The Daily Briefing Monday, August 8, 2022

AROUND THE NFL

@NFLResearch

🚨 Attention Jets, Jaguars, Ravens, Browns, Broncos, Giants, Lions, Panthers & Seahawks fans…

At least one team has gone “worst-to-first,” winning its division the season after finishing in or tied for last place in 17 of the last 19 NFL seasons

The Ravens would seem to be the team most likely to pull that off from this bunch.  Maybe the Browns or Broncos.  We like the Jets and Lions to get out of the basement – but all the way to first?

– – –

The “point of clarification/emphasis” for officials in 2022 is “illegal contact”.  Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com:

The NFL has asked its on-field officials to pay particular attention to illegal contact fouls during the 2022 season, a league spokesperson confirmed Monday. The request could lead to an increase in such flags following a big drop during the 2021 season.

Illegal contact refers to prohibited contact by a defender when the quarterback still has the ball and remains in the pocket. It is a 5-yard penalty and results in an automatic first down.

Officials flagged illegal contact an average of 97 times per season between 2002 and 2020, but that number dropped to 36 last season. The decrease prompted the NFL’s competition committee to include illegal contact among its “points of clarification,” formerly known as “points of emphasis,” for the 2022 season.

In administering illegal contact, officials must first identify the prohibited contact and then confirm the position of the ball and quarterback. The committee encouraged officials to move more quickly from the contact to the quarterback, in order to better enforce the foul.

League sources surveyed by ESPN were split on whether the wording of this year’s illegal contact instructions will lead to a spike in flags, as occurred after the two previous points of emphasis for the foul. In 2014, flags illegal for illegal contact rose to 148 from 52 in 2013. In 2004, they rose to 191 from 79 in 2003.

Another significant point of clarification for 2022 will revolve around roughing the passer fouls. The competition committee has clarified that contact to the helmet and below the knee area must be forcible, in recognition that some officials have thrown flags for minor contact in recent seasons.

As they do every summer, officiating crews are visiting training camps to update players and coaches on all new rules and clarifications.

GREEN BAY

Peter King on the journey to self-love of QB AARON RODGERS:

In 11 minutes at his locker inside Lambeau Field, Aaron Rodgers used the word “love” 20 times in a 1,597-word conversation. He relayed a recent exchange with veteran teammate Randall Cobb. “He was saying I was such a more gentle person,” Rodgers said with a slight grin that didn’t go away while we spoke. “I said yeah, I love myself a lot better so it’s easier to love other people and give them forgiveness and not jump on somebody’s ass if they make a mistake.”

Of all the things I never thought I’d be writing about covering the NFL, the reigning MVP having a three-day experience with the Quechuan natives in South America ingesting psychedelics would be high on the list. Now that I’ve got your attention, can I interrupt that for a second with a prediction about the 2022 Packers?

I think the addition of new special-teams coach Rich Bisaccia will be more significant to this Green Bay season than the subtraction of a great wide receiver, Davante Adams.

(Maybe it’s me on those psychedelics.)

I think that because history shows Rodgers figures out his targets every year, even when things look dire, and early camp star Romeo Doubs looks like a major early contributor at receiver. In the practice I saw, Doubs physically bested corner Eric Stokes on a long gain over the middle, made a diving catch in a two-minute period and made two other impressive contested catches. The 132nd pick in the draft from Nevada is long and appears unafraid, and the respect he’s getting from defenders was impressive to see. Twice after Doubs torched a DB, others DBs came and tapped him on the helmet, like, We see you, Rook.

Re Bisaccia: The Packers have had lethally bad special teams in recent years—they lost the divisional playoff game to San Francisco last year because of them—and now they have one of the best kicking-team coaches in the game with the addition of the interim Raiders coach last year. Bisaccia’s impact will be huge.

Now…let’s discuss ayahuasca. That was the talk of camp. First I had to learn what ayahuasca is. Per Wikipedia, it is consumed mostly as a tea to promote a placid state of being, and can be done over days: “People who have consumed ayahuasca report having mystical experiences and spiritual revelations regarding their purpose on earth, the true nature of the universe, and deep insight into how to be the best person they possibly can…Westerners typically describe experiences with psychological terms like ‘ego death.’”

I thought of different ways to present this, but then I re-read Rodgers’ words to me, and it’s such an unusual story that I decided to let him tell it. Slightly condensed, here it is, from Rodgers:

“I have a dear friend that I’ve known for 25 years that went on an ayahuasca journey in 2019. He came back, and we played golf one day and he told me all about it. I said, okay, I think it’s time that I do it. So we put together a trip to Peru [in 2020] and had a great experience. Then I went again this offseason and had another beautiful experience. Different, very different. Different size group, different amount of days.

“We sat three different nights with the medicine. I came in with an intention of doing a lot of healing of other relationships and bringing in certain people to have conversations with. Most of the work was around myself and figuring out what unconditional love of myself looks like of myself. In doing that, allowing me to understand how to unconditionally love other people but first realizing it’s gotta start with myself. I’ve got to be a little more gentle with myself and compassionate and forgiving because I’ve had some negative voices, negative self-talk, for a long time. A lot of healing went on. There’s things—images from the nights, the journeys—that will come up in dreams or during the day I’ll think about something that happened or something that I thought about. It’s constantly trying to integrate those lessons into everyday life.”

How’d it change your life?

“Man, it’s hard to answer that question with a short answer. But a lot of different ways. The most important way was really that self-love part. I think it’s unlocked a lot of my heart. Being able to fully give my heart to my teammates, my loved ones, relationships because I can fully embrace unconditionally myself. Just didn’t do that for a long time. I was very self-critical. When you have so much judgment on yourself it’s easy to transfer that judgment to other people. When you figure out a better way to love yourself, I think you can love people better because you’re not casting the same judgment you cast on yourself on other people. I’m really thankful for that.”

I asked about his fraught and estranged relationship with his family in California, and whether that might now get fixed.

“Honestly, that was a big intention I brought into the second journey this offseason,” he said. “I really felt like I wanted to surrender and open up to the medicine for some healing to come through and some direction on how to kind of go about that. And it didn’t. It didn’t necessarily. The big message was unconditionally loving myself is the key to being able to heal all relationships—with them, past relationships with lovers, whatever it might be…So that gives me a lot of hope in healing at some point. There was nothing specific that came through in my three nights of journey, per se, but it was everything to learn how to love myself better because every relationship is changed from that standpoint. Including the way I look at them [family members] and the hope I have for reconciliation at some point.”

I told him what I’d observed in my one-practice snapshot and here in the locker room. (Which I admit is a shallow way to draw any conclusion about a person. I don’t really know Rodgers. This is my Polaroid view of the ’20 and ’21 MVP—that’s it.) He looked happy on the field, thrilled to see practice visitor Jordy Nelson, hugging Nelson’s wife, laughing with Cobb, talking and smiling in an interaction with Doubs. Placid man.

He brought up all the coaches and players who he says make the game fun for him when I asked if there was a time when he was been down on football and now he loved it more.

“I don’t think it’s that,” he said. “I think [love of the game] has just deepened. My love for football has been there since I was 5 or 6 years old. But there’s a difference between loving something and being in love with something. Right? I think we can all relate to that. Loving people or being in love with people, loving things or being in love with things. I think I just fell back in love with football the last few years. It’s due to a mindset but also the people. I really do. I give credit to the Nathaniel Hacketts of the world and Luke Getsy, Justin Outten, Matt LaFleur—and Tom Clements coming back. Randall Cobb coming back and Marcedes Lewis. Robert Tonyan and Allen Lazard and Mason Crosby, and of course David Bakhtiari. All the people who make this thing so fun. I love people. I love my teammates so much. I love the opportunity to do this.

“But I think I just fell in love with it a little bit deeper. Again, I think a lot of that is due to the work that I’ve done on myself. It hasn’t all been just the ayahuasca journey. It’s been therapy. It’s been meditation. It’s been changing habits that weren’t giving me any type of joy. Eating better. Taking care of myself a little bit better. Being more gentle with myself. All those things have allowed me to look at each day with a little more joy.”

So, the obvious question is: does this violate the NFL’s substance-abuse policy? I don’t know. Checked with the league late Friday, and got a no-comment. But it’s likely the league never thought of South American psychedelics when creating the substance abuse policy. I was told over the weekend that the league will very likely not do anything to Rodgers retroactively because he’s not tested positive for a banned substance, and as for the future, who knows?

WASHINGTON

This headline caught our attention:

Rivera says Wentz is inaccurate, but not concerned

Here’s the story from Shanna McCairston of CBSSports.com:

During training camp, Wentz’s accuracy has not been close to perfect, but head coach Ron Rivera says it does not concern him.

When asked about these throwing issues, Rivera admitted to noticing the inaccuracy, but is far from going into panic mode.

“It’s a lot better than you give him credit for, just because of the way things happen in practice. There’s a lot of little nuances that we see that we look at that we get to review. Yeah, there’s some inaccuracy. But it’s nothing that we are overly concerned [about],” Rivera said, via ESPN.

As Rivera has seen more of Wentz, he says there is growth that needs to happen, but the team is currently focused on improving each day and not too worried about the setbacks.

“Again, we see what’s going on. We see how things are developing. We see the timing and just the understanding and feel for what’s going on with our concepts,” Rivera said. “So, as we continue to grow and work on it, we just feel like we’re going to continue to grow and get better as an offensive unit.”

Rivera has been supportive of Wentz since he arrived in Washington, calling him “brilliantly smart” and comparing him to quarterback Philip Rivers.

NEW ORLEANS

QB JAMEIS WINSTON goes on the injury watch list.  Myles Simmons (in the last paragraph) joins the DB in wondering the same thing:

There may be an injury concern developing in New Orleans.

Quarterback Jameis Winston left practice early on Monday with a foot injury.

 “Jameis went in today, he kind of tweaked his foot a little bit. He went in for some evaluation,” Allen said in his press conference. “I don’t have any update on that. But it was kind of [when he was] rolling out, I think it was in the 7-on-7 period, he kind of felt it tweak a little bit. So we wanted to go in and get him evaluated.”

There was some question as to whether it was a foot injury or ankle injury, but, via Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Advocate, the Saints clarified that it was indeed a foot injury.

Winston is already returning from tearing his ACL midway through the 2021 season. By most accounts, Winston has had a strong camp, avoiding costly turnovers. Last season, Winston completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,170 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. The Saints were 5-2 in games Winston started.

New Orleans also has Andy Dalton and Ian Book at quarterback on its roster. But if Winston’s foot injury keeps him out for a while, the Saints could perhaps become a potential landing spot for San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo.

SAN FRANCISCO

Colby Young took center stage at the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony.  Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com:

Being part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 holds a special — and painful — meaning for former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Bryant Young. It’s an emotional reminder of his son Colby, who died of cancer Oct. 11, 2016. Colby’s favorite number, his dad said during his induction speech Saturday afternoon at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, was 22.

“In this, my 10th year of eligibility, I enter the Hall as a member of this ’22,” Young said, his voice cracking. “2022. 22.”

Young’s voice broke even more when he spoke about how his son, diagnosed at age 13 in 2014, bravely handled the news after being told in 2016 that the cancer had spread and the treatments were no longer working.

It was a powerful moment that caused the crowd to give Young a standing ovation.

“Colby sensed where things were headed,” Young said. “He didn’t fear death as much as the process of dying. Would it be painful? Would he be remembered?

“Colby … you live on in our hearts. … We will always speak your name.”

Young’s speech was the most moving moment of the afternoon. Joining Young in the Hall were offensive tackle Tony Boselli, wide receiver Cliff Branch, safety LeRoy Butler, official Art McNally, linebacker Sam Mills, defensive lineman Richard Seymour and coach Dick Vermeil.

– – –

Jeff Howe of The Athletic on why the 49ers think the time has come for QB TREY LANCE:

As it turned out, 49ers quarterback Trey Lance needed the extra time more than anyone could have anticipated.

Lance, who proved himself as the starter to head coach Kyle Shanahan during organized team activities, needed every bit of the offseason to get right after a finger injury hampered his rookie year.

The No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft broke his right index finger when it hit a helmet in the preseason finale, and it caused issues that required offseason corrections. Lance got sorted out while working with throwing coach Adam Dedeaux of 3DQB prior to OTAs and again before training camp.

“This offseason was about getting as healthy as possible because we couldn’t really address his mechanics until he was fully healthy,” Dedeaux told The Athletic.

The broken finger wreaked havoc on Lance’s mechanics. He admitted that he couldn’t straighten the finger for much of the season, so he wasn’t able to properly grip the ball. And because of that, he changed his throwing motion to overcompensate, which caused undue stress on his arm.

Lance essentially had to reset his fundamentals.

“When you start changing the way you throw to compensate for a lack of grip, your arm takes a beating,” Dedeaux said. “There were elements of that for him last year. Not only was he dealing with the (finger) injury, but his arm would get sorer than normal having to essentially manipulate the way he throws so he could be more efficient.”

Lance began working with Dedeaux prior to the 2021 NFL Draft, and Dedeaux traveled to San Francisco a few times last season to help with his mechanics. This past offseason, Lance reported to 3DQB in March and was placed on a strict pitch count. They made sure his arm was fully healthy before he could really get into his throwing mechanics, which in turn improved his confidence. Dedeaux pointed out that health and confidence are directly tied together.

Lance was there for more than a month before reporting for OTAs in a much better place. He had the opportunity to monopolize first-team practice reps while Jimmy Garoppolo rehabbed his surgically repaired right shoulder in Los Angeles, and the second-year QB took advantage of that time.

“We got into the offseason, and the thought really was this is going to become Trey’s team. We go through OTAs and all of that, and he really just asserted himself,” general manager John Lynch told The Athletic. “Those decisions are Kyle’s. We obviously talked a lot about it. It was somewhere in there in OTAs when we just felt very comfortable (with naming Lance the starter). It was, all right, let’s do this.”

Lance essentially reinforced the attributes that led the 49ers to trading up for him in the draft. He processed quickly, made plays with his legs when the play broke down, showed command of a complicated offense and leadership in the locker room.

Shanahan’s offense is tough to learn, but Dedeaux had the tools to accelerate the process. Dedeaux recalled working with then-Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in 2016 — going into his second season in Shanahan’s system — and Ryan noted how much smoother it got for him after that first year.

Lance, of course, was an apprentice as a rookie, save for a couple of spot starts when Garoppolo was out. It’s tough to compare Lance in year two to Ryan in year nine, but the Niners were intent on making Lance’s rookie season a productive one even with the absence of playing time.

And throughout this yearlong buildup, Dedeaux acted as an extension of the 49ers coaching staff to assist the learning curve. Dedeaux remained in communication with Shanahan, quarterbacks coach Brian Griese and assistant quarterbacks coach Klay Kubiak. And John Beck, who works with Dedeaux at 3DQB, played for two years under Shanahan in Washington, so he has also been able to provide knowledge of the offense.

It’s all been part of the effort to get Lance ready to start a full season — the first time he’ll do that since leading North Dakota State to an undefeated, national championship campaign in 2019. There will undeniably be struggles as there are with any young and inexperienced quarterback, but it’s a small victory that Lance has earned the chance to supplant Garoppolo on a roster that is still talented enough to contend for the postseason.

“He is everything we thought he was and a little bit more,” Lynch said. “Quarterbacks in this league who are playing for the first time, they go through their struggles, too, so we’re fully aware that those are going to come. But we believe enough in his makeup, what he brings to the table in terms of abilities, but also just his mental makeup, who are you as a person, how are you going to work through adversity. We believe in Trey and all those things.”

LOS ANGELES RAMS

QB MATTHEW STAFFORD had a strong passing session, quelling fears, for now, about his elbow.  Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com:

After making several deep throws and even a no-look pass during practice Saturday, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said he felt like he could make any throw he wanted to.

Stafford, who dealt with an elbow injury last season, received an injection in his right elbow during the offseason and did not throw during the Rams’ spring workouts.

On Thursday, coach Sean McVay said Stafford’s injury is “a little bit abnormal for a quarterback,” but reiterated that the Rams had planned a “modified approach and a progressive build” with him during training camp.

“I just have a little soreness,” Stafford said Saturday. “We’re working through it. I feel pretty good today. I thought it looked pretty good. But just trying to be smart with it and making me feel as good as I can feel going into Week 1 while still getting as many reps I can, too.”

Stafford declined to go into detail about his elbow soreness, saying he’s “just going through something that is irritating at the moment.”

“We got a great plan,” Stafford said. “I’m feeling stronger every time I come out here and throw. I don’t know if you guys were watching. It felt like I could make any throw I wanted to today. And just trying to be smart when I get those opportunities to make sure I can come out here, cut it loose [and] turn it loose like I did today.”

McVay echoed Stafford’s comments about the way he threw the ball Saturday and pointed out he wasn’t just making short and intermediate throws but was “pushing the ball” to “all types of spots.” McVay also said that based on the way Stafford threw, “I don’t think you would know that anything was going on.”

“If you guys were watching, I don’t know really how much you can ask about how Matthew’s feeling,” McVay said. “I mean, he threw it all over the yard today. Looked really good, felt good.

BALTIMORE

PK JUSTIN TUCKER, one of Adam Schein’s 9 Hall of Famers still active, has a big new contract.

@RapSheet

The #Ravens and All-Pro K Justin Tucker agree to terms on a 4-year extension that pays him $24M, source said with $17.5M guaranteed. The new highest paid kicker.

CINCINNATI

Peter King on the work ethic of uber-talented WR JAMARR CHASE:

What separates the great players from the very good players? I saw it the other day on a lonely field in the Midwest under a summer afternoon broiler, 92 degrees with 85 percent humidity, when the 2021 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year was the only football player at work.

Ja’Marr Chase was the last of 90 players on the field for the AFC champion Bengals on this dog-day Cincinnati afternoon, prepping to catch footballs shot out of a Jugs machine at short range at 40 mph. Chase started catching them with running back Chris Evans providing some distracting defense to make the catches tougher, but then Evans had to hustle inside for a meeting. So now, other than one other Bengal signing autographs 100 yards away for a few fans, and two equipment guys, the place was Bengal-free. Players and coaches were inside the air-conditioned locker room and offices.

Chase now had one problem: He needed a DB to play defense. He saw the stoop-shouldered boss of Bengals.com, Geoff Hobson, waiting for him to finish the drill so he could ask him a few questions. Hobson asked if Chase needed him to play defense.

“If you want to,” Chase said.

In his last football game, the Super Bowl, Chase was guarded by all-world corner Jalen Ramsey.

Now he’d be guarded by a gray-haired 63-year-old scribe who last played football in the Carter administration.

The object of this drill was not only for Chase to work on catching line-drive throws, but to have someone distract him with a tug on the jersey or wave a white Gatorade towel in his face. Hobson grabbed a towel and prepared to distract Chase from catching fastballs from the machine, just eight yards away.

“Wave it in front of my eyes,” Chase told Hobson.

“THWAP!” came the footballs, one after another, shot out of the machine, a Bengals aide handing them to equipment manager Adam Knollman, who fed them into the machine, each ball speeding 24 feet to the orange-gloved Chase. With Hobson fluttering the towel as each line drive zipped toward them, Chase softly hand-caught them, no body involved. Try that sometime.

The oversized rolling garbage can was empty. I called from the sideline: “How many in there?”

Equipment guy: “Well, about 40 in each.”

“I do three of ‘em,” Chase said. Most of the receivers and backs do one of these huge cans.

One hundred twenty balls. Twenty minutes of footballs shot out of a cannon. Hobson fluttering the towel in his face, no words spoken. Once, Hobson succeeded, distracting Chase so the ball clanged off his hands. (“I can tell my grandchildren I broke up a pass intended for Ja’Marr Chase,” Hobson said later.) Chase stopped the drill, ambled 25 yards downfield, picked it up and tossed it back to the assistant helping Knollman feed the machine with ball after ball.

Seemed an odd thing, Chase chasing the errant ball. Let that one go, I thought. Someone will pick it up later.

“Ja’Marr’s different,” Knollman, the equipment guy, said. “If he misses one, he’ll go get it, and the ball gets thrown back to us. He’ll have to do it again. He has to be perfect. He has to catch every one.”

When it was over, Chase took his helmet off. The sweat flowed in rivulets off his head. “Thank you,” he said to the equipment guys. A walk-through hour to get today’s script of plays down, two hours of practice, a five-minute “Get Better” period of catching tennis balls thrown fast, then 20 minutes of this.

We’d talked before practice. I asked him what he’d say to a kid watching this interview.

“Focus on you,” Chase said. “There’s so much you can control. If you want to be great, you’ve got to work at it constantly, every day, even when you’re tired. Gotta know when to push yourself, gotta know when to over-push yourself.”

This was over-pushing himself. It’s his world.

I said to him pre-practice: “You want to be the best, don’t you?”

“That’s my goal,” Chase said.

“No questions?”

“No questions.”

“What about you against [former LSU mate] Justin Jefferson?”

“I’m better than Justin.”

“Davante Adams?”

“I don’t know if I’m better … but I watch his film all the time. He told me he watches my film. That’s definitely something to keep me working.”

One day last week, Chase’s receivers coach, Troy Walters, used Powerpoint before practice to put up a quote from Bo Schembechler in the wide receivers meeting room.

EVERY DAY YOU’RE EITHER GETTING BETTER OR YOU’RE GETTING WORSE. YOU NEVER STAY THE SAME.

The same day, at practice, Walters, who has been significant in Chase’s growth and ethos, told him: “If you want to be really great, you need to be fundamentally sound every day, even in our walk-through.” Walters noticed on one route that Chase was supposed to take four steps off the line he took five. He admonished Chase. For the rest of the walk-through, Chase would look back at Walters after practicing a route, to see if he’d done it perfectly.

Chase credits Walters with pushing him and polishing him. After Chase had one of the best rookie seasons by a player in recent history—81 catches, 1,455 yards, 18.0 yards per catch, 13 TDs, then a rookie-record 368 postseason receiving yards—what happened a year ago in his rookie training camp seems so incongruous. Remember when he was dropping everything in sight last summer? Walters sat Chase down, showed him tape of how great he was at LSU and said, essentially, this too shall pass, and hard work will fix everything.

“We had a heart to heart,” Walters said. “He’s a great player. The word that comes to mind is freakish. But he understands the value of work, and how important it is in his success. I think what happened is he hadn’t played in the [2020] Covid season, and he just had some rust.”

There’s a drill Walters does with Chase that makes a lot of sense. Chase faces a wall. Walters stands behind him. With Chase focused on the wall, Walters throws a tennis ball hard. It bounces off the wall to a different place in Chase’s catch radius each time, and Chase tries to react instantaneously and grab it.

“Hand-eye coordination,” Chase told me. “Reaction in a split-second is crucial to being great.”

I didn’t sense a lot of the-missed-Super Bowl-chance haunts us out of the Bengals. My theory: This team won fortunate dogfights at Tennessee and Kansas City when Ryan Tannehill and Patrick Mahomes threw late picks, and Evan McPherson kicked 95-yard field goals in both games to get Cincinnati to the big game. I didn’t sense that losing to that great defensive front and Matthew Stafford/Cooper Kupp is a nightmare for Cincinnati going forward. For the Bengals to get to a second straight Super Bowl, the retooled offensive line needs to build a better shield around Joe Burrow (72 sacks in 21 games, by far the most in football). Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd combined for 222 catches, 3,374 yards and 24 TDs last year. It’s absurd to just say, Duplicate that, or do better, but the Bengals need a healthy, full dose of their trio to be great again. Because now the rest of the league looks at the Bengals on the schedule as a challenge, not a bye week.

There’s another reason the uber-popular Chase is particularly valuable to the franchise in a time when the Bengals have taken over the local sports scene: perspective beyond his 22 years. The other day, Knollman said to Chase he appreciated him signing autographs for so many kids after practice.

“These people wait a long time for this,” Chase said. “And it doesn’t last forever.”

CLEVELAND

Peter King looks at the logic of Judge Sue L. Robinson – a decides that her punishment “feels” too light and sides with the NFL’s appeal:

1. The length of the ban is six games too short. Robinson spends a chunk of the report criticizing the NFL for suggesting a full-season ban with no precedent, or as she says: “The NFL is attempting to impose a more dramatic shift in its culture without the benefit of fair notice to—and consistency of consequence for—those in the NFL subject to the policy.” Come on. Should the NFL have a discipline handbook that says, 10-15 civil lawsuits alleging lewd conduct against—8 games; more than 15—a full season?

2. Robinson’s characterization of the offenses as “non-violent sexual assault” really feels wrong. Technically, I suppose you could say that the acts Watson was accused of were “non-violent,” but the accuser described a perverse act, a crime. Reading Robinson’s ruling, I felt she minimized the acts she finds Watson to have committed. That’s certainly how the most public of Watson’s accusers, Ashley Solis, saw it. “What do the actions of the NFL say to little girls who have suffered at the hands of someone perceived to have power?” she said in a statement after the ruling. “That it is not a big deal. That they don’t care. Tough s—. That’s what I’ve taken from their actions.” Except it’s not over. The system set up to rule on such discipline is obviously league-slanted, because the commissioner or his designee hears the appeal. And it would be surprising if designee Peter Harvey doesn’t add some teeth to the sanction on Watson.

3. I hear there’s not much of a chance for the two sides to settle this case before Harvey rules. But a settlement is the best idea. Increase the sanction to 10 games, let Watson back for the post-Thanksgiving stretch of seven games that includes a game against each division foe. Ten games feels light to me, but in the words of noted middle-ground-seeker Paul Tagliabue, “All’s well that ends.” Period.

4. One influential NFL person told me on this trip that it doesn’t sit well with the league or 31 other owners that the Browns rigged the Watson contract so that his suspension would cause him to lose only a fraction of his 2022 compensation. A suspension of six games, for instance, means Watson would be docked six-eighteenths (there are 18 game weeks, including the bye) of his $1.035-million salary, or $344,655. So if Robinson’s suspension with no additional fine other than six game checks stands, it means Watson would lose 0.7 percent of his $46-million total compensation this year. That’s almost absurd beyond words. I expect Harvey to be under some pressure to levy a multi-million-dollar fine of Watson in whatever he rules.

5. Let’s say Watson misses the first 10 games and comes back to play. That would mean he’d have gone 99 weeks without playing a football game, and he’d be coming back to play with a new team with receivers he’d never played a game with. At one of my camp stops, I asked an offensive coach how he thought Watson would play after such a long layoff. “Everybody’s assuming he’ll come back and be Deshaun Watson. I wonder. He’ll be working out, and he’ll probably find some receivers to throw to while he’s out, but being out that long and coming back with a new team—there’s no guarantee he’ll be that good this year.”

6. Blows my mind Watson has shown no public remorse in this case.

– – –

King also can’t understand the “hold in” of RB KAREEM HUNT:

I think this is in the category of “contract squabbles I do not understand.” Kareem Hunt, Cleveland running back, is partially holding-in—the new term for being in camp but not practicing because he wants a new contract. Hunt was practicing in some drills and not others during the week, and he was reportedly back in all drills Sunday. He is in the last year of his contract. Due to make $6.25-million this year if he’s active all season (the deal includes per-game roster bonuses). Hunt has been a Brown for three years. He’s averaged 469 rushing yards per season as the team 1b to 1a Nick Chubb. I understand his point; he thinks he should be paid like a starting running back because he is as good as one. Hunt won a rushing title while in Kansas City. But football doesn’t work that way, particularly at running back. Backups, even excellent ones, don’t get paid like starters particularly in an era of declining running-back value.

TENNESSEE

No one seems to think that last year’s top seed in the AFC is going anywhere.  GM Jon Robinson notes that he has noticed the lack of respect for the Titans.

In GM Jon Robinson’s office the other day, we were talking about how the Titans are regularly disregarded when discussing Super Bowl contenders…yet the team is on a three-year playoff streak and was the AFC’s one seed last year. Robinson smiled and said, “I’m gonna play you a song real quick,” he said, and started fiddling with his iPhone.

“Eric Church. ‘The Outsiders.’ That’s who we are,” Robinson said. Now came Church, the country star.

They’re the in crowd, we’re the other ones

It’s a different kind of cloth that we’re cut from

And so on. This is an interesting team with a braintrust that can patch holes as well as any team in football. Robinson and Mike Vrabel built a rock-ribbed defense and strong run game, with a pretty good pass game too (until divisional weekend), and they survived a ridiculous spate of injuries to lock in the AFC’s top seed. Tennessee used a league-record 91 players last year, won 12 games, and became the first team in NFL history to have eight wins over teams with winning records…despite missing Derrick Henry for half the year with a foot injury.

Vrabel gave a Belichickian response when I asked him about the Titans’ image. “I try not to focus on things that don’t matter,” he said. “We just try to build a foundation to help us withstand the ups and downs of an NFL season.”

BUFFALO

G ROGER SAFFOLD is back at practice.  Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com:

After a slew of injuries to start training camp, the Buffalo Bills offensive line is getting healthier. Guard Rodger Saffold was activated off the non-football injury list Sunday and was in uniform for the team’s training camp practice.

Saffold started training camp on the NFI list after he injured his ribs in a car crash.

He signed with the Bills as a free agent this offseason and is expected to be the starting left guard. Saffold was limited in his first practice back but took light reps with the first-team offense and began to ease his way back into the fold. Center Mitch Morse, the only starting offensive lineman who had not missed a day of training camp practice, was out with a vet day.

With Morse out, projected starting right guard Ryan Bates, who has also missed time to injury, filled in at center and fully participated in the team portion of practice for the first time since his return.

Offensive lineman David Quessenberry has primarily been filling in for right tackle Spencer Brown, who is slowly working his way back after missing the entire offseason program due to back surgery. Brown did take part in some light team drills and one-on-ones for the first time Sunday.

Due to the injuries, the Bills have practiced with a variety of offensive line combinations throughout camp.

“The plus side for us, is with [players missing time], some guys have gained some invaluable experience,” offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said. “Coming in and playing against some of the best D-linemen in the league, I feel like it’s really pushed them and really forcing guys to really step up their game and take on larger roles. And hopefully, it’s helped our depth there, and hopefully it helped that competition for guys to really step up and push each other.”

MIAMI

Peter King on the Miami scandal:

In the wake of the news that the Dolphins were docked first- and third-round picks, and owner Stephen Ross was suspended till mid-October and fined $1.5-miilion for tampering with Tom Brady while the quarterback was under contract to both New England and Tampa Bay, six points:

1. Ross denied virtually everything and seemed outraged at his organization being found guilty of tampering. But he’s lucky the league’s investigation gave him a pass on what could have made the NFL force him to sell the team—charges by Brian Flores that the owner offered him $100,000 per game to lose in order to better their draft position. The league couldn’t conclusively corroborate Flores’ tanking story, which saved Ross.

2. The league has a “legal tampering” period prior to the start of free-agency each year, during which time teams and agents can come to agreements on new contract. But enforcement of regular tampering has been lax, to say the least. There’s a no-harm-no-foul ethos—at least that’s my sense—when it comes to pre-free-agency contact with player agents and players, and I think that’s part of this case. This is Roger Goodell drawing a line and saying, Tampering stops now. You’re all warned.

3. This makes Tom Brady look bad, obviously, like it’s okay for him to play by a different set of rules because he’s Tom Brady. Maybe he knew this was coming, and that’s why he’s had one press availability in training camp, and none since this news came down Tuesday. Whenever he does speak, this is going to be very hard to justify in any way.

4. Great point by a good source: “Usually when you’re investigated for tampering, you’ve succeeded at getting something valuable. Miami got nothing, and it cost them a one and a three. I can’t imagine a worse outcome.”

5. This is the upshot that really hurts Miami: Before this happened, they had their own 2023 first-round pick and also San Francisco’s. Let’s just say Tua Tagovailoa is mediocre this year and Miami decides it wants to try to get in position to move up to get a quarterback in the ’23 draft. Theoretically, if their two picks were in the 15 to 22 range (just spitballing), maybe they could package those two plus their one in 2024 to move up to three or four to get a quarterback. That’s out the window now.

6. This ratchets up the pressure on Tagovailoa. Now there’s really no Plan B for 2023, unless the Miami braintrust falls in love next spring with a Kenny Pickett type talent and he falls in round one. Maybe you’d say it’s great for Tagovailoa—he can play free and easy knowing it’s going to be his job going forward. And maybe that’s the case. But I say there’s just as good a chance he feels the heat of, Dude, you simply cannot fail. He’s certainly set up to win with Tyreek Hill and Mike McDaniel on board now, and he needs to win now.

NEW YORK JETS

Massive T MAKHI BECTON had to leave practice, but it might not be serious.  Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic:

New York Jets starting right tackle Mekhi Becton limped off the field during Monday’s training camp practice with an apparent injury, but coach Robert Saleh said his knee “seems fine, preliminarily.”

“As of now it doesn’t seem like it’s a big deal but, knock on wood, hopefully it stays the case,” Saleh said.

Following the second play of 11-on-11 team drills, Becton left the field, took his pads off, then limped inside with trainers. The 6-foot-7, 363-pound lineman was favoring his right knee, which was the same one he hurt against the Panthers in Week 1 of the 2021 season.

That injury ultimately kept him out the rest of the year.

THIS AND THAT

HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2023

Somehow Bryan DeArdo of CBSSports.com leave off CB Ronde Barber, a Class of 2022 Finalist, from this list:

This past weekend, the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted its 2022 class. This year’s class brings the total to 362 former players, coaches and contributors who have received a permanent spot in Canton, Ohio.

Of those 362, only 86 were inducted in their first year of eligibility. That number will likely increase next summer, as there are several former gridiron standouts who will be eligible for the first time. Five modern-era players can earn induction next summer, while as many as three senior finalists and one coach/contributor finalist can also earn induction.

So who will be in next year’s induction class. Let’s take a look at how it could possibly shake out.

** denotes first-year eligible players

Possible modern-day inductees

**CB Darrelle Revis (2007-17): “Revis Island” was anything but a vacation spot for NFL wideouts during his 10-year career. The seven-time Pro Bowler routinely locked down the league’s best receivers while making life miserable for quarterbacks. He helped New England snap its 10-year Super Bowl drought in 2014 after leading the Jets to consecutive AFC title games in 2009-10.

WR Andre Johnson (2003-16): The best offensive player in Texans history, the former Miami Hurricane led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards on multiple occasions. He earned seven Pro Bowl nods over a 10-year span.

**EDGE Dwight Freeney (2002-17): A menacing pass-rusher who was armed with an unbeatable spin move. Collected 125.5 sacks during his career that included 107.5 as a member of the Colts. Won a Super Bowl with Indianapolis in 2006, and helped the Cardinals reach the NFC Championship Game nine years later.

**OL Joe Thomas (2007-17): One of the greatest left tackles in NFL history, Thomas earned 10 consecutive Pro Bowl nods while being named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s. The NFL’s modern day “Iron Man,” Thomas played in 167 games and amassed 10,363 consecutive snaps.

LB Zach Thomas (1996-08): A tackling machine, Thomas racked up seven Pro Bowl and five All-Pro nods over a nine-year span. He tallied 1,734 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 17 interceptions (four returned for touchdowns), 16 forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries over his 13-year career.

Torry Holt (1999-09): A key member of the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” offense, Holt caught the first touchdown in the Rams’ Super Bowl win over the Titans. Holt enjoyed a long run of statistical excellence that included eight straight 1,000-yard seasons. He led the NFL in receiving yards twice and in receptions once.

Possible senior inductees

QB Ken Anderson (1971-86): The NFL MVP in 1981, Anderson led the Bengals to the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance that season. Anderson led the NFL in passing yards twice and in completion percentage three times.

LB Randy Gradishar (1974-83): The anchor of the Broncos’ “Orange Crush” defense that spearheaded the franchise’s first Super Bowl berth in 1977. A seven-time Pro Bowler, Gradishar was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1978.

DL Joe Klecko (1977-88): The versatile lineman earned Pro Bowl nods at defensive end, defensive tackle and nose tackle. He led the NFL with 20.5 sacks in 1981 while serving as a valuable member of the Jets’ “New York Sack Exchange” defense.

Possible coach/contributor inductee

Robert Kraft: The Patriots have won six Super Bowl since Kraft began his ownership of the franchise in 1994. Kraft has also been instrumental in several lucrative TV contracts while also playing a hand in settling the league’s 2011 lockout.

FROM THE GRUDEN CAMP

Agent Bob LaMonte on Jon Gruden’s state of mind.  Chris Donaldson of BizPacReview:

The longtime agent for former Super Bowl-winning NFL head coach Jon Gruden spoke out about what he called a “hit job” to run his longtime client out of the league over controversial remarks in emails that were swept up as a part of investigation into the workplace culture of the franchise formerly known as the Washington Redskins.

Gruden was forced to resign from his job coaching the Las Vegas Raiders last fall over what was deemed to be homophobic, misogynist and racist language in the emails which were leaked to media outlets including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, both of which published his remarks in what his legal team described as a “malicious and orchestrated campaign” in a lawsuit filed against the NFL and it’s commissioner Roger Goodell.

In the leaked emails that were sent to former Washington GM Bruce Allen, a longtime friend and associate, Gruden referred to Goodell as a a “f*ggot” and a “clueless anti football p**sy,” slammed then -Vice President Joe Biden as a “nervous clueless p**sy” and joked that NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith who is black, had lips the size of Michellin tires.” The resulting firestorm led to his resignation.

“I can tell you right now that was a hit job,” Gruden’s agent Bob LaMonte told Tampa Bay Buccaneer fan website JoeBucsFan.com.

“Jon’s doing a lot better now,” he said. “He was in a state of shock and I was worried about him when this first broke because it was a shot in the dark in the middle of the night. I think the hardest thing for him was that it’s in the middle of October.”

“Supposedly, all this information was known in August. Why now, of all things, does that come out in an investigation that had already gone away?” LaMonte asked of the timing of the leaked emails. “And it was 10 years ago. And then why Jon and why the Raiders? He wasn’t even in the league at the time of those e-mails … that’s the tragedy of it. You can say what you want, but if anyone really understands Jon, they know he’s not a racist. That’s quite obvious. No one would ever say that.”

 “The biggest thing that got him was Jon had called Roger Goodell a female body part that wasn’t becoming,” he said. “I guess he made some bad comments about the Glazers, but you have to realize he had just been fired by the Bucs and he thought he was on private e-mails. A lot of people when they’re fired say bad things.”

Gruden was fired by the Buccaneers in 2009 after seven seasons, struggling to ever live up to the success of his first year when he led the team to its first Super Bowl win over the Oakland Raiders.

“It took a very bad toll on him. Jon will tell you he’s a boring guy. The guy watches films all day, that’s what he does. He’s basically a football junkie and you took it away from him. His family was destroyed, his wife’s answering questions, his son works for the team. I can tell you right now that was a hit job,” LaMonte said.

“This wasn’t good for anybody. That’s why he ended up suing the NFL and Goodell — because everyone knows it was wrong. You have 650,000 e-mails and his six were picked out … and he wasn’t even in the league. He prevailed in court and he will prevail again,” the agent expressed optimism that Gruden will ultimately be victorious against Goodell and the league in court. “I really believe in my heart and soul he will coach again. I’d be very surprised if he didn’t. My question is what did Jon really do? Most people wouldn’t want their private e-mails from 10 days ago looked at. That’s why if this were to go to trial, it would be devastating for the National Football League.

“I think Jon looks younger, happier and better now. He’s an infinitely wealthy person and the irony of this lawsuit is that everyone says he’ll make a fortune, He doesn’t really need the money. All Jon Gruden wants is his life back — and he’s going to get it back,” LaMonte said.

2023 DRAFT

We have all seen the Mock Drafts with Ohio State’s CHRIS STROUD and Alabama’s DARIUS YOUNG near the top of the projected 2023 board.  But Chris Trapasso says recent history is full of QBs who were little thought of in the early fall – and early first round picks in the spring.

He identifies some candidates to be the next JOE BURROW or ZACH WILSON:

The 2022 class was an anomaly at the quarterback position. Only one passer taken in the first round. In each of the six NFL drafts before it, there was one quarterback ultimately selected within the top three overall picks who was barely on or completely off the radar before his final college season.

In 2021, it was Zach Wilson, the year before that, Joe Burrow. In 2019, Kyler Murray. In 2018, Baker Mayfield. Mitchell Trubisky was that dude in 2017. And in 2016 it was Carson Wentz. While not a top 3 selection, lone first-rounder Kenny Pickett was a consensus Day 3 prospect before his final season at Pittsburgh.

Therefore, it’s a smart practice to scour the college football landscape in August to identify possible rise-from-obscurity passers before their ascension begins.

Remember, too, none of the quarterbacks listed above were necessarily “well-known” draft prospects many believed could be high first-round selections. They had consensus Day 3 grades before their final collegiate seasons, so the selections this year’s article have to be viewed the same.

Let’s dive deep. Real deep. That’s where we’re most likely to find the next Wilson or Burrow. (Yes, the transfer portal has become a hell of a drug.) I present to you this year’s Day 3 to Top 3 candidates.

Jaren Hall, BYU

Recruit ranking: No. 20 dual threat (2016)

Best statistical year: 63.9% completion, 8.7 yards per attempt, 20 touchdowns, five interceptions

Ok, so you’re not supposed to scout the helmet, but in Hall’s case, go ahead, draw your Wilson comparisons. He’s a smaller, creative BYU quarterback with springy athletic traits and a snappy release. The play style is uncanny between Hall and the passer he followed in the Cougars program who went No. 2 overall in the 2021 draft.

Now, the big — and I mean, HUGE — difference between the two: Hall is already 24 years old. He’ll be 25 when he’s drafted. That matters. Wilson played his final season in Provo, Utah as a just-turned 21 year old.

If you want to dismiss Hall being close to being legally allowed to rent a car, his 2021 film was a thrill ride. The ball routinely jumped out of his hand, his scrambles were calculated and efficient, and he rarely put the ball in harm’s way. Hall went over 300 yards passing on four occasions and absolutely held his own in the bowl game against USC with two touchdowns, a pair of picks — his first since October 9 — while completing nearly 63% of his throws and amassing 276 yards through the air.

Hall is going to have a big 2022. He’s going to be on the radar. If teams — or, really, only one team — can ignore his age, it’s conceivable he lands high in the first round.

Jake Haener, Fresno State

Recruit ranking: No. 25 pro-style (2017)

Best statistical year: 67.1% completion, 8.4 yards per attempt, 33 touchdowns, nine interceptions

Another older prospect — already 23 — Haener made some noise in 2021 with a gritty, highly productive season. While not a quarterback who’ll be a designed run game weapon in the NFL, the Fresno quarterback is twitchy and has a flair for the improbable completion when protection breaks down or he needs to go deep into a play to find an option streetball style.

He cooked down the stretch with two games with over a 75% completion rate that paired with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Haener’s smaller size, athleticism, courage in pocket, and improvisational skills give him a Bryce Young lite vibe. Legitimately.

Haener entered the transfer portal but ultimately decided to stay with the Bulldogs, and Fresno State should be the best team in the Mountain West, which, theoretically, should get him more attention. His age and lack of size are clear-cut concerns on his resume, but Haener can spin it and his moxie will go a long way with many NFL evaluators. 

Cameron Ward, Washington State

Recruit ranking: Zero stars (!) in 2020

Best statistical year: 64.4% completion, 8.1 yards per attempt 38 touchdowns, 10 interceptions

Now we’re deep. Really deep. Whenever you can get Incarnate Word into an article, it has to be done. Ward roasted the competition at The University of Incarnate Word last season, en route to a second-round appearance in the FCS playoffs. Ward amassed over 4,700 yards with 47 total touchdowns (running and passing) to just 10 interceptions. But it’s not just the numbers that earned Ward a spot on this list. His film did.

Quick, accurate release. Quality — albeit not spectacular arm strength –requisite athleticism and a sprinkle of scrambling brilliance to bounce around in the pocket when blocking disintegrates. He effortlessly zips it from arm angles that are awkward for most passers. Ward transferred to Washington State, where he’ll join his former coach Eric Morris, who’s calling plays for the Wildcats as the offensive coordinator.

Ward can ascend boards — yes, all the way to the first round — with another high-volume season in the Pac-12, on a Cougars team that’ll be competitive in conference.

Michael Pratt, Tulane

Recruit ranking: No. 47 pro-style (2020)

Best statistical year: 57.6% completion, 7.3 yards per attempt, 21 touchdowns, eight interceptions

Sometimes, at the outset of watching a prospect, one play makes you sit up in your chair. With Pratt, the first few throws I saw had that effect — simply because the way the ball erupts out of his hand. Pratt is the quintessential prospect for this article. A true junior, the Tulane quarterback looked the part from his freshman collegiate season.

Pratt’s arm alone is NFL worthy, and through two seasons as Tulane’s starter, he has 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Sure, his completion rate is under 60%, not great. All that means is there’s room for Pratt to sharpen his ball placement. If he can show marked improvement in his accuracy, and it’s combined with his powerful arm, Pratt will get a small, cult following in the draft community that could materialize into widespread adoration among NFL decision makers.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA

Recruit ranking: No. 2 dual-threat (2018)

Best statistical year: 62.2% comp, 8.5 yards per attempt, 21 TDs, six interceptions

The most sought after high school recruit listed, Thompson-Robinson has technically been on the draft radar since he was 18. He’s also the most experienced of this group, with 35 starts to his name to date.

For me, Thompson-Robinson’s steady improvement is the most encouraging aspect of his profile entering his fifth season with the Bruins. He’s gone from 6.8 yards per attempt as a freshman to 8.5 last season, and he took much better care of the football with only six interceptions.

Not an imposing physical specimen with a cannon attached to his shoulder, Thompson-Robinson does have tantalizing athletic traits and a quality arm. On what should be a sturdy UCLA team this fall, more development from Thompson-Robinson and some big outings in contests against USC, Utah, and the bowl game could be parlayed into a draft stock many expected when he graduated from high school.