josh Schrock ofNBCSports.com:
Break up the (preseason) Bears.S
For the second time in five days, Matt Eberflus’ team came away victorious in the preseason, beating the Seattle Seahawks 27-11 on Thursday at Lumen Field.
Justin Fields and the offense played just one series but put points on the board for the first time this preseason. Elsewhere, Kyler Gordon and Velus Jones Jr. made their debuts, while Teven Jenkins got his first crack at playing right guard in the NFL.
Here’s what we learned from the Bears’ win in Seattle:
Improved Fields-Kmet connection shows
The Bears’ passing game clearly missed Cole Kmet during the preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. The tight end is essential to Luke Getsy’s offense, and the Bears’ other tight ends aren’t close to the same kind of threat as Kmet.
Fields and Kmet have worked all offseason to improve their chemistry. It has shown up on the practice field several times during training camp, but Thursday was our first look at the connection in a game setting.
It didn’t disappoint.
Fields found Kmet for 12 yards on a tight end screen to open the game. Later in the drive, Fields bootlegged to the left, squared his body, and zipped a dart to Kmet for 19.
Fields’ lone offensive drive stalled out and ended with a 35-yard Cairo Santos field goal. But his chemistry with Kmet seems vastly improved from a year ago.
The quarterback finished his night going 5-for-7 for 39 yards, 31 of which went to Kmet.
Given how Getsy wants to use the tight end and the Bears’ lack of weapons not named Darnell Mooney, Kmet will have an opportunity to have a breakout season in Year 3.
Right guard issue solved?
After spending two practices at right guard this week, Teven Jenkins got the start between center Sam Mustipher and right tackle Larry Borom.
It wasn’t perfect, but overall, I liked what I saw from Jenkins at a position the Bears have been searching for answers at all offseason.
Jenkins did get bulldozed by Seahawks defensive tackle Poona Ford on one snap, but he was able to recover enough to give Fields time to get rid of the ball and avoid a sack. As a run blocker, Jenkins was pretty effective in his two series in Seattle.
It can get better, but Jenkins’ first live-action at guard should give the Bears some confidence that their offensive line is getting solidified.
Good and bad from Velus Jones and Kyler Gordon
After missing the preseason opener vs. the Chiefs, third-round pick Velus Jones Jr. got his first taste of NFL action Thursday in the Pacific Northwest.
Jones’ day almost started in disaster. The Bears rookie fumbled the opening kickoff at the 28-yard line, but he was able to recover it and the Bears kept possession.
The Tennessee product’s next touch went much better.
Jones caught Michael Dickson’s punt at the Bears’ 19-yard line and turned on the jets.
The rookie outran two defenders to the corner and turned it up the left sideline, bobbing and weaving his way to the Seahawks’ 33-yard line for a gain of 48.
Jones showed off the size, speed, and vision that could make him an elite weapon in the return game.
As for Gordon, the Bears’ top draft pick entered as the nickel on the second play of the game.
The Bears brought Gordon on a blitz, and the corner nearly got home for the sack. Gordon also helped force a fumble with a Peanut Punch, but the Seahawks were able to recover.
But it wasn’t all good for the Washington native.
Gordon was one of several Bears who missed a tackle on a 33-yard run by Travis Homer. He also was burned on a slant route later on but got bailed out by an illegal hands-to-the-face penalty on the Seahawks.
The second-round pick played most of the first half, showing off the instincts and speed that have the Bears excited about his future.
That Gordon started in the slot even with Kindle Vildor inactive is further evidence the Bears are leaning toward having the rookie open the season as their starting nickelback.
Five days after Jaquan Brisker had a sensational preseason debut, Gordon and Jones had up-and-down days. That’s to be expected from rookies.
All in all, the Bears should leave Seattle encouraged by what they saw from two players they hope will be foundational to their rebuild.
More on QB JUSTIN FIELDS from Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:
Bears quarterback Justin Fields played just one series in Thursday night’s preseason win over the Seahawks, but in that one series, head coach Matt Eberflus saw the same thing he’s been seeing from Fields in practice: Improvement.
Fields went 5-for-7 for 39 yards, led the offense into field goal range for the Bears to take a 3-0 lead, and perhaps more importantly avoided taking any sacks despite repeatedly facing pressure behind a shaky offensive line. Eberflus said Fields’ solid play in the preseason game mirrored what he’s been showing on the practice field.
“I see more progress in practice,” Eberflus said. “His footwork’s getting better, his delivery when he’s feeling pressure, how he slides in the pocket and delivers the ball, that’s getting a lot better too. He’s improving every single day.”
Eberflus noted that Fields throws well on the move, something Bears fans often complained Fields wasn’t asked to do enough of last year under former head coach Matt Nagy.
“He does a really good job with the movement passes, the play-actions, in pocket, out of pocket, and to be able to deliver the ball,” Eberflus said. “So we’re excited about that.”
Fields’ development is the Bears’ top priority this season, and Eberflus is seeing progress.
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GREEN BAY
Now that QB AARON RODGERS loves himself, he’s working on loving his receiving corps. Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com:
Rip them one day, meet with them the next. Those were the last two days in the life of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ quest to get a young group of receivers ready for the fast-approaching start of the regular season.
A day after Rodgers expressed his frustration with the group, they were instructed to report to the quarterback meeting room at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday. When they arrived, they found all three quarterbacks plus the key members of the offensive coaching staff who work directly on the passing game in the room.
Rodgers did not call the meeting, but he spoke extensively during it, according to several participants.
“It was just really giving us advice,” rookie receiver Samori Toure said. “Basically, letting us know that the Green Bay receiving corps has always been held to a super-high standard. All the legends who have been through here. It’s just about us carrying on that standard and stepping up.”
Toure, a seventh-round pick, proceeded to have perhaps his best practice of camp, not only catching a 50-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love in a two-minute drill but also snagging the drill-winning 2-point conversion to wrap up two days of joint practices with the New Orleans Saints.
“Aaron spoke to us about what he likes or what not just based on concepts or what he sees,” said rookie receiver Romeo Doubs, who also had a touchdown catch on Wednesday.
Tuesday marked the first time Rodgers spoke critically in public of the group trying to help replace All-Pro Davante Adams, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in March.
Rodgers called for more consistency and bemoaned “a lot of drops, a lot of bad route decisions, running the wrong route” and saying, “We’ve got to get better in that area.”
“He just wants us to see what he sees,” said Doubs, a fourth-round pick. “So then that way we can be able to react faster, play faster and just be able to dominate and continue to be who we are.”
Veteran receivers Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard also spoke during the meeting.
“Both Randall and Allen have been playing with 12 for quite a long time so certain things that we do, that we may have a mistake on, just from experience they’ve went through that same stage as well,” Doubs said. “Just them picking up the young guys throughout these dog days of camp has been a tremendous blessing and great piece of advice.”
When asked whether players appreciate Rodgers’ approach, Cobb said: “It doesn’t matter if they appreciate it or not. This is the way that we do things here. It’s either you deal with it or you get out of the room and we’ll find somebody else that’s going to get onboard with what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Rodgers was not only upset with mistakes in practice but he also reiterated that the three interceptions Love threw in last week’s preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers were largely the result of mistakes by the pass-catchers: a dropped ball by tight end Tyler Davis, a weak route and catch by Doubs and a wrong route by second-year receiver Amari Rodgers.
This wasn’t the first time Rodgers and the receivers have shared meeting space. Early in camp, Rodgers came into the receiver room to help explain a concept.
“I’m trying to echo the same message he is just to get everybody on the same page,” Love said. “But yeah, I think it’s a little different coming from Aaron, the way he demands it. They look up to Aaron a little bit different. Obviously he’s got a lot of experience and a lot more knowledge than me. But I think we all demand the same thing. The receivers know what they need to do and everybody is on the same page with it.”
And this from Brianna Williams of ESPN.com:
Green Bay Packers star QB Aaron Rodgers is a big Nicolas Cage guy, and he hasn’t been shy about showing it.
The reigning NFL MVP arrived to training camp in full Cameron Poe-inspired attire, channeling Cage’s character from the 1997 action flick “Con Air.”
On Tuesday, there was an item left in Rodger’s locker to prove that someone took note of the reigning MVP’s interest in the Academy Award-winning actor.
“It’s Nic Cage,” Rodgers said of the bust left in his locker after practice. “Somebody just sent this to me yesterday with no message.”
While it is still unclear who was responsible for the gift, it appears that he was grateful for the surprise.
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MINNESOTA
Jeff Howe of The Athletic on the forces that have shaped Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell:
Kevin O’Connell can only be one man.
The new Vikings coach, who was once drafted by Bill Belichick, taught by Josh McDaniels and employed by Sean McVay, naturally learned plenty from his coaching mentors. But as the 37-year-old embarks on his first head coaching opportunity, he knows he’s got to be himself to be successful.
“I just don’t know any other way. That’s just — right, wrong or indifferent — how I’ve always tried (to be),” O’Connell told The Athletic. “I feel like the No. 1 thing to be is that authentic person, because I think players can see if you’re not. I think the organization can feel that if it’s not real every single day.
“There (will be) times when you’ve got to coach these guys hard. There are still times when you’ve got to coach the coaches hard. Everybody is not always smiling. Everybody is not always having a blast. It’s a professional work environment where ultimately I think being myself fits with that because I have that kind of personality where I want to treat everybody with respect. I want everybody to always know I care about them.”
There’s been an energy shift with O’Connell’s presence. The Vikings, coming off back-to-back sub-.500 seasons, overhauled their leadership structure this offseason. They fired general manager Rick Spielman after 16 seasons with the organization, replacing him with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and ousted coach Mike Zimmer after an eight-year run.
O’Connell, who spent the previous two years as the Rams offensive coordinator, emits a similar vibe to McVay, and it feels natural. They’re both personable, welcoming and collaborative. That has yielded trust with Vikings players, who clearly believe in his plan.
“The collaboration that goes on in this building, I want our players to be empowered,” O’Connell said. “I want it to be a player-led team. I want it to be a team that, with that player ownership and with the type of leadership we have with some of our veteran players, I think that’s when teams are at their best in this league. I’ve seen it. That’s what I know, as something I was a part of that was really successful. That’s what we’re trying to build here.
“Luckily, you’re so hopeful to get that first job as a head coach in this league. They’re very difficult to get. But when you do, and you realize the people you’re going to work with all over our building and, more importantly, the players who are already here, it makes it really fun for me to come here every day and try to continue to build what we’ve already started.”
For O’Connell, that process started in the days following the Rams’ Super Bowl victory. Maybe even before.
The former San Diego State quarterback was drafted by Belichick’s Patriots in the third round in 2008. O’Connell studied under McDaniels and alongside quarterback Tom Brady before bouncing around the NFL for a few seasons.
O’Connell got into coaching with the Browns in 2015 and was an offensive coordinator with Washington by 2019. Such a rapid ascension put him on the head coaching radar around the league, and his stock boomed — as many tend to do — when he linked up with McVay in 2020.
When O’Connell had a chance to reflect after the Super Bowl, he understood how he’d want to operate if he ever got an opportunity as a head coach. And when the Vikings zeroed in on him, O’Connell didn’t want to waste a moment. He was introduced Feb. 17, a day after the Rams’ parade.
O’Connell began Facetiming players on his first day in the office. He wanted to let them know who he was as a person and how he’d approach his new job.
“Even before the offseason program started, reaching out and talking to these guys, really letting them kind of start learning about who I am and who we’re going to be as a staff for them,” O’Connell said. “Once you actually get officially started in the spring and even training camp, we’re working our culture on a daily basis. Our football foundation and philosophies come with that. I’ve hired some incredible teachers, some incredible football minds, but also guys who can connect with these guys on a personal level.
“I want guys to feel like we’re invested in them and ultimately that we’re always going to try to do what we can to win. That’s the bottom line in our business, but we’re going to do it in a way that people enjoy coming to this building every day. And then when we go out on the road together or we go play an opponent at U.S. Bank Stadium, and we’ve got that mindset of we’re all in this doing it our way because it is our team — not just my team.”
Though O’Connell sometimes catches himself repeating a phrase he’s heard from McVay, Belichick or McDaniels, the Vikings coach isn’t trying to emulate his mentors. Surely, he’s borrowing plenty he has learned along the way — the Vikings’ practice structure has a similar feel to the Rams’ workouts, for instance — but O’Connell has focused on staying true to himself.
“Even though Sean has had an unbelievable impact on me and is one of my closest friends and colleagues in this profession, if I tried to be him every single day, I think I would fall short of who I am,” O’Connell said. “And that authenticity would be called into question by some of our players and coaches. If I just continue to use those as resources, use those as experiences that helped shape and form my football philosophy and team-building philosophy, I think I’ll be OK from a standpoint of having my imprint and how I want it on this team.”
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NFC EAST
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NEW YORK GIANTS
QB DANIEL JONES had a mysterious “non-football related” neck procedure last winter that only now has come to light. Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com:
Daniel Jones missed the final six games of the 2021 season due to a neck injury. On Thursday, weeks before the start of the 2022 season, the Giants quarterback revealed to reporters that he underwent surgery in that area over the winter. Asked about offseason pictures that appeared to show a surgical scar on his upper chest, Jones insisted the procedure was unrelated to his injury.
“I had a non-football-related procedure done on my neck,” Jones said, per ESPN. “I saw there was something about it. It was completely unrelated, but I feel good. (My) neck is great.”
The 25-year-old former first-round draft pick, who’s entering the final season of his rookie contract, visited multiple spinal surgeons and specialists late in 2021, after suffering a neck injury in a Week 12 win over the Eagles. He was ultimately diagnosed with disc herniations and spinal stenosis, according to the New York Post, and received an injection to alleviate inflammation. Jones didn’t take a single snap after the injury, returning to the field for the first time this preseason.
Asked about Jones’ operation this offseason, one medical source speculated that the QB could’ve undergone spinal fusion surgery, which can require a frontal entry, hence the upper-chest scarring. The Giants have not addressed the operation, previously downplaying the long-term severity of Jones’ neck injury. Jones himself has dismissed the notion of his ailment having any effect on his game, telling reporters he felt fine in New York’s recent preseason opener.
The former Duke prospect is set to enter 2022 as the Giants’ starter, but the team signed veteran journeyman Tyrod Taylor in free agency, and new coach Brian Daboll hinted this week that Taylor will get first-team reps ahead of the regular season.
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NFC SOUTH
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TAMPA BAY
Todd Bowles does not offer a date specific for the return of QB TOM BRADY. The Athletic:
Tom Brady is not in the building and Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles doesn’t seem to know when he’ll be back. The legendary quarterback is currently away from the team on an excused leave of absence, and Bowles told reporters “We’ll see” and “We’ll talk about it next week” in regards to when he might return.
Brady’s absence began last week and the team said it was “to deal with some personal things.” At the time, Bowles said the quarterback “will not be here until after Tennessee.”
That matchup with Tennessee will be played Saturday, but after two days of joint practices with the Titans, Bowles said he doesn’t have any exact date for when Brady would be back.
“I’m not concerned about it right now. We’re trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game,” Bowles said Thursday. “I said sometime after Tennessee. There’s no definitive date for me. We’ll check on it, we’ll keep in touch and find out.”
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AFC WEST
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DENVER
In Denver, they are saying that QB RUSSELL WILSON is free of the restraints imposed by Pete Carroll. Jon Heath of YahooSports.com:
The Broncos are ‘letting Russ be Russ’
Russell Wilson seemingly had a falling out with the Seattle Seahawks before his trade to the Broncos earlier this year. There were multiple reasons for the fallout. One of them seems to be that Wilson wasn’t as involved as he’d like to be. Denver will make sure he’s involved now.
“You never know what you have until it’s gone,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said Wednesday. “For us, we’re just so excited to have somebody here like him. I think for us, it’s just about letting Russ be Russ and watch him go out there and execute.
“[It’s about] supporting him and being there for him so we can continually bring that energy every day and that standard that he sets. I think he’s re-energized. He’s fired up, and we just want to keep feeding off that every day.”
The Broncos have built their offense around Wilson’s strengths and while Hackett is the offensive mastermind with the final say, he has included his quarterback in the process of building an offensive scheme in Denver.
That might not sound like a big deal, but Wilson seemingly didn’t have that kind of coach-QB relationship in Seattle, and gaining it with Hackett could lead to great on-field results well beyond the 2022 season.
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LAS VEGAS
Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com looks at the Raiders running back room:
“The happiest person in the building should be Josh Jacobs. I know that.” — Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr on the team’s offensive system under new coach Josh McDaniels
HENDERSON, Nev. — Josh McDaniels landed in Las Vegas with the reputation of an elite playcaller, one who leans heavily on a roster of running backs just as big as it is versatile in skill sets.
Power backs? Check.
Pass-catching backs? Check again.
Pass-blocking backs? Check three times.
Indeed, with seven tailbacks and a fullback on the training camp roster, it might be a good problem for McDaniels to have when it comes to cutting down to an initial 53-man roster.
“It’s pretty interesting,” McDaniels said this week when asked about the depth and diversity of the running backs room. “There are some young guys that are learning but play really hard and give great effort. We have some guys that are kind of multifaceted in terms of what they do and bring. We’ve tried to give them all different opportunities here in the first few games to try to do some of those things.”
Case in point: the (relatively) heavy workload Jacobs, a Pro Bowler in 2020 and presumptive starter this season, played in the Hall of Fame Game. Jacobs starting and getting seven touches (five carries for 30 yards and two catches for 14 yards) on the first two series raised eyebrows.
Or veteran Kenyan Drake, who is returning from a broken right ankle, seeing significant time in both preseason games.
“I mean, the proof is in the pudding,” said Drake, who has carried the ball nine times for 24 yards while catching two passes for 17 yards combined, after the Raiders beat the Minnesota Vikings in the second preseason game.
“You see everybody on the field being productive, playing in every and any situation — from four-minute with Brittain [Brown] finishing it off to the two-back set that we have, me and Zamir [White] in the first half, and then, obviously, not to mention the [two] other guys that haven’t played that are going to make a big impact on this team, so the sky’s the limit for this room. I feel like we’re going to be the heartbeat of this team and we’re going to, every game, go out there and be the engine.”
Through two exhibitions, Austin Walter has rushed for a team-high 79 yards with a TD and caught a 3-yard pass, while White, a fourth-round draft pick out of Georgia, has rushed for 65 yards on 16 carries and is tied for the team lead with five catches for 27 yards.
Brown, a seventh-round pick from UCLA, has rushed for 54 yards and a score on 14 carries and caught two passes, while Ameer Abdullah has 7 rushing yards and a TD (his low-high roundhouse kicks followed by a twirl kick as an end zone celebration was a nod to the video game “Tekken” while also serving as inspiration to the kids on “Cobra Kai”) and also has two catches for 23 yards.
Interestingly, neither of the two backs who came from McDaniels’ old stomping grounds, the New England Patriots, have played in the preseason — tailback Brandon Bolden and fullback Jakob Johnson.
How much can you truly glean, though, from two games of a preseason for a new regime?
Well, it’s been a fairly balanced offensive attack this far, with the Raiders passing for a combined 322 yards on 59 attempts and rushing for 299 yards on 72 carries.
All eight backs survived the first round of cuts, from 90 players to 85, this week. The Raiders must get down to 80 players by Tuesday, three days after the exhibition at the Miami Dolphins (7 p.m. ET, Saturday).
“You just take it one day at a time,” said Abdullah, who is in his first camp with the Raiders after spending seven seasons with the Detroit Lions, Vikings and Carolina Panthers. “That’s what my father has always told me — you can’t live too much in the future, that breeds anxiety. You can’t live too much in the past, that breeds depression. Just staying present. Keeping everything that’s right in front of you, which is what you can control.”
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AFC NORTH
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CLEVELAND
Jason Lloyd and Zac Jackson of The Athletic contemplate 65% of the season without QB DESHAUN WATSON.
Jason: It took 152 days, but after trading for Deshaun Watson in March, the Browns finally have resolution on when their franchise quarterback will be available. Thursday, Watson and the league agreed to an 11-game suspension and a $5 million fine for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Zac, aside from feeling like this type of deal could’ve been reached weeks ago, were you surprised Watson and the NFL were able to come to terms on a settlement after both sides seemed so dug in? Was this a fair compromise?
Zac: First, I wasn’t surprised. And though I concede that some of this answer is my personal exhaustion with the situation talking, I think this is mostly a fair and reasonable outcome for both sides.
I can’t explain what took so long, but the longer it went on, the more I became convinced both that a settlement was in the works and that it would end up being the best for all parties, at least in the short term. The NFL is generally good with the whole public relations, controlling the message thing; Watson’s side has been awful throughout. But the NFL wanted to shut this door and get to the season, and because the league allowed this trade to be made in the first place, I think the Browns were at least somewhat deserving of clarity on what was going to happen next.
Did the Browns really do the kind of homework on Watson they want us to believe they did? That answer feels like no, but we may never know for certain. Why would the players association ever agree to a system in which there is an independent arbiter but Roger Goodell gets the final call? That’s an even harder one to explain, but it was best for both sides to get it wrapped up — at least the paperwork and procedure part.
Read more: Everything we know about Deshaun Watson’s 11-game suspension
Jason: I’ve long contested that if the league truly wanted a suspension of a full season, then they botched this when it didn’t put Watson on the exempt list. That way, the Browns and all the other finalists to land him would’ve stayed away. By not placing him on the exempt list, it signaled to the rest of the league it was fair to pursue him. I realize, and Goodell reiterated this at the owners’ meetings in March, that the exempt list has typically been reserved for criminal cases. But I’d also argue the NFL often just makes up the rules as it goes.
By settling on 11 games, the league got a little more flesh while still allowing the Browns, maybe, to salvage their season — although this suspension certainly is longer than the team anticipated when it made the risky decision to acquire him. So is this settlement good news or bad news for the Browns?
Zac: The messaging by the team continues to be sloppy, but from a pure football standpoint, getting resolution is a positive. And Watson only getting 11 games when the NFL was so openly seeking at least 17 is good news for the team, too.
In the bigger picture, the Browns know that Watson will be cleared to return on a certain date as long as he fulfills his counseling requirements. They also know the salary-cap situation going forward and can trust that once he’s back in the building and prepped for a return to football, there will be no further interruption to that side of the equation. An indefinite suspension would have lingered, obviously, in multiple ways.
As for the 2022 season, the book is open. I’m not sure the Browns can make the playoffs with 11 games of Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, but I think they can at least stay afloat through November. And though no one knows how long it will take Watson to get fully comfortable when he does return, a full-season suspension could have had effects on the locker-room psyche that we could neither predict nor fully measure. Nothing about this is ideal, obviously, but I think the way the last two months have gone, the Browns privately have to be pleased.
I still have concerns about whether the Browns really knew the extent of what they were getting themselves into. What happens upstairs if things go sideways in any way, not just on the field? There have to be trust issues with Watson, and there has to be concern about his ability to be the face of the franchise given what’s out there. There’s a reason owner Jimmy Haslam was so quick Thursday to say he didn’t want to address Judge Sue L. Robinson’s findings: because those findings — that Watson had engaged in “egregious” and “predatory” behavior — suggest that having him in a leadership position will be more than a little awkward.
Jason: I have serious reservations about 11 games of Brissett. As hard as we were on Baker Mayfield, I think you and I both agree he’s still a better quarterback than Brissett. That means the Browns have downgraded at the most important position for essentially two-thirds of the season, and expecting Watson to just show up in December and be an All-Pro right away after 700 days away from football might be a bit unrealistic.
But I want to go back to Thursday’s press conferences. You mentioned the messaging continues to be sloppy. What do you mean by that and what did you make of the comments from Watson, general manager Andrew Berry and Jimmy Haslam?
Zac: All along, I’ve said the Browns have continually failed to answer the big questions or even appear like they had a strong, united and coordinated front. If you’re going to make this move, you have to be ready to own it.
As for Thursday, Berry and Haslam had to cringe when Watson used the word “triggered” — the same word the team used in its statement when the initial ruling was made — and had to be less than pleased that Watson continued to couch his apologies. I have to think that the Browns believed this would have been long settled by now, that Watson would be talking football with reporters and that there would be coordinated efforts to have Watson out in the community trying to make a better name for himself. Instead, he’s standing up there saying that he stands on his innocence.
Haslam has owned it. I can’t say “to his credit,” really, but I’ll give him that. He keeps saying that Watson is a darn good NFL quarterback, and that’s what this is about. I just go back to January (and even before, probably) as the Browns went through this. Talking about taking Watson on and talking about having his talents in your huddle is one thing. Actually making this move is a whole different story, and the story keeps showing that the Browns were at least a little naive about (and maybe completely unprepared for) both the backlash and how long this was going to linger. To take Watson and all of his baggage on, this can’t work “a little bit” for it to be ultimately worthwhile. This has to be the slam dunk of slam dunks, and even “a little bit” of football success remains a long way away.
Jason: Haslam said today, “I don’t think we had any way of knowing” what the suspension was going to be. I found that a bit astonishing to hear out loud. It speaks to a “ready, fire, aim” approach where ownership and the front office just got in the car, buckled their seat belts, closed their eyes and hit the gas, speeding into oncoming traffic.
I spoke to a member of the organization recently who said the team in fact did do its research on this and had an indication things would go one way, only to learn it wound up going very, very differently. It’s easy to draw the conclusion that the league, as it often does, reversed course as a reaction to the public pressure from the case.
Regardless, I have to agree that this lingered much, much longer than anyone in the organization anticipated. They believed they’d have resolution and clarity by the start of training camp. Instead, we’re halfway through camp. No one is going to feel sorry for the Browns. They voluntarily put themselves in this position. But it’s incredibly difficult to run training camp and prepare for the season when you have no idea when your quarterback will take the field.
Zac: Absolutely. It’s been the freaking Twilight Zone. And I get that the other players don’t want to talk about it and that the people who run the place could only say so much, but in the pantheon of training camp challenges, not knowing when your quarterback can play is a pretty significant one. Knowing that not having your quarterback can pretty quickly sink your season — especially with the way last year went — isn’t something that’s necessarily going to affect standard practice work in mid-August, but it’s something that’s real. This cloud over everything the team has done has been real.
The Browns still have a good team. They still should have a strong defense and run game, and they’ll have a chance to be in almost every game they play. Can Brissett bring them back from 10 down when necessary? Is Brissett good enough to keep defenses guessing? We don’t know the answers to those questions.
I think organizationally, the Browns were fine with Brissett for four or six games. But now 11? They can’t be OK with that, and though I can’t say with certainty that they will, I think they have to have a nice, long talk about getting Jimmy Garoppolo in by the end of next week and having him ready for the end of September. Your thoughts?
Jason: You’re trying to get me to reveal my next column, aren’t you? I’ll say this much for now: Cleveland’s Week 7 through 11 opponents are Baltimore, Cincinnati, Miami, Buffalo and Tampa Bay. All but the Bengals and Bucs are on the road. That’s quite a gauntlet and drastically different opponents than what the Browns thought they were tackling when Robinson initially handed down her six-game suspension.
Garoppolo’s worst season in terms of quarterback rating is better than Brissett’s best. He could be the difference in one or two of those games, and in the NFL, one or two games is the difference between making the playoffs and going golfing in January.
I found it interesting that Berry was asked twice today about Brissett playing 11 games. He didn’t commit to Brissett either time. They have to discuss Garoppolo at this point. They owe it to the rest of the roster. But I’d better stop now or I’ll have nothing left to write for tomorrow.
Zac: Just a bizarre day. I could not believe my ears when Berry twice referred to the trade for Watson as “the transaction.” He’s really that programmed, and that’s a big part of my confusion about the whole deal. A transaction is what you make after realizing you need a third tight end or an emergency cornerback. This is a trade with many layers and enormous repercussions. This is a trade that defines everything. The Browns made it and want us to believe that all involved are fine with it. It’s just baffling.
I’m with you. They need to explore a Garoppolo transaction. The Watson trade never gets made if the roster isn’t ready to win now, and the cap decisions they made in the days and months following the Watson trade reinforce that they have to win soon. I don’t know where this thing is headed on any front, but for the first two or three months of the season, I think Garoppolo gives the Browns the best chance to win.
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Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com feels the Browns, from a management standpoint, would have been better off with Watson being sent home for the entire season:
It would have been bad for Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson to have been suspended for the full season. It arguably wouldn’t have been quite so bad for the Browns.
If Watson had missed the full season, his contract would have tolled until next year. It would have been a true suspension of his career. He would have gotten the minimum salary for 2023 (something in the range of $1 million), instead of the $46 million he’s due to earn. And he would have been under contract through 2027, not 2026.
The 11-game suspension doesn’t toll his contract. (Some are suggesting that a 12-game suspension would have delayed his contract by a year. Without getting into the specific details, that’s incorrect.) Thus, next year, the Browns will have to pay Watson $46 million, barring a restructuring. And they’ll only have him through 2026, not 2027 — barring an extension.
What will six games with Watson do for the Browns in 2022? Maybe they’ll tread water through a difficult schedule and have a chance to get hot down the stretch. But when he returns in December, it will be nearly 23 months since he last played in a regular-season game.
Whatever the Browns do this year, not having Watson for 11 games will make it harder to get there. But it still counts as the first of five years under his contract. He’ll have only four years left as of 2023.
So, yes, it arguably would have been better for the Browns to not have Watson at all in 2022. Especially if, when he returns, they’re something in the range of 4-7 or worse.
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Judy Bautista of NFL.com with a column representative of those who require to do to Watson what Harris County did not.
Perhaps the only good thing to come of Thursday’s announcement that Deshaun Watson would be suspended 11 games, fined $5 million and required to undergo an evaluation and counseling for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy were a few words near the bottom of the NFL’s statement: “Today’s announcement concludes the process.”
The 11 games don’t feel like enough, considering there were 24 women who filed lawsuits accusing Watson of sexual misconduct, Judge Sue L. Robinson found that the NFL had proven according to its own definition that he committed sexual assault against the four women whose cases were presented to her, and Commissioner Roger Goodell called Watson’s alleged behavior “predatory” last week. The fine is laughably small in the context of the fully guaranteed contract (worth $230 million) the Cleveland Browns lavished on Watson in the spring.
The counseling, hopefully, is enough, because Watson’s insistence Thursday that he is innocent and never sexually assaulted or even disrespected anyone — that he was apologizing because so many people were “triggered” — indicate that this settlement is, for him, not accompanied by remorse or even self-awareness, but merely a desire to get on with his life.
Given the nature of Watson’s alleged behavior, and Robinson’s finding, it is not enough that Watson gets on with his life. He needs to change it, to understand that the Browns were seemingly so concerned about his ability to get a massage without incident that general manager Andrew Berry said Thursday the team put together a plan as soon as the trade was completed for how Watson would get massages if he ever had a soft tissue injury.
The NFL wanted to get on with its life, too, though, which is why there is a settlement. The league had initially pushed for (and sought while appealing Robinson’s initial six-game suspension) a full-year suspension, while the NFL Players Association wanted substantially less. The 11 games is significantly more than what Robinson first levied, but it is clear this agreement was all about this being over, about getting Watson and this seamy case out of the headlines and far away from the kickoff to the new season at the beginning of September. Had the NFL simply imposed the discipline it wanted, it was expected that the union would have taken the league to court. A league source explained the NFL’s rationale for accepting this agreement: “It’s significant, definitive, immediate and final.”
It is also unsatisfying, but that is what settlements generally are. Neither side gets everything it wants; both sides decide they can live with it anyway. Finality was important to everyone. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski used words like “clarity” and “certainty” in his comments Thursday. He gets to know what his quarterback situation is. The NFL avoids months of traipsing in and out of courtrooms — during a previous court case against a player, one owner remarked that the league fighting a player in court benefited nobody except the lawyers and their billable hours — and Watson knows what he has to do to get reinstated. The biggest winners, though, might be the public, who presumably won’t have to listen to Watson or the Browns’ owners talk about this again for awhile.
Owner Jimmy Haslam told reporters Thursday he would “absolutely” make the trade for Watson again, even knowing everything that has happened since Cleveland first acquired the quarterback from Houston in March, and he gave a passionate argument for people deserving second chances. He also said out loud what has been obvious since the Browns went after Watson. This was a play for the long-term, and he wants to win games, the allegations be damned.
“I think it’s important to remember, Deshaun is 26 years old and is a high-level NFL quarterback, and we’re planning on him being our quarterback for a long time,” Haslam said Thursday.
The Browns knew there would be some degree of discipline for Watson, although they almost certainly did not think it would be 11 games. But the bet the Browns made was a cynical one: Once Watson gets on the field, his play will be so transcendent, the wins rolling up so steadily, that fans will ultimately look past his alleged behavior. There is ample evidence from other cases to indicate that is the correct calculation, but it doesn’t make the comments from the owner — who also noted that ticket sales have been great — any less tone-deaf.
Dee Haslam, though, may have made the most important point of all Thursday. Without saying as much, she seemed to disagree with Watson’s own assessment that he had done nothing wrong. She said that counseling takes a lot of time — that’s part of the reason why the NFL wanted this agreement now, to get Watson evaluated by experts who will then lay out a course of treatment — and “I do think, in counseling, Deshaun will grow to learn a lot more about himself.”
Let’s hope so. If Watson fails to comply or participate, he would be subject to an increase in discipline or a delay to his reinstatement. Nobody wants that. Watson’s case was one of the most troubling the NFL has ever had involving a player. His own lack of contrition Thursday shows the discipline may not have gone far enough. The best, then, that can be said about the settlement is that this episode is, mercifully, over.
Mike Florio is also concerned that Watson truly doesn’t get it, and hopes that the evaluation process is not just a rubber stamp.
Last Friday, with a settlement of the Deshaun Watson‘s disciplinary case suddenly a possibility, the Browns quarterback for the first time apologized to the women “impacted” by his behavior. Immediately after resolving the situation on Thursday, Watson issued a statement in which he accepted accountability for his decisions.
Then, he basically said, “Psych!”
Like a criminal defendant who signs a plea agreement before proclaiming he didn’t do it, Watson insisted that he’s innocent during an ill-advised press conference. His agent, David Mulugheta, after deleting a tweet that attacked the ruling of Judge Sue L. Robinson that Watson didn’t appeal, tweeted that Watson has always stated that he is innocent.
That’s not what Judge Robinson found. In the decision that the NFLPA urged the NFL to accept, she found that Watson violated the Personal Conduct Policy in three different ways, by committing four instances of non-violent sexual assault. She found that his behavior was “egregious” and “predatory.” And now, after agreeing to a deal that extended her punishment by five games and added a fine of $5 million, Watson and Mulugheta have retreated to the long-held insistence that Watson didn’t do anything wrong.
The league has not yet responded to an email from PFT posing the simple question of whether Watson’s remarks constitute a violation of the terms of the settlement. Maybe he hasn’t violated the deal yet, but the “I didn’t do it” attitude doesn’t bode well for one specific aspect of the terms of the deal.
As noted by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, as part of an inherently contradictory stream of tweets and retweets that both carry water for Watson and dump it on his head, “Watson has to comply with [evaluation] and treatment recommendations of a third-party behavioral expert to be reinstated,” and his “reinstatement is contingent upon his compliance with the treatment plan.”
“If he doesn’t comply, his reinstatement could be delayed, plus further discipline,” Schefter says.
The evaluation and treatment should include frank, direct questions for Watson as to whether he truly accepts responsibility for his behavior. Whether he acknowledges that he engaged in non-violent sexual assault. Judge Robinson found that his “categorical denial” wasn’t truthful. She also found that his claim that he never got an erection during a massage was flat-out false, given that multiple massage therapists who vouched for him acknowledged that he became aroused during massages that they provided to him.
That’s why we shouldn’t assume Watson automatically will be back in Week 13 at Houston. If/when the person providing him with evaluation and/or treatment plays the video from today’s press conference and Watson doesn’t have a persuasive explanation for his decision to insist on his innocence, it’s possible that Watson won’t receive the appropriate certification to return and play.
It’s not some small issue. As noted by Schefter, the league viewed Watson’s apology from last Friday as an “important first step.” Today, he took three steps back.
Our guess? If he doesn’t make a clear and unequivocal public statement of responsibility before Week 13, there’s a chance he won’t be playing for the Browns when they visit the Texans.
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This from Robert Griffin III –
@RGIII
The NFL had an opportunity to show it had learned from its ugly history on standing up for Women with this Deshaun Watson case and IT FAILED. 11 games and a 5 million dollar fine doesn’t fit what he was accused of doing and found to have done by Judge Sue L. Robinson. Sickening.
In fairness to the NFL, they are a reluctant partner in all this with the NFLPA who fought them for every game and dollar. And without the NFLPA signing off, there might have been a better chance for Watson to prevail in federal court than Griffin and the other critics understand.
Suspended Calvin Ridley, suspended for a whole year for one parlay bet, has noticed:
@CalvinRidley1
2023 Calvin Ridley ‼️‼️‼️‼️
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AFC SOUTH
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INDIANAPOLIS
He is only a 6th round rookie, but camp observers say the loss of TE ANDREW OGLETREE will hurt the 2022 Colts. Zak Keefer in The Athletic:
Indianapolis Colts tight end Andrew Ogletree suffered a torn ACL, a source confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday.
Ogletree, 6-foot-5, 260-pounds, was selected by the Colts in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Youngstown State. The rookie was having an impressive training camp for Indianapolis, but will now be sidelined for the season with the injury.
Ogletree was one of the Colts’ most consistent offense weapons in camp — which is very rare for a rookie. Wasn’t just 1 good day or 1 good week. Was very solid since late July, climbing to the 1st-team offense. Team brass believes he has a really high ceiling in this league.
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THIS AND THAT
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FANTASY QB TIERS
Eric Karabell of ESPN.com slots his QBs for your draft consideration:
Say you don’t have a quarterback yet — it’s the smart move — but you’ve already invested in several flex-eligible players. Well, check your tiers for available options. The answers are there.
For example, perhaps you see four available quarterbacks in the highest tier, negligible difference between them. Pass. Pass for a while. There’s also quite the crew of wide receivers clumped together. Pass again. There’s ample wide receiver depth. You can wait. Then there are one or two running backs alone in a tier and, in your opinion, a significant jump in production compared to the next section. There — thanks to a tiered system — is the answer. Reduce your stress, crave efficiency. As the saying goes, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Anyway, fantasy managers should rank, project and tier players themselves, for their league format, using analysts as a guide to help construct their opinions. Then do what you want! The fantasy teams are yours. If you do not agree with the tiers below, well, good, you shouldn’t! Follow your own advice, your gut and build the teams you want. Below are one analyst’s tiers for quarterbacks (standard league, PPR), but again, make your own. You will be pleased you did.
Tier 1: Round 3
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Notes: Yes, Allen really does stand alone at the top, and it’s because of his ability to accrue rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. The passing strides he has made since the 2019 season are incredible. Also, don’t take a quarterback in the first three or even seven or eight rounds. The running back depth — and to some degree, wide receiver depth — ends earlier than you realize.
Tier 2: Rounds 4-5
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Notes: They’re great and you’ll be set at quarterback if you take them, but again, get your passers later. The value here just doesn’t work when compared to flex-eligible positions. Mahomes, by the way, has not finished among the top three quarterbacks in fantasy in any of the past three seasons, since he dominated in 2018. That seems a bit relevant.
Tier 3: Rounds 6-7
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Notes: Here we have three superstars adding considerable statistical value with their running prowess, though they are a bit flawed as passers. The quarterbacks in this tier are strong values compared to the quarterbacks in earlier ones.
Tier 4: Rounds 8-9
Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Notes: Yeah, that is a considerable tier with several future Hall of Famers, options who have won MVP awards and an up-and-comer we think will add tremendous value with his legs in Lance. After this, there seems to be quite a drop-off in talent, but in 10- and even 12-team leagues, you should be able to secure one of these players. Don’t feel the need to reach for quarterbacks in this tier five rounds earlier.
Tier 5: Rounds 11-12
Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Notes: Quarterback is deep enough and most of the top options are quite durable, so fantasy managers need not leave their traditional draft or salary cap draft — unless it’s a superflex format or 2-QB league — with more than one. Wait for the bye weeks. One can invest in a safe veteran such as Carr or Cousins, or take some chances with a young option such as Lawrence, Tagovailoa or Fields who might blossom into a star.
Tier 6: Rounds 14-15
Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints
Matt Ryan, Indianapolis Colts
Zach Wilson, New York Jets
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Notes: These are hardly bad quarterbacks, which proves the point that waiting on the position is wise. Winston threw for 5,000 yards in 2019. Ryan was the No. 2 fantasy QB in 2018. Wilson was right next to Jacksonville’s Lawrence in these rankings/tiers before hurting his knee in the first preseason game. Tannehill, like Ryan, could easily bounce back this season.
Tier 7: Undrafted
Mac Jones, New England Patriots
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Baker Mayfield, Carolina Panthers
Davis Mills, Houston Texans
Drew Lock/Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Marcus Mariota/Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons
Kenny Pickett/Mitch Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers
Jacoby Brissett/Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Notes: There is a fine line between late-round picks and picks who just aren’t worth it. Daniel Jones played well as a rookie in 2019 and might do so again. Many once loved his upside. Now, he has much to prove. So do Wentz and Mayfield in their new homes. There are rookies and veterans here. In standard leagues, they will be available during the season.
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