The Daily Briefing Friday, July 2, 2021

AROUND THE NFL

Daily Briefing

The NFL would like to make July 31st one of the two biggest days in July.  Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

In four weeks and one day, it’s coming. And it has a name.

 

July 31 will be known as “Back Together Saturday” for the NFL, via Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal.

 

Per Fischer, that’s the name for the league’s next tentpole event. But the NFL needs the teams to buy in. Some will, some likely won’t.

 

The league has asked teams to “host a sizable fan event” on that day, with the “head coach, GM, owner or player . . . speak[ing] to the crowd.” The NFL also recommends “musical entertainment, fan games and contests, a spirit squad/mascot, area youth/high school football engagement, legends appearances, celebrity influencers, honoring frontline workers, and data capture efforts.”

 

It’s not a mandate, Fischer explains, but an outline. The NFL wants a league-wide celebration aimed at creating media coverage and, in turn, fan interest.

 

One issue, as noted by Fischer, is that most teams will still be in the early-camp acclimation period, with not a whole lot of football practice going on. Then there’s the ongoing pandemic and the COVID protocols, which prompted the league to (for example) prevent the Steelers from going back to Latrobe for camp.

 

Peter King first mentioned the possibility of an early-camp happening in April. At that point, the league targeted July 27 or July 28. Someone apparently has since realized it’s better to push it to the weekend.

 

However it plays out, it’s no surprise that the NFL continues to try to find ways to turn nothing into something. Still, it’s hard to imagine this specific something becoming much of anything if it’s not mandatory, if practices aren’t happening, if it’s playing out on a Saturday in late July, and if COVID protocols make it more difficult to do the things that need to be done to make it a big deal.

– – –

On another front, the NFL has abandoned hope of finding the miscreant who told Eugene Chung he was the wrong kind of diverse.  NFL.com

The NFL said Thursday that it is unable to confirm the nature or origin of alleged discriminatory statements made toward former Philadelphia Eagles assistant offensive line coach Eugene Chung following a review of the matter.

 

In a statement obtained by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the league said, “After multiple discussions, including with Mr. Chung and his representative, we were unable to confirm the precise statement that was made, or by whom and under what circumstances any such statement was made.”

 

The league announced on May 24 it would review an alleged comment made to Chung during a recent job interview that the longtime assistant coach was “not the right minority.”

 

Chung, who is Asian-American, told The Boston Globe, “It was said to me, ‘Well, you’re really not a minority. I was like, ‘Wait a minute. The last time I checked, when I looked in the mirror and brushed my teeth, I was a minority.'”

 

Despite not reaching a conclusion in the matter, the NFL added that it intends to “use this occasion to reinforce the commitment of the NFL and of every NFL club to ensure appropriate interview processes to develop diverse, inclusive, and respectful workforces on and off the field.”

 

The league’s statement concluded by saying, “Mr. Chung has offered to assist us moving forward and we welcome the opportunity to speak with him about how we can better advance employment opportunities throughout the League.”

 

Chung, 51, played in the NFL for eight years as an offensive lineman. Drafted in the first round by the New England Patriots in 1992, he also spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs and Eagles.

 

Chung served as Eagles assistant offensive line coach from 2010 to ’12 and Chiefs assistant offensive line coach from 2013 to ’15 under Andy Reid. He returned to Philly in 2016 to serve as assistant offensive line coach again, this time under Doug Pederson. Chung’s contract expired following the 2019 season and he has not coached since.

– – –

Coach Urban Meyer is already an NFL rule-breaker, joining Mike McCarthy and Kyle Shanahan as coaches busted for defying the CBA-mandated OTA rules.  ESPN.com:

The NFL has fined the Jacksonville Jaguars, the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys for organized team activities violations.

 

The following is a breakdown of the fines, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter:

 

The Jaguars were fined $200,000 and coach Urban Meyer $100,000

 

The 49ers were fined $100,000 and coach Kyle Shanahan $50,000

 

The Cowboys were fined $100,000 and coach Mike McCarthy $50,000

 

Other penalties, sources told Schefter, include the NFL management council ordering the 49ers to cancel the final week of OTAs last month.

 

The Cowboys were ordered to forfeit one OTA practice during the first week of the 2022 offseason, and the Jaguars were ordered to forfeit two OTA practices during the first week of the 2022 offseason, sources told Schefter.

 

The Jaguars said in a statement that the club is “vigilant about practicing within the CBA rules and will re-emphasize offseason training rules as they relate to contact. We are looking forward to the start of training camp later this month.”

 

In a statement, the 49ers said, “The health and safety of our players is our highest priority, and we take following league rules very seriously. We will continue to work with the NFL and the NFLPA to ensure compliance.”

NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

The Bears could go full speed ahead to get their new stadium built in the burbs and then break their lease with the City of Chicago for an affordable penalty.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

As the Bears explore their options for building a new stadium in the suburbs, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said repeatedly that the team has an ironclad lease that binds them to stay at Soldier Field until 2033. But that may not be the case.

 

The Chicago Tribune reports that the Bears’ lease would allow them to leave Soldier Field in 2026 and pay a penalty of $84 million.

 

An $84 million charge wouldn’t be particularly significant if the Bears are already budgeting to build a new stadium in the suburb of Arlington Heights. A new stadium would likely cost more than $2 billion.

 

“The numbers associated with the Soldier Field lease are just small,” University of Chicago sports economist Allen Sanderson said. “$84 million is just a fraction of what a new stadium will cost.”

 

The Bears have confirmed that they are considering buying the Arlington International Racecourse, a stadium-sized property about 30 miles from Soldier Field.

DETROIT

Lions QB DAVID BLOUGH would finish a distant second if he raced his wife around the track (especially with hurdles).  Curtis Crabtree of ProFootballTalk.com;

Melissa Gonzalez, the wife of Detroit Lions quarterback David Blough, qualified to represent Colombia in the Tokyo Olympics later this month in the 400-meter hurdles.

 

Gonzalez won the 400-meter hurdles at the South American Championships held in Ecuador in late May. She set both a Colombian and championship record in the event with a 55.68 second time.

 

Gonzalez and Blough attended high school together at Creekview High School in Carrollton, Texas. Blough would attend Purdue for football while Gonzalez was a part of the track and field team at Texas.

 

After initially signing with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent, Blough was traded to the Lions and spent his first two seasons in the NFL with the team. Blough started five games as a rookie for Detroit in place of an injured Matthew Stafford.

A little more on Melissa from the Carrollton Leader in 2019:

Melissa Gonzalez, a 2012 graduate of Creekview High School was a stand-out in track her junior year. CHS coach Misti Springfield noted that Gonzalez kept winning every meet, then district meets, then regionals. Melissa’s mom, Temple Creamer-Gonzalez, who is a teacher at Perry Middle School stated, “Misti recognized that Melissa had a talent that needed more specialized training. She unselfishly reached out to then coach Stephani Perkins at Ranchview to step in and prepare Melissa for the state meet.”

 

“This was a moment that shaped everything. Perkins once a national record-setting hurdler herself, and she also had her own private team outside of school, which Gonzalez quickly joined. This increased her training, catapulting her into the highest level of competition. None of this would have ever happened had Coach Springfield not reached out in the spirit of sportsmanship to find the best coach – even if it wasn’t her – for her athlete.”

 

Gonzalez attended Kent Elementary and Blalack Middle School before attending Creekview. Gonzalez earned a full Track scholarship from the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated in 2016 with a degree in Sport Management. Gonzalez’s track career did not end with college. She currently runs for the Colombian National team.

 

Every competition on a national level, whether in the U.S. or in South America, is a platform for her to submit an Olympic qualifying time. Her plans are to run in the National Championships this summer in South America. She will represent Colombia, where she holds dual citizenship. Additionally, she plans to compete in the PanAmerican games later this summer. Another goal of hers is to break the Colombian national record in 400m hurdles.

 

Gonzalez’s little sister, Samantha, won at state in hurdles two years in a row, 2015-16. Samantha is currently finishing her fourth year as a full-ride scholarship athlete at the University of Miami. Youngest sister, Lily, is a first-grader at Kent and is carrying on the tradition of winning every Fun Run and Turkey Trot she competes in.

 

Gonzalez married fellow CHS alum David Blough, her high school sweetheart. Blough is an accomplished football player, having played quarterback at Purdue University, and having recently signed a contract as an undrafted free agent with the Cleveland Browns.

NFC EAST

 

WASHINGTON

The NFL has resolved the investigation into the complaints about the culture of the Washington Football Team.  After an investigation by a politically-connected attorney, an oral report leads to a $10 million fine (the cost of the investigation?) and owner Daniel Snyder allegedly deciding to go into timeout while his wife takes over the reins of the franchise.  Then it is all lathered up in the appropriate language for our time.

Here is the vanilla version from NFL.com:

The NFL announced Thursday it is fining the Washington Football Team $10 million based on the outcome of the review of the franchise, which was led by independent counsel Beth Wilkinson, that found the club’s workplace to have been improper for many years.

 

Based on Wilkinson’s review, Commissioner Roger Goodell came to the conclusion that Washington had operated “both generally and particularly for women,” per the league statement, in a “highly unprofessional” manner that included bullying, intimidation, multiple allegations of sexual harassment and a “general lack of respect in the workplace.”

 

“I want to thank Beth Wilkinson and her team for conducting a thorough and independent review of the Washington club’s workplace culture and conduct and providing both the club and me with a series of thoughtful recommendations based on her findings,” Goodell said in a statement issued by the league. “Beth and her team performed their work in a highly professional and ethical manner. Most importantly, I want to thank the current and former employees who spoke to Beth and her team; they provided vital information that will help ensure that the workplace environment at the club continues to improve. It is incredibly difficult to relive painful memories. I am grateful to everyone who courageously came forward.”

 

Tanya Snyder, who was named co-CEO of the team earlier in the week, will now assume responsibilities of CEO and look over day-to-day operations. Washington Football Team owner Daniel Snyder added he would be concentrating on “developing a new stadium plan and other matters.”

 

NFL counsel Janet Nova said Tanya Snyder assuming control of day-to-day operations was “voluntary” and no timeframe was presented for Daniel Snyder’s return to that role, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported.

 

The $10 million fine will be used charitably, the league announced, as it will be applied “to support organizations committed to character education, anti-bullying, healthy relationships and related topics. They will also fund programs directed more broadly at improving the workplace, particularly for women and other underrepresented groups, and training and development programs throughout the league, with recipients identified with the assistance of respected third-party advisors. We will solicit recommendations from the club, particularly for organizations based in the Washington metropolitan area.”

 

Snyder released a statement through the team Thursday.

 

“I have learned a lot in the past few months about how my club operated, and the kind of workplace that we had. It is now clear that the culture was not what it should be, but I did not realize the extent of the problems, or my role in allowing that culture to develop and continue. I know that as the owner, I am ultimately responsible for the workplace. I have said that and I say it again,” Snyder said. “I feel great remorse for the people who had difficult, even traumatic, experiences while working here. I’m truly sorry for that. I can’t turn back the clock, but I promise that nobody who works here will ever have that kind of experience again, at least not as long as Tanya and I are the owners of this team.

 

“I agree with the Commissioner’s decisions in this matter and am committed to implementing his investigation’s important recommendations.”

 

Though no timeframe is known for Snyder’s return to overseeing Washington’s daily operations, going forward there will be an abundance of changes taken on after recommendations were made by Wilkinson, who made 10 specific recommendations that Daniel and Tanya Snyder agreed to implement.

 

As outlined in the league press release, the recommendations were for: protocols for reporting harassment; a disciplinary action plan; regular culture surveys; regular training regarding harassment; a more diverse workforce; establishment of clear lines of authority; expansion and empowerment of HR and legal; developing formal onboarding, a performance management and compensation system and exit interview process; protecting the cheerleading team; and regular assessment of policies.

 

Furthermore, the Washington Football Team will have semi-annual reporting obligations through July 31, 2023. These reports to the league office, which will be through an independent third party selected by the team and approved by the NFL office, will be on progress in implementing the aforementioned recommendations, the results of the culture and other surveys and any and all complaints, including those in exit interviews or post-employment, that “reasonably present workplace-related issues of bullying, discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, or retaliation.”

 

Failure to implement these sanctions or to fully comply could lead to an extension of the reporting period past July of 2023 or other discipline.

Sometimes there is some transparency to NFL disciplinary action, but there have been others (Spygate, Ray Rice) where secrets are kept.  This is one of those.  Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

The NFL, based on Beth Wilkinson’s investigation, generally found serious misconduct within the Washington Football Team. The NFL will not be sharing specific details about the behavior that resulted in the broad-brush findings that culminated in a $10 million fine, up to $7 million in attorneys’ fees, and a “voluntary” relinquishment of day-to-day control of the team by owner Daniel Snyder, which reportedly will end only when Commissioner Roger Goodell authorizes it.

 

The league’s refusal to even commission a written report from investigator Beth Wilkinson — which obviously prevents the written report from ever being released or leaked — shows that the league (in my opinion) wants to avoid the dissemination of any specific factual findings regarding things said and done. Those specifics easily would ignite social media and potentially inflame the situation, possibly resulting in the league ultimately forcing Snyder to sell the team.

 

Obviously, bad things happened. Bad enough to get Goodell to conclude “that for many years the workplace environment at the Washington Football Team, both generally and particularly for women, was highly unprofessional.” Goodell concluded that “[b]ullying and intimidation frequently took place and many described the culture as one of fear, and numerous female employees reported having experienced sexual harassment and a general lack of respect in the workplace.” Goodell also found that “[o]wnership and senior management paid little or no attention to these issues,” that “senior executives engaged in inappropriate conduct themselves, including use of demeaning language and public embarrassment.”

 

So what caused Goodell to reach these conclusions? If the league has its way, we will never know. If we ever do know, it’s not just Snyder who will have to worry about being forced to sell — it’s Goodell who will have to worry about being forced out, like in 2014 after the Ray Rice fiasco.

 

The league justifies its anti-transparency position by citing the promise of confidentiality that was given to reluctant witnesses. That’s a convenient, and bogus, excuse. Information can be shared without individuals being named. Also, with no transparency about who does or doesn’t want transparency, it’s impossible to know whether and to what extent these fears of coming forward were truly an issue. All we know is that, for a relatively brief media conference call on Thursday, Lisa Friel available (not Beth Wilkinson or Goodell) filibustered through self-serving talking points that undoubtedly were crafted meticulously by NFL general counsel Jeff Pash.

 

Attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, who represent numerous former employees of the team, have accused the league of protecting Snyder. It definitely is. But the league isn’t doing it because Snyder is particularly powerful (he isn’t) or particularly popular (he isn’t) or particularly respected (he isn’t) among his peers. They’re doing it, in my opinion, because other owners don’t want to be held to a similar standard if other situations like this emerge with other teams.

 

Remember when Panthers owner Jerry Richardson abruptly sold the team after stories surfaced of past confidential settlements directed at his workplace behavior? As explained by Mark Leibovich in Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times, a very real fear emerged that this was the tip of the iceberg. Some were surprised it took as long as it did for the chickens to roost in Washington. Although no other owners currently are embroiled in similar controversies, they don’t want to be. If those who would make accusations against other owners with other teams realize that the brass ring isn’t an eight-figure fine and a temporary timeout but a forced sale, they may be more likely to make accusations. (Or to settle those accusations confidentially for a major cash payment.)

 

Bottom line? The owners still run the league. And there may be other owners sitting in a lounge chair on the front porch of a glass house. Any stones thrown at Snyder eventually could be thrown right back at them.

 

Thus, in protecting Snyder, the NFL also has potentially protected any other owners who would be the next in line to be permanently canceled by the league, if that’s what had happened to Snyder.

Mark Maske says Snyder’s exile to “stadium matters” doesn’t seem voluntary despite the verbiage:

@MarkMaske

Daniel Snyder can attend games and can seek new investors in the team, source says, along with working on new-stadium issues, under the arrangement by which Tanya Snyder takes control of daily team operations. Roger Goodell must approve Daniel Snyder’s return to daily control.

Florio:

The strangest aspect of Thursday’s action against the Washington Football Team comes from the status of owner Daniel Snyder.

 

The statement announcing the $10 million fine and other financial punishment explains, in the 28th of 29 paragraphs, that co-owner Tanya Snyder will manage the operations of the team on a day-to-day basis and represent the team at league meetings, indefinitely. Both the league and the team insist that this measure was voluntary, even though the statement from the league does not say that.

 

Frankly, it feels negotiated. A quit-in-lieu-of-being-fired outcome that allowed Snyder to avoid the indignity of being suspended, but while still as a practical matter being suspended. A deal made as part of the broader resolution of the situation, so that there would be no appeals or acrimony or litigation.

 

We should note, that while Snyder still owns the team, a lot of WFT’s recent hires have been much out of character – president Jason Wright, coach Ron Rivera, front office honchos Marty Hurney and Martin Mayhew.  A whole cast of diverse other faces who were named in the NFL’s announcement.

We note that Snyder, often a football meddler, apparently wasn’t even in April’s draft room.  This was written by Chris Russell of SI.com at the time:

On Thursday evening, the Washington Football Team proved they are changing the franchise for the better with another pick based off value over popularity.

 

One thing that seemed to be missing from the puzzle was an important piece to the puzzle. Dan Snyder, WFT’s controversial owner.

 

Sources have confirmed to WashingtonSI that Snyder was not present during the selection process, although the exact reason is not be known. One of the sources told us that Snyder completely trusts and believes in head coach Ron Rivera and his staff that he has continued to be completely hands off.

 

With the selection, Rivera and first-year GM, Martin Mayhew, selected Jamin Davis, the athletic linebacker from Kentucky at the No. 19 selection.

 

That process is something that has been mentioned several times over the last year-and-a-half. Rivera’s presence, along with Mayhew and executive Marty Hurney in football operations, plus WFT president Jason Wright and his team in business operations has limited Snyder’s involvement.

 

Is there communication? Of course.

 

Snyder has offered support to all parties involved but currently has been busy fighting his own legal battle both with Beth Wilkinson and the NFL along with legal filings on just about anyone that he believes crossed him and defamed his reputation.

 

Snyder — as far as we know —was in the draft room last year for the selection of Rookie of the Year Chase Young. This is not because he wanted to interfere, but because the trust between coach and owner was still blossoming.

 

Remember what happened in 2019, when Snyder famously ‘came off the yacht,’ as coach Jay Gruden sarcastically joked?

 

Overall, this isn’t an enormous drama but it is significant to the process of WFT’s future. Everyone WashingtonSI has spoken to behind the scenes continues to strongly say that Snyder has changed for the better.

 

We say this: The more success Rivera and the business operations have – and are allowed to have – the better off the organization will be for the future.

– – –

Something to keep an eye out with QB RYAN FITZPATRICK from John Breech ofCBSSports.com:

If Ryan Fitzpatrick ends up being the starting quarterback for the Washington Football Team this season, there’s a chance he could end up breaking an ugly NFL record.

 

Over the course of his career, Fitzpatrick has lost to 28 different NFL teams and if things go sideways this season, that number could shoot up to 31, which would set the NFL record. As things currently stand, there are seven different quarterbacks who have all lost to 30 different teams.

 

Those seven quarterbacks include everyone from a Hall of Famer (Brett Favre) to a likely Hall of Famer (Drew Brees) plus three players who were selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft (Drew Bledsoe, Carson Palmer, Alex Smith). Besides those five, Matt Hasselbeck and Jon Kitna have also lost to 30 different teams, according to Pro Football Reference.

There are three QBs who have beaten all 32 teams, QB TOM BRADY can become the 4th in early October:

Player  Beat                Not Beat

Drew Brees                 32

Brett Favre                  32

Peyton Manning          32

Tom Brady                  31        New England Patriots

Kerry Collins               31        Miami Dolphins

Aaron Rodgers            31        Green Bay Packers

Ben Roethlisberger     31        Pittsburgh Steelers

Alex Smith                  31        Kansas City Chiefs

NFC SOUTH

 

NEW ORLEANS

The Saints seem to go from cash-strapped to giving out big contracts.  They have made T RYAN RAMCZYK the NFL’s highest-paid right tackle.

Saints tackle Ryan Ramczyk has a new contract. Some numbers were reported when the news broke. Whatever they were (and frankly I now ignore them because the initial reports are so often wrong), the real numbers are in.

 

Here’s a full breakdown (per a source with knowledge of the deal), with some analysis.

 

1. Signing bonus: $19 million.

 

2. 2021 salary: $11.064 million, guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap at signing.

 

3. 2022 roster bonus: $8.5 million, due on the fifth day of 2022 league year. Guaranteed for skill and injury at signing. Guaranteed for cap five days after signing.

 

4. 2022 salary: $10.5 million, guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap at signing.

 

5. 2023 salary: $14.0 million, $3.3 million of which is guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap at signing. The other $10.7 million becomes guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap on the third day of the 2022 league year.

 

6. 2024 salary: $17.0 million. $6.5 million is guaranteed for injury at signing. It becomes guaranteed for skill and cap on the third day of the 2024 league year.

 

7. 2025 salary: $18 million.

 

8. 2026 salary: $19 million.

 

The deal has $52.364 million guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap at signing. Given the vesting of the 2023 guarantees, the practical guarantee at signing is $63 million, since the Saints would have to cut Ramczyk after only one year to avoid the full $14 million in the third year of the deal.

 

At signing, the six-year deal has an annual average of $19.51 million. The new-money average is $21.2 million.

 

The contract does indeed make Ramczyk the highest-paid right tackle, by either measure. It also puts him in the top five of all tackles.

 

THIS AND THAT

 

HARD KNOCKS HEADED TO TEXAS

This from Nick Shook of NFL.com:

When the Dallas Cowboys hit training camp this summer to don their iconic helmet star, they’ll also be starring in the 20th-anniversary edition of the Emmy Award-winning series Hard Knocks.

 

HBO Sports’ and NFL Films’ groundbreaking docuseries returns on Tuesday, Aug. 10 (10 p.m. ET on HBO) to provide an all-access look over five episodes at the training camp of one of the league’s most renowned franchises. The selection of the Cowboys for the 2021 edition of Hard Knocks was announced Friday, marking the third time the club has been featured (2002 and ’08 being the previous two) in the show’s history.

 

“The Cowboys are one of the most storied franchises in NFL history and a team that elicits strong reactions from fans around the world,” Ken Rodgers, vice president and senior coordinating producer at NFL Films, said in a statement. “Tens of millions of fans love them, but just as many people love to hate them. Either way, when the Cowboys show up people watch, which makes them perfect for Hard Knocks. This year, their high-profile status as ‘America’s Team’ is paired with uniquely interesting storylines. We can’t thank [Jerry] Jones and [Mike] McCarthy enough for letting us tell the story behind what we hope is the beginning of an exciting year in Dallas.”

 

Dallas enters the 2021 season bent on securing redemption for a disappointing, injury-riddled 2020 campaign that saw the 6-10 Cowboys finish third in a downtrodden NFC East. The most notable setback, of course, came in Week 5, when quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Prescott is back with a new contract in his pocket, on track for a clean bill of health in time for the 2021 regular season. Coach Mike McCarthy also returns for his second season at the helm of the trademark club and is looking to right a ship that wandered off course in 2020.

 

With the identity of Hard Knocks’ focus now known, let’s take a look at the top storylines we can expect to follow this summer when the Cowboys journey west for training camp in Oxnard, California.

 

1) Dak is back

As mentioned above, Prescott returns to the field to lead the Cowboys following his gruesome ankle injury suffered in a season in which he was playing under the franchise tag. The uncertainty of his future was addressed by his four-year, $160 million deal signed in early March, but the allure doesn’t stop there. Prescott’s new deal places him among the league’s highest earners, and after his 2020 absence seemed to show everyone his immense value to the Cowboys, it’s time for the quarterback to prove what we deduced is actually true. With a healthy Prescott, the Cowboys should be a contender. And with a receiving corps that includes Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and second-year standout CeeDee Lamb — expect Lamb to also receive the profile treatment — Dallas’ ceiling should be pretty high. The biggest remaining question: Can Prescott return to a form that earned him his lavish deal? And can he prove he’s healthy enough to hit the ground running when training camp begins?

 

2) Putting the ‘D’ back in Dallas

Mike Nolan’s lone season in Dallas proved to be a failure, with the Cowboys landing in the bottom third of the league in yards allowed per game. (They were even worse against the run alone.) It’s no surprise, then, that the ‘Boys spent their first six picks on defensive players in the 2021 NFL Draft. Atop that group is first-round selection Micah Parsons, who joins a linebacking corps that includes Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch, meaning the rookie will have to prove his worth rather quickly, starting with this training camp. Parsons was a star at Penn State, where his athletic ability was impossible to ignore, and he figures to be an immediate starter for the Cowboys. But he’s just one part of a massive effort to revitalize Dallas’ D, and after last year’s nightmare, the Cowboys will need all 11 starters (and then some) to raise their performance to help this franchise become a top-notch contender once again. New defensive coordinator Dan Quinn joined the fray in the offseason after being fired by the Atlanta Falcons following a six-season tenure as head coach, and he’s out for his own bit of redemption. Can Quinn work with his new additions and returning contributors to achieve the goal of becoming a unit worthy of respect? This effort begins in Oxnard.

 

3) Ezekiel’s expectations

Ezekiel Elliott received the lavish extension he so desired in 2019 and followed it with a 1,357-yard, 12-touchdown season. Then 2020 hit. Elliott lost his quarterback, and his numbers plunged to career lows. Elliott posted the fewest yards gained per carry during his time in the NFL, picking up an even 4 yards a pop in 2020. Also, he failed to break 1,000 yards for the first time in a season where he played at least 11 games. He scored on the ground just six times and devolved from headlining threat to frustrated bell cow. With Prescott back, Elliott figures to have a bounce-back campaign; we learned in 2020 that his production is tied to who is playing quarterback. While Elliott is secure contractually, he needs to be better than he was a year ago.

 

4) Can McCarthy return the ‘Boys to prominence?

McCarthy’s presence in Green Bay grew stale, leading to his firing in December of his 13th season with the Packers and a one-year sabbatical commonly known as unemployment in the NFL. He mounted quite a comeback effort in his year off and was rewarded with the prestigious position in Dallas. However, he failed to deliver in his first year, finishing behind Washington (7-9) and New York (6-10) in the atrocious NFC East. Prescott’s injury was a convenient crutch, but with the quarterback now back in the fold, there’s no more time for excuses. A television series known for humanizing these gridiron gladiators and their generals will likely take an equally personal look at McCarthy, an affable character who had to spend the 2020 season patrolling a sideline behind a mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With a nod to the rapper Future, it’s mask off time for McCarthy. We’ll begin to learn who’s truly behind it when Hard Knocks debuts on Aug. 10.