AROUND THE NFL
Daily Briefing
| Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com has his eye on the NFL’s vaccination rate – and he hypothesizes that those who still resist are almost exclusively starting level players:
Rosters have dropped to 53, and vaccination rates reportedly have not.
Via Mark Maske of the Washington Post, the vaccination “has remained around 93 percent” following the roster cuts. Maske calls it “consistent” with the league-wide rate prior to the latest reductions.
There’s one important factor to consider in this regard. The league includes the practice squads in calculating vaccination rates. That total number is up to 69, not 53. With most members of the practice squad among the bottom-of-roster guys who already realized that they needed to be vaccinated to have a shot of making the team, the vaccination rate among practice squad members is likely 100 percent or close to it.
The 53-man vaccination rate is a different issue. The most important number becomes the team-by-team rate among starters. That’s where trouble can arise for teams that, for example, have a starting quarterback who isn’t vaccinated. One false move, and out goes the starter for one or more games.
Indeed, the vast majority of the unvaccinated players at this point undoubtedly come from the segment of the roster that is safe. So if the league-wide unvaccinated average sits at seven percent of 69, what’s the rate among 22?
On average, five players per team aren’t vaccinated. (Some are lower, some are higher.) If those players are all starters, that’s nearly 23 percent of the league-wide starting lineups.
And that number is a heck of a lot more revealing, and troubling, that seven percent.
– – –
Rich McKay of the Competition Committee says the NFL was responding to requests from the player’s association and NCAA when it made taunting a point of 2021 emphasis. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:
The NFL, for the second time in the last seven years, has made taunting a point of emphasis for game officials. Falcons CEO Rich McKay, the chairman of the NFL’s Competition Committee, recently addressed this dynamic in an interview with Kris Rhim of the team’s official website.
More importantly than explaining what this new approach is, McKay explained what it isn’t.
“First of all, this point of emphasis has nothing to do with the No Fun League,” McKay said. “Where people can ding us on the No Fun League is the celebration rules. Taunting is a different thing. Taunting is trying to entice that other player into some type of activity that is not allowed in football. So this year, the first issue brought to us by the NFLPA was that there was too much player-on-player taunting activity, and there was too much in your face. Number two, we meet with the NCAA every year, and the college coaches in the meeting say, ‘Hey, when are you guys going to knock down the taunting?’”
The NFL rarely says “how high?” whenever someone says “jump.” College football is one of the rate entities with power over the pro game, because college football controls the NFL’s free farm system.
“The NCAA does not like our celebration rule and the fact that we’ve basically allowed people to celebrate in any way, shape, or form they want,” McKay said. “They’ve come to accept it, and they’re kind of okay with it. They’re not okay with the taunting side of it, which is the face-to-face player trying to entice another into doing something because they see what happens. Three plays later, when nobody’s looking, there is something happening and leads to injuries. It leads to ill will and to other things later in the game that fans don’t even see. That’s all we’re trying to target with this emphasis.”
That’s the best explanation anyone has given for the renewed point of emphasis. It’s an explanation that should have been given before the point of emphasis became public and Twitter reacted with the calm, reasoned, logical approach it typically employs.
It’s not about chilling celebrations. It’s about eliminating the in-your-face type stuff. The stuff that can spark an effort to retaliate.
“This is brought to us by the players, the NCAA; it’s been in our rules forever,” McKay said. “This rule was unanimously supported by the Competition Committee and the NFLPA. I’m not really worried about this one. I’ve seen ones that are tougher and have bigger challenges. This one has been a part of our game for a long time.”
Indeed it has. And it has become a point of emphasis this year because the game officials have failed to call taunting as much as they should.
Again, it’s not a new rule. It’s a rule that has been enforced inconsistently and at times haphazardly. This year, it won’t be. That’s far better than the alternative. |
| NFC NORTH |
|
DETROIT
GM Brad Holmes is doing damage control on first round T PENEI SEWALL. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:
One of the most consistent observations from Lions preseason games was that rookie right tackle Penei Sewell did not play well. Sewell was consistently beaten by pass rushers and did not look ready to be an NFL starter.
But Lions General Manager Brad Holmes, who selected Sewell with the seventh overall pick, says Sewell will be just fine as the Lions’ starter when they take the field in Week One against the 49ers.
“I believe that he will be ready for Week 1 and I think he’s ready now,” Holmes said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “Yeah, I mean, he’s going through the normal process that a rookie would go through, regardless of where he’s drafted. That’s a tough position to play out there on that island and he’s sat out for a year. So what he’s done, and I know it’s magnified by what may be a hiccup here or there, but there’s so much of the good stuff that maybe kind of hidden when you really kind of deep dive the film, little subtle nuances that is going to make a big difference.”
Sewell is only 20 years old and only played a season and a half of college football: He was injured for half of his freshman year in 2018, won the Outland Trophy as the best lineman in college football in 2019, then opted out in 2020 before declaring for the draft in 2021. So he clearly is not a finished product and has a lot of room to improve. But if the Lions are going to put him in the starting lineup from the start of his rookie year, they need him to look a lot better in the regular season than he looked in the preseason. |
| NFC EAST |
|
DALLAS
Washington bowed out of chasing QB CAM NEWTON, and now so have the Cowboys. Nick Shook of NFL.com:
Cam Newton’s release prompted a handful of proposed landing spots for the former MVP, including backing up Dak Prescott in Dallas.
The Cowboys appreciate and respect Newton for his accomplishments and abilities, but don’t appear to be interested.
“I think he has a ton of football left,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said of Newton on Thursday. “But we’re very excited about the group that we have.”
Dallas’ group is headlined by Prescott, the new $160 million man returning from a gruesome ankle injury suffered early in the 2020 season. Behind him is Cooper Rush, who won the backup job after outperforming Garrett Gilbert in preseason action, despite failing to impress against a Jacksonville lineup filled mostly with starters in the Cowboys’ final preseason game. New arrival Will Grier, who was released by Carolina this week before being claimed by the Cowboys, takes up the No. 3 role in the quarterbacks room.
Both Rush and Grier have seen regular-season action, though Grier has spent more time on the field than Rush, starting two games in 2019 and completing 28 of 52 passes for 228 yards and four interceptions. It’s far from exciting, but at least provides the Cowboys with a signal-caller who has seen a decent amount of snaps in case of emergency.
Realistically, Dallas can’t afford another injury to Prescott, whose departure tanked the Cowboys’ chances last season. They’re not planning on it, either, but instead of backing up the dynamic Prescott with a quarterback who has similar physical capabilities, they’re instead going with a backup who is familiar with their system while getting Grier acclimated.
That leaves Newton floating in free agency as Week 1 nears. There are other logical pairings elsewhere, but for now, Newton remains unemployed.
The DB wonders, what might one of those “other logical parings” be? There may be a landing spot for Newton, but we would think it would only be after an injury to a starter. |
|
NEW YORK GIANTS
And now, the Giants are optimistic that RB SAQUON BARKLEY will be available for Week 1 with the Broncos. Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com:
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver Kenny Golladay participated in a padded practice Thursday, and Barkley took some contact seemingly without incident for the first time since tearing the ACL in his right knee 11 months ago.
It was the latest step in Barkley’s progression and a mandatory one before he gets into a game, according to coach Joe Judge. The Giants open the season Sept. 12 against the Denver Broncos.
“We did a normal practice safely, and just talked to the guys and [they] gave me some good shots,” Barkley said afterward. “But it’s [about] route running and running routes just to get me back in the flow of things, so I guess you could say yes [I took my first hit].
“But [Thursday] felt good at practice and practicing with everyone on the team. Think that was definitely needed. Just grateful to be out there and just getting ready for the season.”
Barkley will have to get through another fully padded practice next week before likely getting cleared by doctors. The Giants don’t practice again until Monday.
Barkley is trending in the right direction and has a strong chance to play Week 1 against Denver, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. There is optimism, but the Giants have been cautious and still could hold him back. It will ultimately be a team-driven decision. |
| NFC SOUTH |
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ATLANTA
Jeff Schultz of The Athletic sat down with owner Arthur Blank who gives his perspective on how WR JULIO JONES soured on the Falcons despite receiving a huge contract:
Arthur Blank has done a number of things right during his tenure as the Falcons’ owner, not the least of which is becoming both emotionally and financially invested in his product. But there’s a string of words the man never will again allow himself to say when it comes to pending contract negotiations with a star player: “Falcon for life.”
Those words, spoken by the fan within Blank and intended to show support for his beloved players, backfired on him with Julio Jones. Blank acknowledged for the first time the extent to which the relationship between the team and Jones had deteriorated, which initially was reported in April by The Athletic and then to a much greater degree in May, two weeks before the wide receiver was traded to Tennessee.
Blank, who briefly spoke on Jones’ departure at the outset of training camp, went far deeper on the subject in an interview with The Athletic on Tuesday, saying he was perplexed by why Jones felt disrespected by the organization, acknowledged that the player’s relationship with some “in the building” had frayed and that Jones’ infrequent availability to practice had become a significant issue with the front office and coaches.
The subject of Jones came up when Blank was asked what responsibility he shares for the recent bad fortunes of his two pro sports franchises, the Falcons (who are coming off three straight losing seasons, leading to the firings of head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff) and Atlanta United (who fired two head coaches in 11 months).
Specifically, when asked about large contracts he awarded to Falcons players, Blank said, “It’s easy to look back with hindsight and say, ‘Should we have done that?’ Look back at the Julio situation in 2019. We, being Thomas, coach Quinn, the player and his agent (Jimmy Sexton), were all kind of at odds with each other. We got a contract done. We felt it was very generous. It made him the top paid receiver in NFL history (with $64 million of $66 million guaranteed). But for whatever reason, he felt it wasn’t sufficient respect. I don’t know why he’d feel that way, but he did feel that way.”
And the relationship was never the same?
“No. Not really. It changed,” Blank said. “And if you spoke to the players on the team, not that they would say anything, but I think they would tell you the same thing.
“He just wasn’t … Look, he gave us 10 great years. He’s going to be a Hall of Fame player. He was a good teammate for all that period of time. (But) his ability or willingness to practice the way he did early in his career was different. There were some people who were in the building who had an effect on him. He wanted out, and the last thing coach (Arthur) Smith wants is a player who doesn’t want to be here.”
A source previously said Smith was well aware of Jones’ trade request before taking the Falcons’ job. Smith also was not enthusiastic about having a star receiver who seldom practiced, particularly when Smith is trying to establish a work ethic and a way of doing things in his first season as the head coach.
When asked if he would ever again say he wanted a player to be a “Falcon for life,” Blank chuckled, then said, “Well, I would say the purpose of it was very well-intended. I probably won’t use it because, as things turn out, obviously, where I’ve used it a couple of times, it turns out not to be true. It’s really a sign of respect and intent. I’d feel the same way about Grady (Jarrett). Why wouldn’t I want him to be a Falcon for life? He’s a great player, an outstanding leader, and you understand why he was a captain of the Clemson team. But there are things that happen in the business that sometimes make that unachievable.”
Blank addressed a number of other topics during a 30-minute interview in his Buckhead family office, including:
What he wants his legacy as an owner to be: “I’d like people to look back and say, ‘He was a really good owner, and he put competitive products on the field, and he built a winning franchise.’ And that’s my biggest disappointment in the last three years because we got away from that. We had that, starting with Jim Mora (who went to an NFC title game), and then Jim flipped out. Jim’s a smart guy and a great football coach, but whatever it was, it was. Then we had a great run with Mike Smith, and we had a real good run with Dan Quinn for a while. But the last three years was not acceptable. And I think people would want to feel that we invested heavily in the fan experience, and they want to look back on an owner who says he contributed a lot (to society), he cares about more than just winning. We get paid to win, but we also get paid to make a difference in people’s lives.”
On whether he would ever sell the team: “We have no plans for the franchise to not be in the family. We are required once a year to submit a succession plan to the NFL. The league went through difficult (family estate) situations with the Saints, Denver and Indianapolis. … I’m sure (late Broncos owner) Pat Bowlen, God bless him, is flipping in his grave because of the difficulties with his family. It’s not a happy thing. (Late Saints owner) Tom Benson, you know what happened. It was ugly.” |
|
TAMPA BAY
Coach Bruce Arians says his team, including coaches and support staff, is fully compliant. Jenna Laine of ESPN.com:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now 100% vaccinated against COVID-19, coach Bruce Arians announced Thursday, making them the second NFL team to reach that threshold.
“We’re 100% vaccinated — our entire organization — all the players, all the coaches, everybody,” said Arians, who has been a huge proponent of vaccinations but ultimately said it was the players’ choice.
The Atlanta Falcons were the first team to say they’ve reached 100% vaccination status.
“It’s something I wanted to do, trying to put the team [out of] harm’s [way],” said running back Leonard Fournette, who initially refused the vaccine. “People are still catching it, but it makes it a lot better to have the shot. We need every hand in here for these next couple big games we’ve got coming up.”
The Bucs host the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Kickoff Game next Thursday.
“I just prayed on it,” Fournette said. “So whatever happens, happens. I’m just trying to be the best teammate I can be. Not causing no more than what we can handle now as is. People getting sick each and every day. Just trying to be the bigger person and get it over with.”
The Bucs have three players — offensive linemen Earl Watford and Nick Leverett and defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh — currently on the reserve/COVID-19 list after activating kicker Ryan Succop on Thursday.
Arians said he expects to have all three back in time for next week’s season opener. |
| AFC WEST |
|
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Mina Kimes of ESPN.com spent some time trying to get to know QB JUSTIN HERBERT.
(edited for space):
Let’s talk about the haircut.
Justin Herbert looks away, visibly distraught. Not because he’s embarrassed by the haircut in question — in December, he showed up at a Chargers news conference looking less like a golden-haired surfer god and more like a military school cadet, a visually awkward transformation that launched a thousand memes — but because talking about the haircut means he has to talk about his least favorite subject, the one that he’s been trying to avoid ever since we sat down for breakfast: himself.
Herbert stabs his pancakes with a fork. “So John Lott, our strength and conditioning coach … he said, ‘I cut my son’s hair all the time.’ I was like ‘Sweet, you can cut mine.'” He shoves a bite into his mouth. “He cut it in the weight room, and … that’s kind of it.”
But why would you let your strength and conditioning coach …
He shrugs. “I just didn’t really want to pay for a haircut, to be honest.”
Offensive Rookie of the Year, $27 million contract, face of a newly relevant franchise. And yet.
Herbert’s hair has grown back, but he still looks younger than his 23 years, hunching over his plate like the biggest kid at school. He’s dressed in a T-shirt and shorts that were probably sent to him by Nike; he drives an Audi sedan that was definitely a gift from an auto dealership here in Eugene (he drove it more than 13 hours from Los Angeles). Later, when I point out a Whole Foods from the car, he says he doesn’t shop at the grocery store because it’s too expensive. “It’s just calories,” he explains.
Herbert barely looks at social media. He doesn’t tweet, and only joined Instagram at the end of college, when his marketing representatives made him sign up. “I don’t really run it,” he tells me, a little sheepishly. When I mention his public persona is somewhat inscrutable, he seems pleased. “I think the less people know about me, the better,” he says. “I don’t want to read an article about myself.”
Herbert glances at the tape recorder. We both laugh.
When the quarterback’s representative told me we were meeting here, in a crowded breakfast spot on the fringe of Oregon’s campus, I was curious to see how he’d handle interactions with fans. But in the hour or so since we’ve arrived, no one has approached him, save the waitress who keeps wordlessly refilling his coffee (Herbert, polite to a fault, stops midsentence to thank her every time). I ask him if he’s surprised he hasn’t been bothered, and he shakes his head. “I don’t think people care a whole lot,” he says.
That is, of course, preposterous. We’re in Eugene freaking Oregon; Herbert’s origin story is as woven into this college town’s fabric (hemp, no doubt) as beer and bicycles and Phil Knight. And unlike Knight, he actually grew up here, in the shadow of Autzen Stadium, attending football games with his grandfather as a boy. Eventually, he’d star there as the school’s quarterback, solidifying his local legend by returning for a senior season with the Ducks instead of entering the draft. His picture hangs on the wall of the restaurant where we’re sitting, along with Oregon sports heroes like Sabrina Ionescu, Payton Pritchard and Marcus Mariota, all clad in green and yellow.
Herbert is friendly with Mariota; the former No. 2 overall pick, now a backup in Las Vegas, owns a house in Eugene not far from where Herbert’s parents live. The two quarterbacks share a marketing agency, as well as a network of Oregon alumni and friends. And while their careers seem to be headed in different directions at the moment, their NFL journeys started in the same place, with the football world questioning their ability to lead.
If the draft is a marketplace of competing ideas, the league’s disdain for quieter personalities under center is one of its staler tropes — an investing principle that persists despite numerous counterexamples, as though introversion is tantamount to sloppy footwork or a wonky release. Herbert, with his generational gifts, could be the star whose success both catalyzes a scarred fan base and shatters the myth of the outspoken Alpha. But he’s reluctant to clap back, demurring when nudged for comment on how he has been perceived. So I try a different tack, pointing out that Eli Manning, two-time Super Bowl MVP, was criticized early in his career for his reserved demeanor.
Herbert furrows his brow. “I wish I knew people on the Giants roster that could explain what Eli Manning was all about — how he acted in the huddle,” he says. “I bet when he stepped onto the field, he had control of the offense. Because he had to. And maybe he is soft-spoken off the football field, and maybe he doesn’t love all the attention, but I don’t think loving the attention and needing it is a requirement to be a good football player.”
So, yeah: Justin Herbert doesn’t want to talk about Justin Herbert. But that doesn’t mean he has nothing to say.
– – –
While Herbert was taken sixth overall, behind Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa, he did encounter a fair amount of skepticism during the pre-draft process. Many analysts admired his physical tools but questioned his decision-making; in his final season at Oregon, where he lacked elite weapons, the quarterback occasionally locked onto his first read before taking off with the ball. Over breakfast, I confess to Herbert that I underestimated him coming out of college, in part because I didn’t properly account for the context around him compared to what Burrow and Tagovailoa were working with at LSU and Alabama. “I appreciate you saying that,” he says, with a gentle smile. “It can’t be easy.”
Herbert says he generally tries to avoid consuming analysis or coverage of his career. Last year, the Chargers, along with the Rams, were featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” Even though the rookie quarterback was featured in a few scenes, he says he skipped the series (Stick tells me Herbert tried to hide from the cameras). His teammates describe him as a homebody, more keen on watching movies — he loves Christopher Nolan films, especially “Inception” and “Interstellar” — and playing board games than going out. During camp last year, when the rookies were quarantined together in a hotel, he insisted on buying a copy of Settlers of Catan, the Risk-like strategy game where players gather resources to accrue territory, for the group. Gabe Nabers, the team’s fullback, says they played nearly every night. “He loves that game,” says Nabers. “He’ll do anything to win.”
“The first time he lost, he looked at whoever won — maybe Gabe or me or some other guy — and said: ‘That won’t ever happen again,'” recalls Nate Gilliam, a guard on the practice squad. He giggles. “I was like, ‘Uh, OK … I just met you.'”
Before the season started, the three rookies moved into a house near the Chargers facility in Costa Mesa. Herbert’s teammates say they quickly learned that their new roommate was a something of a neat freak, with meticulous handwriting, a color-coordinated closet and a thinly veiled distaste for any sort of mess. Nabers says he has seen Herbert’s temper flare up only once, when Nabers tried to abandon his grocery store cart in the parking lot. “The first time we went shopping, I was like, ‘Eh, I’ll leave it right here,'” he says, pantomiming a gentle push. “And he said: ‘No. Take it all the way back.'”
Herbert, who lives alone now (he recently adopted a cat, which he named Nova, after a weapon in the video game Call of Duty), doesn’t dispute this characterization. “I like things neat,” he says. “Things have a place, and they should be put back where they come from.” His preference for order extends to the football field, where he loves feeling confident in his ability to sort through the mess on defense and Marie Kondo his way to a first down — pre-snap recognition, in quarterback terms. One of his favorite moments as a rookie took place on a seemingly unremarkable play, when he recognized a defensive look from the Raiders, killed the call, then reloaded it after Las Vegas adjusted to his adjustment.
“It was like a game of chess,” he says. “If you could do that on every play, every drive …” he sighs a little. “I think that’s where success comes from.”
Perhaps. But it also came when Herbert was immersed in chaos — dodging free rushers and hurling passes across his body, breaking the rules that apply to less gifted athletes. His private quarterback coach, John Beck, says Herbert’s natural arm talent is what enables him to thrive outside of structure. “I feel fortunate to have been around some really good throwers,” says Beck, who has worked with Matt Ryan and Drew Brees. “There aren’t that many people on the planet like that.”
IF HERBERT WASN’T a professional football player, he’d probably be a doctor or a science teacher. His dad, Mark, taught high school biology; so did his grandfather, who lived near the family in Eugene. Growing up, he and his brothers used to spend hours at the pond by their grandparents’ house, chasing snakes and trying to trap nutria, a rat-like species of rodent endemic to the Pacific Northwest. Holly, his mother, says Herbert used to bring home various animals as pets, including one fish that jumped out of its aquarium while the family was out and died. “He was devastated,” she says.
After Justin and I finish breakfast, he takes me to his parents’ house, a rambler where he and his brothers grew up. One of them, Mitchell, is visiting from New York (he’s a student at Columbia medical school), so the two of us sit outside, on a dusty patio set in the backyard. Mitchell points to the stretch of lawn where he used to catch passes from his younger brother when they were kids. “He was just always so athletically gifted,” says Mitchell. “Justin would never say this, but people knew he was different. That’s just kind of how he’s always been.”
Earlier in the day, I had asked Herbert how he ended up playing quarterback growing up. In his usual self-deprecating manner, he told me it was probably because his dad was the team’s coach; everyone else says he was an obvious athletic prodigy, the sort of kid who could sling perfect spirals when he was barely out of diapers. At 4, he was out-throwing older boys at track and field events. At 5, he was pulling off unassisted triple plays. His high school football coach, Lane Johnson, says he first witnessed Herbert’s “Rookie of the Year”-like throwing power at a little league game, when a young Justin whipped off his catcher’s mask to field a bunt, barehanded the ball and threw a kid out. At the time, he was in the second grade.
Holly says she has only one memory of ever getting a call about Herbert’s behavior, when a teacher phoned her to ask if she could get him to go easier on the other kids at recess. Watching him play youth soccer was a little embarrassing, she says, because her son scored all of the goals. As a boy, she says, Herbert was equally reluctant to tout his own accomplishments. “When the spotlight was on him, it was uncomfortable — he was not attention-seeking.” Holly describes Justin as a classic middle child. “Sort of the odd man out,” she explains.
Herbert’s aversion to self-promotion explains, in part, why he wasn’t more heavily recruited in high school. After breaking his femur at the beginning of his junior year, he shot up several inches, approaching his current height of 6-foot-6. One would think a kid the size of a power forward with a Howitzer attached to his right shoulder would’ve enticed football programs far and wide, but Herbert wasn’t heavily recruited, in part because, well, he rarely left Eugene. He visited only one quarterback camp, at his dad’s request, and told his parents afterward he didn’t plan on attending any more. “I don’t think he fully understood how unique of a talent he was,” says Beck, who notes that Herbert also didn’t compete in The Elite 11, the throwing event widely attended by the nation’s top prospects. “He never knew how he stacked up next to everyone else.”
In the end, Herbert ended up at his dream school, Oregon, cracking the starting lineup as a true freshman under head coach Mark Helfrich. Though the team was very mediocre, Herbert was clearly very good. But when Helfrich was fired, the new head coach, Willie Taggart, declined to name the young quarterback as the starter from the jump, kindling a faux controversy when he told the media he was looking for a real leader. From that point on, Herbert was relentlessly critiqued for his understated attitude, figuratively poked and prodded all the way until the Chargers picked him in the draft. The quarterback studied biology and scored numerous academic honors, with near-perfect grades. Was he too smart? An unnamed lineman told a reporter that Herbert was extremely shy. Could he steer a team? Someone wrote a cute story about how he started a fishing club in high school. Did he like fish more than people?! (No one actually said the last thing, but you get the idea.)
– – –
He doesn’t deny that he’s an introvert but contends that the label is widely misunderstood. Back in college, Oregon’s offensive coordinator, Marcus Arroyo, gave Herbert a book called “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.” Herbert remembers a section about a developmental psychologist who studied hundreds of children, exposing them to stimulating noises and visuals as infants. One might expect the babies who eventually became quiet kids to turtle inward in response to hectic environments, he says, but the future introverts were actually the infants who wiggled and danced the most.
The book’s author, Susan Cain, wrote: “It’s as if they process more deeply — sometimes consciously, sometimes not — the information they take in about the world.”
– – –
Herbert is (Philip) Rivers’ polar opposite in more ways than one. Allen can’t remember a single instance of the rookie screaming in his presence; Rivers was, of course, well known for his antics on the field. “Phil’s gonna yell every play,” Allen says, cackling. “His team, the other team, he don’t care. Phil yellin’.” But the wide receiver is quick to point out that, for all of their ostensible differences, Rivers and Herbert share the same competitive fervor, it just manifests itself in different ways. During the Chargers’ losing streak last year, he says, Herbert used to sit by himself at his locker for hours after games in full pads, eyes straight ahead. “I had to tell him, ‘Bro: Let it go,'” says Allen. “‘It ain’t got nothing to do with you. Leave it out on the field.'”
Allen pauses, then adds: “It’s good to have a guy like that. You know he wants to win.” |
| AFC SOUTH |
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INDIANAPOLIS
QB CARSON WENTZ is among the unvaccinated. Count Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com among those who can’t understand it, even though Wentz hints at some underlying reason he considers important.
Despite the lack of transparency when it comes to which players are and aren’t vaccinated, circumstances will sometimes reveal the truth. For Colts quarterback Carson Wentz, the truth — thanks to a five-day absence after being deemed a close contact with someone who tested positive — is that he’s not vaccinated.
Meeting with reporters on Thursday, Wentz took various questions regarding the vaccination issue. He used the phrase “trust me” on numerous occasions; an ironic crutch because, frankly, it’s impossible to trust an unvaccinated quarterback to be available for any and every game of the coming season.
“Trust me, it is a personal decision,” Wentz said as to his decision to not be vaccinated. “I’m not going to go in depth on why, but I will say it’s a personal decision for me and my family. And I respect everybody else’s decision and I just ask that everybody does the same for me. I know that’s not the world we live in. Not everyone is going to equally view things the same, but yeah no one really knows what’s going in someone else’s household and how things are being handled so, it’s a personal decision. That’s where I’m at on it, and with the protocols and everything the way they are, it’s really for us it’s all about understanding them clearly and making sure we are dotting our i;s, crossing our t’s, all those things so that we can avoid what happened this week with a couple of us.”
Wentz was asked whether his five-day close-contact absence has changed his thinking.
“Trust me,” he said. “Trust me, I’ve weighed a lot of things and I’ve factored in everything. And I know what’s at stake. I know all those things. And like I said, it’s just where I’m at, where I’m at with my family, and that’s why just understanding the protocol, to truly try everything we can to avoid what happened this week. It is what it is. You know, whether we agree or not with the protocol and the rules, they’re in place, so we’ve gotta honor them as best as we can so we can avoid what happened.”
He didn’t rule out changing his position. Until he does, however, he’ll continue to be at risk for another five-day absence or, if he tests positive, a minimum absence of 10 days.
“Yeah, this has been a fluid process for me this whole time,” Wentz said. “And you know that’s kind of where, as a family, we’ve just been monitoring everything we can, letting it play out as long as we can, and this is where we’re at today. And things could change, you know, in the next coming weeks. So who knows? Who knows where this world’s going? Who knows where the protocol is going, if that’ll change. I’m not gonna act like I’m an expert on a vaccine or a virus or any of that, so that’s just where we’re at right now.”
Wentz has learned more and more about the protocol as time has passed, with his recent absence being the most stark lesson.
“Trust me, there’s — it’s been an ongoing process for me, for my family, and so it’s — this happening this week, it kind of woke us up on really the protocol and just understanding how this happens and just understanding some of the gray areas with the league and making sure we know what’s at stake and how to avoid it,” Wentz said. “But yes, like I just mentioned, it is a fluid process and I’m weighing every pro and con out there. And it keeps me up at night. There’s a lot of things that go on inside my head, but it’s where we’re at right now.”
He said that coach Frank Reich and G.M. Chris Ballard have not pushed him and other unvaccinated players to get vaccinated. “They tell us the facts, they tell us their opinion, but there’s no pressure,” Wentz said. “There’s no — but it’s said in the right way. Because we know what’s at stake. We know as a team where we want to go, and we know some of these things can hinder if we let them. That’s why we’ve got to do everything we can to not let it be a distraction and to be on top of it with the protocol and everything.”
He knows, given the protocol, he could easily miss a game over not being vaccinated.
“Trust me, it would be unfortunate,” Wentz said. “And so it’s something that, it’s unfortunate that that’s kind of where we’re at, but I get it. There’s rules and protocols and like I said earlier, whether we agree or not, I’m fortunate enough to do this and I’m employed by the NFL. So at the end of the day, we’ve gotta honor what they say, and so let’s hope that doesn’t happen. And we’ll use this hopefully as a lesson learned to avoid everything we can, and you know try and be out there and be available every weekend.”
The issue obviously will be a distraction for teams with unvaccinated players. That’s still not enough to convince Wentz and his unvaccinated teammates to relent.
“I think with this pandemic, even going back to last year, there’s a lot of unknown,” Wentz said, “and like I said, I’m not going to act like an expert in it, but there’s a lot of unknown that I think everyone handles it differently but being here, within the NFL, with the protocol and trying to be available like I just said, yeah, you definitely — you do want to go above and beyond and make sure you’re smart with what you do not only in this building, but outside this building. And just understanding. Both to be available but also from our health standpoint everyone, you know, has a different approach and opinion on their health with this matter. So there’s a lot of things that unfortunately are taking our attention away from football so we try and keep it as much as we can about football here and just make sure we’re on top of those things in and out of the building, just so we can be available and be healthy.”
So what lesson did Wentz ultimately learn from his five days at home?
“I learned it can be tough to avoid some close contacts, and just really trying to further understand and you know push the league to just make it clear to us, which has been you know addressed, just so it’s clear to us how we can avoid those situations,” he said. “And you know I could dive into the details but I don’t need to. I don’t think anybody made any big mistakes. It was just kind of the way it unfolded, and so we learned from it, and we’ll do everything we can to avoid it going forward.”
If they can’t, the Colts could have Wentz and/or other key players absent for one or more games. In the NFL, where one game can be the difference between 10-7 and 11-6, that one game could be enough to pull the plug on a playoff appearance and a potential Super Bowl run.
Regardless of the broader societal health benefits of players like Wentz getting vaccinated (along with the important message it sends to his fans), that’s what makes this anything but a “personal decision.” It’s a conscious and deliberate choice to assume a significant risk that he may not be available to play for reasons unrelated to his foot or any other injury. He’s risking that he won’t be available for one or more games. His absence from one or more games could turn a Colts victory into a Colts defeat. And that one extra defeat could keep the Colts home for the postseason.
Ultimately, Wentz’s personal decision means he can’t personally be trusted to play every week in 2021.
Trust me.
We should note that Wentz is not the only key player on the Colts who is believed to be non-compliant with the NFL’s vaccination pressure.
Once again, another round of unvaccinated players from the Indianapolis Colts are having a negative impact on the team. After Eric Fisher and Quenton Nelson first joined the Reserve/COVID-19 list last week, now three more key starters have joined them: Carson Wentz, Ryan Kelly and Zach Pascal. The main takeaway here is that all of these players are unvaccinated. Also, on the defensive side, Darius Leonard and Julian Blackmon are the notable players unvaccinated. Indianapolis has one of the worst vaccination rates in the NFL, and it could lower once the 53-man roster is finalized. With five projected starters recently hit with NFL health and safety protocols, it throws a loop into how the Colts can begin preparations for their regular season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. |
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BUFFALO
The Bills drop another upcoming tactic to get a new stadium. The AP with a story where we learn the current venue is now Highmark Stadium and the new stadium will put 10,000 current fans into the parking lot:
The Buffalo Bills won’t renew their lease with the state and county without a partially publicly funded agreement in place for a proposed new $1.4 billion stadium, leaving the team’s future uncertain beyond July 2023.
“No, we absolutely will not,” Pegula Sports and Entertainment senior vice president Ron Raccuia told Buffalo’s WBEN-Radio on Thursday.
In saying the topic of relocation has not been raised during discussions with government officials, Raccuia didn’t entirely rule out that possibility by using the word “yet” when asked if the Bills might begin looking elsewhere once the lease expires in about 23 months.
“We’re not even focused on that, yet,” said Raccuia, who is chief negotiator in talks for PSE, the parent company which owns the Bills.
“We’re just committed to getting everybody together as quickly as possible to get to a solution,” he added. “Talking about options and what happens if, that serves no purpose. It’s not where any of our focus or resources are being dedicated.”
During a wide-ranging interview, Raccuia otherwise confirmed the cost, size and location of the Bills proposing to build a stadium in Orchard Park, New York, across the street from their current facility, Highmark Stadium, which opened in 1973.
At issue is how much the project would cost taxpayers in what Raccuia called a public-private partnership that would potentially include NFL funding. The expectation is the public will be asked to fund more than 50% of the cost.
A message left with Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is from Buffalo, was not immediately returned. On Monday, her office released a statement to The AP, which read, “no one is more committed to keeping the Bills in Buffalo” than Hochul, and that details will be shared once negotiations are completed.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz was not available. He previously dismissed speculation of the Bills possibly relocating but issued a warning by saying taxpayers won’t be writing what he called “a blank check.”
The Bills have ruled out renovating Highmark as being cost-prohibitive as opposed to starting fresh.
The new stadium’s proposed capacity would be between 60,000 and 62,000 seats, which would make it one of the NFL’s smallest — and about 10,000 less than Highmark |
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NEW YORK JETS
Veteran coach Matt Cavanaugh has signed on to the Jets staff in the wake of the passing of his compadre Greg Knapp. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com:
Longtime NFL assistant Matt Cavanaugh was walking off a golf course in South Carolina when he received word that his close friend Greg Knapp, the New York Jets’ passing-game specialist, had been struck by a motorist while biking in California.
“I just sent him a text: ‘Bro, I’m praying for you. You can pull through this,'” an emotional Cavanaugh recounted Thursday. “I found out later how serious it was. I was crushed.”
Knapp, 58, died five days later, July 22. The Jets were counting on Knapp to tutor their young quarterbacks, led by second overall pick Zach Wilson. A few weeks later, they turned to Cavanaugh, who joined the team for a one-week trial period before accepting a full-time position. Under the circumstances, Cavanaugh acknowledged it wasn’t easy.
“It was just a tragedy,” he said. “I’m not here to replace him. I don’t think I can replace him, but I promise I’ll try to represent him well. I’ll work hard, do the best I can and, hopefully, make him proud.”
Cavanaugh and Knapp worked together on the San Francisco 49ers’ staff in 1996. They became good friends and, although they never worked again on the same team, they always hung out at the annual NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
“It was such a close relationship,” said Cavanaugh, who was out of the NFL last season after working with the Washington Football Team from 2015 to 2019. “I was so stunned when the accident happened. I didn’t imagine this [job] was a possibility. I wasn’t even thinking about it.
“I know the organization went through weeks and weeks of trying to deal with it. When I first talked to coach [Robert] Saleh, he said, ‘We brought him in for a reason. We’re devastated losing him, but we still need that void filled and you have the experience we may be looking for, so why don’t you spend a week with us?'”
Cavanaugh, 64, liked the vibe in the building and the chemistry on the coaching staff, so he signed on. This is his second stint with the Jets. He was the quarterbacks coach from 2009 to 2012, tutoring Mark Sanchez through the first four years of his career.
Cavanaugh will work under offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who is the play caller. Cavanaugh said his main responsibility is to coach quarterback fundamentals and “chip in once in a while.” |
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THIS AND THAT |
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NFL.COM PICKS
NFL.com solicited division champion picks from 29 of its contributors – some you know (Brian Baldinger, Gil Brandt, Joe Thomas, Maurice Jones-Drew, Scott Pioli, David Carr), some you might (Judy Bautista, Adam Schein, Jeffri Chadiha, etc.) and some you don’t (Brooke Cersosimo, Matt Smith, etc):
AFC EAST CHAMPS
1 Buffalo Bills (-155)
(27 votes: Baldinger, Battista, Bergman, Bhanpuri, Blair, Brandt, Carr, Cersosimo, Chadiha, Filice, Goodbread, Grant, Hall, Hanzus, Jones-Drew, O’Hara, Parr, Patra, Rank, Reuter, Rosenthal, Ross, Schein, Shook, Smith, Thomas, Zierlein)
T-2. Miami Dolphins (+340) | 1 vote: Sessler
T-2. New England Patriots (+350) | 1 vote: Pioli
Why Scott Pioli chose the Patriots: I have a LOT of respect for the Buffalo Bills, so this was a tough decision, to say the least. It comes down to this: The Bills are facing a first-place schedule for the first time in 25 years, which includes a visit to Miami in September (never fun!). The Patriots’ defense, offensive line, run game, special teams and smart situational football are the keys that will carry them a long way. Mac Jones doesn’t have to be great. Like Tom Brady early in his career, the rookie signal-caller just has to make certain he’s not the reason the team is losing games. The Pats’ passing attack will center around high-percentage throws — short and intermediate — and Jones will progress as the season does. I also have a difficult time picking against the NFL’s greatest head coach of all time.
AFC NORTH CHAMPS
1 Cleveland Browns
(19 votes: Battista, Bergman, Blair, Brandt, Chadiha, Filice, Grant, Hall, Jones-Drew, O’Hara, Parr, Patra, Pioli, Ross, Schein, Shook, Smith, Thomas, Zierlein)
2. Baltimore Ravens (+120) | 9 votes: Baldinger, Bhanpuri, Cersosimo, Goodbread, Hanzus, Rank, Reuter, Rosenthal, Sessler
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (+400) | 1 vote: Carr
Why Adam Schein chose the Browns: The Browns are loaded and legit! Myles Garrett is one of the best defensive players in football. Nick Chubb anchors an elite running attack. Baker Mayfield has found his groove under Kevin Stefanski. Forget about the “Factory of Sadness” — it’s time to fully believe in this franchise.
AFC SOUTH CHAMPS
1 Tennessee Titans -120
(22 votes: Bergman, Bhanpuri, Blair, Carr, Cersosimo, Filice, Goodbread, Grant, Hall, Jones-Drew, O’Hara, Parr, Patra, Pioli, Rank, Reuter, Rosenthal, Ross, Schein, Sessler, Shook, Thomas)
2. Indianapolis Colts (+145) | 7 votes: Baldinger, Battista, Brandt, Chadiha, Hanzus, Smith, Zierlein
Why Chase Goodbread chose the Titans: As long as Ryan Tannehill and Julio Jones stay healthy, this offense will be all but unstoppable, alternating between Derrick Henry and the passing game. Add in a breakout year for Jeffery Simmons on the defensive line, and the Titans might have the weakest division in football on ice by Thanksgiving.
AFC WEST CHAMPS
1 Kansas City Chiefs -320
(28 votes: Baldinger, Battista, Bergman, Bhanpuri, Blair, Brandt, Cersosimo, Chadiha, Filice, Goodbread, Grant, Hall, Hanzus, Jones-Drew, O’Hara, Parr, Patra, Pioli, Rank, Reuter, Rosenthal, Ross, Schein, Sessler, Shook, Smith, Thomas, Zierlein)
2. Las Vegas Raiders (+1800) | 1 vote: Carr
Why Jeffri Chadiha chose the Chiefs: The Chiefs have had the most explosive offense in football the last three years. The scary thing is their defense could be the best it’s been during the Patrick Mahomes era.
AFC WILD CARD TEAMS
We asked voters to pick the three wild-card teams from each conference, ranking their picks from 1 to 3 based on where they project the squads to land in the pecking order. Here are the vote totals for the AFC:
Rank Team WC Team 1 (3 pts) WC Team 2 (2 pts) WC Team 3 (1 pt)
1. Ravens (35) 8 VOTES 5 VOTES 1 VOTE:
2. Patriots (27) 4 VOTES 4 VOTES 7 VOTES
T-3. Chargers (25) 3 VOTES 6 VOTES 4 VOTES
T-3. Steelers (25) 5 VOTES 3 VOTES 4 VOTES
5. Browns (17) 2 VOTES 5 VOTES 1 VOTE
6. Dolphins (14) 2 VOTES 2 VOTES 4 VOTES
7. Broncos (10) 1 VOTE 1 VOTE 5 VOTES
8. Titans (7) 1 VOTE 2 VOTES
9. Bills (6) 2 VOTES
10. Colts (5) 1 VOTE 3 VOTES
11. Chiefs (3) 1 VOTE: Carr
NFC EAST CHAMPS
1 Dallas Cowboys +135
(19 votes: Battista, Bergman, Bhanpuri, Brandt, Chadiha, Filice, Goodbread, Grant, Jones-Drew, Parr, Patra, Pioli, Reuter, Rosenthal, Ross, Schein, Sessler, Shook, Zierlein)
2. Washington Football Team (+225) | 9 votes: Baldinger, Blair, Carr, Cersosimo, Hall, Hanzus, Rank, Smith, Thomas
3. New York Giants (+400) | 1 vote: O’Hara
Why Lance Zierlein chose the Cowboys: Not only is Dak Prescott back in the fold with a trio of dangerous wideouts, but a slimmer, quicker Ezekiel Elliott will be right by his side. There is no doubt the offense will be quite potent this season, but the addition of rookie linebacker Micah Parsons should not be overlooked. The No. 12 overall pick’s talent and explosiveness could be the difference-maker in Dallas ultimately winning the division.
NFC NORTH CHAMPS
1 Green Bay Packers -165
UNANIMOUS SELECTION
Why Dan Hanzus chose the Packers: The ugly offseason soap opera is in the rearview (for the time being) and now we can get back to seeing the Packers for what they are: The deepest, most talented team in the NFC North, led by an all-time QB with … wait for it … something to prove. We don’t typically attach this designation/narrative to a reigning league MVP, but such is the mercurial nature of the great Aaron Charles Rodgers.
NFC SOUTH CHAMPS
1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers -200
UNANIMOUS SELECTION
Why Adam Rank chose the Buccaneers: Hey, here’s something you might not have heard over the offseason: The Buccaneers are returning all 22 starters. Amazing, right? But honestly, Tom Brady never rests. And now, with a full year under the quarterback’s belt in Tampa Bay, I hate to say this team might be better.
NFC WEST CHAMPS
1 Los Angeles Rams +180
(15 votes: Battista, Blair, Carr, Cersosimo, Filice, Goodbread, Grant, Hall, Hanzus, Jones-Drew, Parr, Pioli, Reuter, Schein, Shook)
2. San Francisco 49ers (+200) | 12 votes: Baldinger, Bergman, Chadiha, O’Hara, Patra, Rank, Rosenthal, Ross, Sessler, Smith, Thomas, Zierlein
3. Seattle Seahawks (+280) | 2 votes: Bhanpuri, Brandt
Why DeAngelo Hall chose the Rams: This is arguably the toughest quartet in football, as a game or two could be the difference between winning the division and finishing last. The NFC West will once again belong to Sean McVay’s Rams. Los Angeles is the most balanced and complete team, and the Rams now have a great veteran QB who’ll make all the difference.
Back to top
NFC WILD CARD TEAMS
We asked voters to pick the three wild-card teams from each conference, ranking their picks from 1 to 3 based on where they project the squads to land in the pecking order. Here are the vote totals for the NFC:
Rank Team WC Team 1 (3 pts) WC Team 2 (2 pts) WC Team 3 (1 pt)
1 Seahawks (41) 6 VOTES 9 VOTES 5 VOTES
2 Rams (36) 11 VOTES 1 VOTE 1 VOTE
3 49ers (35) 9 VOTES 3 VOTES 2 VOTES
4 Saints (25) 3 VOTES 6 VOTES 4 VOTES
5. Washington (9) 1 VOTE 7 VOTES
6. Cowboys (8) 2 VOTES 4 VOTES
7. Vikings (6) 2 VOTES 2 VOTES
8. Cardinals (5) 1 VOTE 3 VOTES
T-9. Bears (4) 2 VOTES
T-9. Panthers (4) 2 VOTES
11. Giants (1) 1 VOTE
The only teams in the NFC getting zero support are the Lions, Falcons and Eagles. |
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TWO FORMER PLAYERS PASS AWAY TOO SOON
KEITH McCANTS
We knew Keith McCants back in the day and were aware that he struggled in life. This is sad to hear. The AP:
Former NFL player Keith McCants was found dead Thursday at his home in Florida after a suspected drug overdose, investigators said. He was 53.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in an email that deputies were called to a St. Petersburg home at about 5:10 a.m. Thursday. McCants was dead inside the house, where others who made the 911 call also apparently lived.
“It appears it was a drug overdose, but we are awaiting confirmation from the medical examiner’s office,” sheriff’s spokesperson Amanda Sinni said. “This is still an open investigation.”
McCants, a linebacker, was the fourth overall pick in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Mobile, Alabama, native earned All-America honors as a college player at the University of Alabama.
McCants played for three seasons in Tampa, followed by stints with the then-Houston Oilers and Arizona Cardinals before his football career ended in 1995. McCants was arrested several times for possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia over the years.
His longtime friend, St. Petersburg mayoral candidate Robert Blackmon, said he and others who knew McCants decided in 2010 to try to turn his life around.
“This morning, we lost that battle,” Blackmon said in a Facebook post, adding that McCants had renewed optimism after undergoing hip replacement surgery in May.
DAVID PATTEN
From Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:
Former Patriots wide receiver David Patten has died at the age of 47.
Patten’s manager Sam Gordon confirmed Patten’s death with multiple outlets on Friday morning. Gordon did not share any details, but the South Carolina Highway Patrol said, via The State, that Patten was killed in an accident while riding his motorcycle in Columbia on Thursday night.
Patten went undrafted in 1996 and played in the Arena League before making the Giants the next season. He spent three years with the team and one year with the Browns before joining the Patriots in 2001. |
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