The Daily Briefing Monday, December 14, 2020

AROUND THE NFL

Daily Briefing

If The Season Ended Today, the Road to Super Bowl 55 in the NFC goes through Green Bay after the Saints were ambushed in Philly.

yx-Green Bay             North        10-3            8-2

x-New Orleans            South        10-3            8-2

LA Rams                     West           9-4            8-2

Washington                 East            6-7            4-5

Seattle                         WC1           9-4            6-3

Tampa Bay                 WC2           8-5            5-4

Arizona                        WC3           7-6            5-4

Minnesota                                      6-7            4-5

Chicago                                          6-7            5-5

While the Packers and Saints are the only teams guaranteed to be postseason participants, the Rams, Seahawks and Buccaneers are hugely likely to also be in the postseason.

The Cardinals took a big step, as well, with their win at the Giants (coupled with San Francisco’s loss to Washington).

Even with their loss at Tampa Bay, the Vikings are the most likely team to crash the party.  They host the Bears in a key game Sunday (Minnesota already won the first game).  Minny finishes with two on the road at New Orleans and Detroit.  Arizona wraps things up with Philadelphia, San Francisco and at the Rams.

– – –

Peter King on the light at the end of the Covid Tunnel:

Updating: The NFL regular season is 81-percent complete: 207 games played, 49 remaining (48 if tonight’s Baltimore-Cleveland game happens on schedule), zero games left to be rescheduled. Nobody get too comfy, but the odds are in the NFL’s favor to play 17 regular-season weeks as scheduled.

But the NFL won’t speed towards that light any faster than is responsible with Super Bowl approaching.  Jenna Laine of ESPN.com:

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday that even with COVID-19 vaccines now being distributed to hospitals nationwide, NFL players and personnel will not be jumping the lines for vaccination before Super Bowl LV, which is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2021.

 

He also emphasized that with the event still 55 days away, the league needs to be prepared to “adapt and evolve” with regard to the coronavirus, which has affected 16.5 million people in the United States and claimed more than 300,000 lives in the country.

 

“We are not planning on any of our personnel being vaccinated in advance of the Super Bowl,” Goodell said, one day after taking in the Buccaneers-Vikings game in Tampa, site of Super Bowl LV.

 

“That’s obviously being done at higher levels and given priority to obviously healthcare workers, first responders and those that are in the riskiest state. We don’t fall into those categories, so we don’t anticipate that and we’re not planning for that.”

 

There has been no determination made as to stadium capacity, which has been 25% at Raymond James Stadium since Week 6 this season, the maximum allowed under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which is roughly 16,000 fans.

 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gave Florida stadiums clearance to open at full capacity as part of the state’s Phase 3 reopening plan in October — and has come under criticism in some circles for his aggressive reopening strategies — but NFL teams have not risen above the 25% threshold. Goodell said DeSantis has not pushed for higher numbers in the seats.

 

“We’re going to try to bring in as many fans as we can safely do into Raymond James Stadium,” Goodell said. “I’m not sure there is a specific number that we are confident saying, ‘This is what it will be,’ but obviously our focus will be on keeping them safe, whoever’s in.”

 

“The governor’s been very supportive of the Super Bowl,” said Goodell, who had met with DeSantis before last year’s Super Bowl in Miami. “He’s been very supportive of that, but he also understands the importance of doing it safely and responsibly. They have been very supportive and we appreciate that.”

 

The league is also confident in its ability to host the event despite the state of Florida’s high number of COVID-19 cases. The White House Coronavirus Task Report released a report last week stating that Florida was in the “red zone” with more than a 10.1% positivity rate, the 33rd-highest rate in the country. Hillsborough County, which is where Tampa is located, is faring better and is in the “orange zone,” with positivity rates between 8.0% and 10%.

 

When asked what the NFL can do to ensure that this event doesn’t contribute to further spread of the virus, such as encouraging fans to congregate in large groups as has typically been the case in Super Bowl host cities, Goodell pointed to the league’s track record this season as reason for his optimism.

 

“We as a league have less than 1% positivity, and we have worked hard, obviously, with the players’ association, with our medical experts to take the necessary steps to not be part of the problem but actually be part of the solution and try to do things in a way that are responsible and safe, not just for our personnel but also the communities in which we’re operating in,” Goodell said. “We also want to make sure that we’re sending the right messages and sending the right messages of doing things safely, taking the proper precautions across our communities — social distancing and PPE (personal protective equipment), how we’re all operating and coming together at different times.”

 

Overall, Goodell said he was encouraged by what he saw in Tampa and what he’s seen throughout the league, with no reported outbreaks stemming from fans attending games.

 

“We felt incredibly safe yesterday in the stadium,” said Goodell, who sat with his family in the stands for about a quarter and a half. “We have been able to have fans in half of our stadiums this year, and we’ve been able to do that successfully and safely for our fans, and you can see the enjoyment they have. It will be different, and we’ll have to make sure that we’re taking precautions and we’ll use our platform to make sure people are doing things safely.”

 

Goodell acknowledged that the pandemic could prompt the league to push for later arrivals for the two Super Bowl teams, rather than them spending a full week in Tampa, as has been the case in the past. But that decision won’t be made until the event gets closer. Opening night, when players meet with the media — and which in recent years has become a prime-time event — will be held virtually. The NFL Honors red-carpet event will also shift to more of a focus on television.

NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

Matt Nagy makes an odd, at least at first blush, comparison for QB MITCHELL TRUBISKY.

A lot’s being made of Mitch Trubisky’s relative improvement since being re-named QB1 for the Packers game. And when I say ‘A lot’s being made,’ I mean that he’s once again being detrimentally compared to other NFL QBs.

 

A day after he outplayed fellow 2017 draftee Deshaun Watson (remember?!) in a 36-7 win, Trubisky found himself in another comparison with a highly-drafted veteran. When discussing how he felt about Trubisky’s progression this season, Matt Nagy name dropped one of his former Kansas City guys (not that one, I promise) in his diagnosis:

 

“Well it just, it goes to show No. 1 the resiliency that he has,” Nagy said. “You guys know I’ve referenced Alex Smith several times. And Alex went through a helluva stretch at the beginning, start of his career. And you all know where he’s at and what he’s done and what he did in Kansas City, well, his whole time there is he won a lot of games. But he went through a lot of rough patches during that time.”

 

‘Rogh patches’ is certainly one way to describe almost losing your fractured leg to flesh-eating bacteria. When you hear about that, being compared to Pat Mahomes on the internet almost doesn’t seem so bad.

Of the top of the DB’s head, we think Vinny Testaverde might be a better comparison – and we mean that as a compliment.

DETROIT

QB MATTHEW STAFFORD came away from Sunday’s loss to the Packers with a rib injury.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

A report on Monday indicated that there’s doubt about Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford being able to play against the Titans in Week 15 and that doubt isn’t going to disappear for a while.

 

Stafford injured his ribs late in Sunday’s 31-24 loss to the Packers and went for X-rays to determine the extent of the injury. On Monday, head coach Darrell Bevell said, via Chris Burke ofTheAthletic.com, that those X-rays were negative, but Stafford’s status remains up in the air.

 

Bevell said that the team will “take it to the end of the week” before making any decision about playing Stafford against the Titans. The team will hold its first practice of the week on Wednesday.

 

Chase Daniel took over for Stafford after he was injured on Sunday. He was 3-of-6 for 29 yards.

 

GREEN BAY

The combination of Matt LaFleur and QB AARON RODGERS is cooking.  Peter King:

So my hat is off to Matt LaFleur. Never thought the Packers would have another season like LaFleur’s 13-3 rookie year, and here it is. It’s got to be a total treat to call plays for Aaron Rodgers, because everything looks so smooth, but no matter how good Rodgers is, there’s an organization and a game plan to be concerned about. Winningest coaches over the last two seasons, including playoffs:

 

Andy Reid, 27-5.

Matt LaFleur, 24-7.

Sean Payton, 23-7.

(Bill Belichick is 18-12.)

 

MINNESOTA

There was a time, not too long ago, that PK DAN BAILEY was the most accurate kicker in NFL history.  Then, he slumped in Dallas.  Then, he kicked pretty well for Minnesota.  Now, he’s hopeless and Peter King’s Goat of the Week:

Dan Bailey, kicker, Minnesota. What kicker in recent history has missed seven kicks (PATs/field goals) in a two-game span? Last week, in the OT win over Jacksonville (that did not have to go to OT), Bailey missed two extra points and yanked a 51-yard field goal wide left. On Sunday in Tampa Bay, he probably guaranteed his ticket out of the Twin Cities by missing a PAT after the Vikings’ first drive, pushing 36 and 54-yard field-goal tries wide right on the next two drives, and then a 46-yarder pushed right in the second half. Bailey, when he’s right, is one of the best kickers in the game. He is decidedly not right, and costing the Vikings in a big way.

NFC EAST

PHILADELPHIA

And just like that, QB CARSON WENTZ is yesterday’s news in Philadelphia.  Peter King on the ascendancy of QB JALEN HURTS:

Smile broadly, Doug Pederson. Pump your fist and get gleeful, Jalen Hurts. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a gigantic win—Philly’s 24-21 stunner over New Orleans in Hurts’ starting debut—greeted with such . . . caution? It sure wasn’t joy.

 

I get that Pederson knows he may have to rebuild Wentz from the ground up next spring, and so he can’t exactly make Hurts his BFF. But Hurts is Philadelphia’s December quarterback, at least, and of course it’s a bummer that Wentz is going through a crisis of confidence right now. But that’s life in the big city. The Eagles had their biggest win of the year Sunday, and it’s okay to be joyous—for once this season, at least—even though Wentz is probably the one guy in the locker room not feeling any joy.

 

So it’s a complex time in Philadelphia. Nothing got proven with any finality Sunday. But five things seem obvious this morning about the Drama of Week 14 and the future of the Eagles at quarterback.

 

1. Hurts is the right man for this time in Philadelphia. He played confidently, with no fear. It was amazing to see Pederson go for it on fourth-and-two at the New Orleans’ 15-yard line early in the second quarter. Hurts threw a perfect back-shoulder pass to Alshon Jeffery (he’s still on the team?) at the left pylon. Touchdown. At the end of the first half, Hurts took the Eagles 75 yards in 55 seconds with one timeout, scrambling for 24 and then 16, weaving through a terrific defense like he was running ‘Bama again and the Saints for a moment were Vanderbilt. Hurts ran for 106, threw for 167, didn’t throw a pick, wasn’t sacked, and turned it over once on a strip-tackle. He was as in command as a first-time starter could be. At the very least, the Eagles learned the kid can take the heat and deliver under pressure.

 

2. Hurts has the perfect background for this gig. His coach at Oklahoma, Lincoln Riley, told me Sunday night: “I know he’s an NFL rookie . . . but I don’t know that he could’ve experienced a whole lot more to get him ready for this than what he did in college. I mean, he goes into Alabama, starts as a true freshman, part of championship teams, and all of a sudden, he’s not the starter. Comes back in in a championship game and leads them to victory. Transfers to [Oklahoma], where they just had two Heisman trophy winners in a row, knowing he’s only gonna have one year, comes in and has a great year, new system, new teammates. He’s always got supreme confidence in himself and he trusts his preparation. I think part of him is like, ‘Man, if I’ve made it through what I’ve made it through, I trust myself that even in a new situation that I can do it. So no, not surprising to me at all that he would go play the way he did today.”

 

3. Howie Roseman will figure out the Wentz contract if he needs. All we’ve heard about the Wentz deal is it will tie Wentz to the Eagles for the next two years, because moving him or cutting him is too cap-onerous. “No contract is untradeable,” former Eagle exec Joe Banner says. Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap has the best and most tolerable possibility for moving Wentz: If the Eagles trade him after June 1, 2021, he’d count $19.27 million on the cap for Philly in 2021, then $24.5 million in dead money in 2022, when the cap should finally be rising again. Especially with Hurts’ second-round rookie contract making the Wentz cap hits hurts less, it’s doable.

 

4. The Colts are the most logical suitor. Makes total sense. Wentz reunites with former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, the ultimate patient and calm teacher, and the Wentz mental makeover happens in the decidedly low-pressure-cooker of central Indiana. There’s no WIP there. GM Chris Ballard never met a big deal he was afraid to make. But—and this is a very big but—the Eagles most assuredly have not decided to deal Wentz. As of this morning, I bet the majority of their top people think he’ll be back in 2021. But if Hurts has three more games like Sunday’s? We’ll see.

 

5. The NFL still likes Wentz, so his future, while cloudy in Philadelphia, is brighter than you think. One GM whose team will be in the market for a quarterback this offseason told me last week he will seriously study Wentz when the season ends. He said: “What’s happened with him concerns me. But I’ve seen him play well too many times to think there’s some fatal flaw there. I don’t think the Eagles will move him. I wouldn’t if I were them.” It’s tampering for a GM to say, “I’m interested.” But I can sense there will be some interest if the Eagles decide to trade him, questionable contract and all.

 

For now, Hurts will prepare to make his second start Sunday in Arizona. (For some reason Sunday night, Pederson wouldn’t name Hurts this week’s starter.) Funny game: the 2018 Oklahoma quarterback, Kyler Murray, versus the 2019 Oklahoma quarterback, Hurts. Incredibly for the 4-8-1 Eagles, visions of the NFC’s fourth seed can still dance in their heads. A win Sunday and a Washington loss to Seattle means the Eagles would be a half-game behind WFT. Washington at Philadelphia, in Week 17, would be perhaps a playoff-deciding matchup.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com offers up four destinations for Wentz:

Get rid of the teams that either don’t need Wentz or can’t afford him, and you’re really left with only a four-team market for the Eagles. In order of relative likelihood …

 

The potential Wentz destinations

 

4. San Francisco 49ers

I wrote recently about how the 49ers are in difficult cap straits next year, which makes the possibility of fitting Wentz into their lineup a near impossibility. Veteran cornerback Richard Sherman said this week that he expects to leave the 49ers after the season as a result of their cap concerns, and he’s not the only player who will be on the way out.

 

If the Niners want to make a change at quarterback, though, they have the flexibility to create significant short-term cap space by cutting Jimmy Garoppolo. Releasing the oft-injured Garoppolo would free up $23.6 million in cap space in 2021, a close match for the $25.4 million cap figure Wentz would occupy after being traded. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said in October that it was only a matter of time before Wentz turned things around; maybe he meant a matter of a move instead.

 

3. Denver Broncos

The Broncos have struggled with inconsistent play from Drew Lock, who is still on a rookie deal and could be part of a package heading back to the Eagles as a low-cost backup for Hurts. John Elway’s team could also include someone such as wideout Tim Patrick, who has impressed this season but may be subject to a restricted free agent offer sheet on a team that is likely to move forward with Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler as its starting wide receivers.

 

The Broncos have only $25.5 million in cap room, but they could free up an additional $29.9 million by cutting pass-rusher Von Miller and cornerback A.J. Bouye. Elway has spent years searching for his Peyton Manning replacement; the 6-foot-5 Wentz could be his next target. Given the weapons the Broncos have on offense, this could be a dream landing spot for the North Dakota State product.

 

2. New England Patriots

While the Patriots were in a messy cap situation this season, Bill Belichick’s team has $68.8 million in space in 2021, a number that could rise if the Patriots move on from some of their veterans. The only quarterback on the roster under contract next year is Jarrett Stidham, as both Cam Newton and Brian Hoyer will be unrestricted free agents. Stidham has posted a 14.4 QBR over his two pro seasons, which ranks 70th out of 74 passers with 10 attempts or more.

 

Belichick has a well-known habit of buying low on players he thinks still have superstar talent, an instinct that led him to acquire contributors such as Corey Dillon and Randy Moss in the past. Wentz would be his biggest bet, but for a team with veteran talent on defense and no clear path to a long-term quarterback solution, Belichick could be interested if Wentz became available.

 

1. Indianapolis Colts

Rightfully, many of the people who have wondered about a possible Wentz trade have linked him to the Colts. Wentz was close with Colts coach Frank Reich when Reich served as Eagles offensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017. Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett are both free agents after the season, leaving Indy with $67 million in cap space and no quarterback on the roster besides rookie fourth-round pick Jacob Eason. The Colts could use Wentz more than any other team, and we just saw general manager Chris Ballard send a first-round pick to the 49ers to pick up a difference-maker in DeForest Buckner.

 

I don’t think there’s a significant chance — likely not more than 5% — that the Eagles trade Wentz before the 2021 season begins. They’ve already invested too much to settle for a midround pick, and Wentz hasn’t been this bad for most of his pro career. If Wentz were to get traded, though, the overwhelming favorites to acquire him would be the Colts. And if Hurts continues to play this well over the next three weeks, the Eagles might be willing to settle for pennies on the dollar to move on from a significant contract they regret.

 

WASHINGTON

QB DWAYNE HASKINS finished up Sunday’s win over the 49ers without any particular impact one way or the other.  Here’s an update on ALEX SMITH from Nick Shook ofNFL.com:

Alex Smith’s two-quarter absence may or may not be the entirety of his unavailability.

 

Washington coach Ron Rivera told reporters Monday the quarterback’s injury is still being evaluated. Smith suffered a leg injury that Rivera described as calf tightness, which kept Smith out of the final half of Washington’s win over San Francisco.

 

Backup and former first-round pick Dwayne Haskins “will be ready” to play in the event Smith cannot, Rivera said. Haskins completed 7 of 12 pass attempts for 51 yards in the defensively dominated victory over the 49ers.

 

Smith is in the middle of writing an incredible chapter in a truly unbelievable comeback story that includes his gruesome leg injury suffered in 2018, 17 surgeries to repair the injury and then save his leg and life as infection raged through him, and a long, grueling rehab that led him back to the team almost in an honorary form. When Washington realized Haskins wasn’t the answer, and backup Kyle Allen was knocked out for the season, Smith went from honorary to counted upon, and he’s largely delivered.

 

Washington’s Week 14 win was its fourth straight, and moved the Football Team into first place in the NFC East with three games left to play. Smith is 4-1 as Washington’s starter, a role he assumed in Week 10, and while Washington’s schedule has eased up a bit in that winning streak, the Football Team also became the first to take down previously undefeated Pittsburgh. If it hopes to get to the postseason in one of the more unlikely playoff pushes one will ever see (thank you, putrid NFC East), its best chance remains with Smith taking snaps.

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

QB PARTICK MAHOMES fired 3 INTs Sunday while still beating Miami.   NFL.com on how that effects the MVP race:

Patrick Mahomes entered Week 14 with the best single-season TD-to-INT ratio (31:2) in the Super Bowl era by a QB with at least 250 pass attempts. After tying his single-game career high of three interceptions against the Dolphins on Sunday, Mahomes plummeted on the TD-to-INT ratio list, where he dropped to ninth — and likely slipped in the MVP race, as well.

 

Yes, for most of the year, Mahomes has looked like a legitimate front-runner to hoist his second MVP trophy in three seasons. But Sunday’s win, which featured dazzling efforts from Mahomes’ playmakers, serves as a reminder that they deserve some credit, too. Tyreek Hill (three catches for 79 yards and a score against Miami) has 16 total TDs this season and is averaging 26.8 yards on those scores. Since 2002, only four players have boasted a higher yards-per-TD average on at least 15 trips to the end zone: Chris Johnson (38.8 in 2009), Jordy Nelson (33.8 in 2011), Terrell Owens (27.7 in 2007) and Antonio Brown (27.4 in 2018). How about Travis Kelce (eight catches for 136 yards and a score), who has at least 100 receiving yards in five of his last six games? That brings his total in that span to 749 yards, the most in a six-game stretch by a tight end in NFL history.

 

And finally, let’s not forget Mahomes’ primary MVP competition: Mr. (Aaron) Rodgers, who reclaimed the 2020 TD-to-INT-ratio lead (39:4) from Mahomes after Sunday’s outing against the Lions. The Packer QB’s performance marked Rodgers’ 55th career game of at least three passing TDs and zero INTs, which is tied with Drew Brees for the second-most such games by a QB since 1950, trailing only Tom Brady (61). And by the way, nine of those games have come this season, which is not only the most in the NFL, but four more than Mahomes.

LAS VEGAS

A change in the defensive braintrust in Vegas:

I think Paul Guenther getting fired as the Raiders’ defensive coordinator is not remotely surprising. They’ve allowed 150 points in the last four games (three losses), the Jets gashed them for 206 rushing yards, and they look positively lifeless on D. Short-week Thursday game hosting the Chargers coming, and Rod Marinelli won’t be any normal interim coordinator. He’ll treat this like a huge game. That’s what he does.

 

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

The Raiders could use a battered Chargers team on Thursday night and it looks like they are going to get one.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Chargers did not hold a practice on Monday because they played a game on Sunday, but their effort to hold a workout would have been hampered by the health of their roster as well.

 

With a Thursday game against the Raiders on the docket, the Chargers were obligated to release an estimated practice report and it showed that 12 players would not have taken part in practice.

 

The group is headlined by wide receiver Keenan Allen, who left Sunday’s win over the Falcons with a hamstring injury. Tight end Hunter Henry (hip) is also in the group. He left Sunday’s game for a brief period and returned to action.

 

Right tackle Bryan Bulaga (concussion), right guard Trai Turner (neck, eye), wide receiver Mike Williams (back) and defensive end Uchenna Nwosu (back, shoulder) were also listed as non-participants after getting looked at by trainers on Sunday.

 

Safety Nasir Adderley (shoulder), running back Austin Ekeler (quad), cornerback Chris Harris (foot), linebacker Denzel Perryman (back), running back Troymaine Pope (neck), and wide receiver Joe Reed (ribs) made up the rest of group. Long snapper Cole Mazza (knee) was the only player listed as limited.

AFC NORTH

 

PITTSBURGH

Peter King on the Steelers melting before our eyes:

Sunday, Dec. 6, 11:30 a.m.: Steelers (11-0) had a 98 percent chance to win the AFC North, a 55.3 percent chance to win the AFC top seed.

 

• Sunday, Dec. 12, 11:30 p.m.: Steelers (11-2) have an 89 percent chance to win the AFC North, a 5 percent chance to win the AFC top seed.

 

Losing to Washington narrowly and Buffalo decisively have exposed some ugly truths about the Steelers. Nine days ago, the Terrible Towelers were planning socially distanced 16-0 parties. Now, if the Browns beat Baltimore tonight, Pittsburgh’s lead in the AFC North will be down to one game—with a Steelers-Browns season-ender in Cleveland on Jan. 3. Imagine losing the division, in Cleveland, on the last day of the season.

 

Nothing’s impossible now. The Monday night loss to Washington felt a little fluky, but Sunday night’s 26-15 defeat to Buffalo might as well have been 36-15; that’s how one-sided it felt. Ben Roethlisberger looked old and slow. The running game—54 yards per game, on average, over the past seven weeks—is feeble. The word you never, ever hear about Pittsburgh’s offense—“soft”—is now being whispered. The Steelers could never exert their will on the Bills, and the quotes coming out of their locker room, notably from Roethlisberger, sure sounded ominous.

 

“If I don’t play good enough football,” he said, “then I need to hang it up. But I still feel like I can do enough things to help this team win games.”

King on the king of the drops – WR DIONTAE JOHNSON:

There’s enough wrong with the Steelers this morning, but those drops? Just insane. Diontae Johnson is the league leader (by far) with 12, and think of this craziness: In the last three years, Kyle Rudolph, in 45 games, has one drop in 167 targets. In the last three games, Johnson has seven drops in 32 targets. I’m amazed Ben Roethlisberger went to Johnson four more times after his second drop Sunday night.

AFC SOUTH

 

HOUSTON

Jenny Vrentas and Greg Bishop of SI.com did a hugely long story on polarizing interim GM Jack Easterby.  Excerpts below:

The film study for one Texans player suddenly required a different kind of source material. In addition to reviewing practice and game tape, he delved into a ruthless fantasy world, seeking insight into the machinations of an extreme power struggle from the television series that tens of millions of others were watching: Game of Thrones.

 

He wasn’t alone. The grab for the Iron Throne was so analogous to the complicated, real-life dynamics that began to unspool at NRG Stadium last year that it had become something of a reference point among more than a dozen Texans coaches, players and team personnel, who likened the individuals at the top of the organization to characters in the TV drama.

 

General manager Brian Gaine was Robb Stark, the intended future King of the North, who was murdered by the end of Season 3. (Gaine would be fired after only 17 months as GM.) Coach Bill O’Brien was compared to King Joffrey Baratheon, a hot-headed ruler prone to screaming and chopping off heads, only to be poisoned in Season 4. (O’Brien would be fired in October of this year.)

 

Then there was Jack Easterby, hired as the franchise’s executive vice president of team development in April 2019, a man who’d risen from low-level Jaguars intern to Patriots team chaplain to lauded character coach—before making an unprecedented shift into football operations. Easterby, those Texans told each other, was Littlefinger, the nickname of Petyr Baelish, a shadowy and cunning operative who on TV espoused righteousness as a strategy, but sought to consolidate power through chaos and isolation and the pulling of strings behind the scenes.

 

For those who don’t watch Game of Thrones, this might be an oblique metaphor, as well as a hyperbolic one. But the point is: A player found insight into his own workplace from a dramaseries about the vicious and unrelenting pursuit of power. “That’s why I was able to read them,” the player says of the trio of decision makers, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. “I knew who it was going to be [at the end].”

 

Easterby’s sudden ascent to power has generated intense curiosity and, depending on whom you ask, either admiration or scrutiny. He has not conducted any on-the-record interviews since September, leaving others to make sense of perhaps the NFL’s most polarizing executive. In response to interview requests for Easterby and team owner Cal McNair, as well as a list of 83 questions regarding the details of this story, a Texans spokesperson provided broad statements on behalf of McNair and Easterby. To Sports Illustrated, some called the 37-year-old a guiding force in their lives, a beloved minister and mentor who shepherded two NFL franchises through difficult times and became part of the foundation of the Patriots’ late-dynasty years, earning him a rare spot in Bill Belichick’s inner circle. Many in Houston, though, have not seen him as the congenial confidant and Belichick foil. Rather, they describe an authority figure whose leadership style sows distrust and division, at times flouting rules and straining relationships inside the building. Meanwhile, his responsibilities expanded despite questions surrounding his credentials.

 

Conversations with more than 40 people—current and former Texans football operations staff and players, colleagues from Easterby’s time in New England, those from his past in and out of football—provided detailed accounts of his alleged role in, among other things:

 

Undermining other executives and decision-makers, including the head coach who helped bring him to Houston.

 

The team’s holding workouts at the head strength coach’s house during the COVID-19 pandemic after the NFL had ordered franchises to shut down all facilities, shortly before a breakout of infections among players.

 

Advocating for a trade of star receiver DeAndre Hopkins soon after arriving in Houston—one season before Hopkins was sent to Arizona in a widely panned deal.

 

Fostering a culture of distrust among staff and players to the point that one Texan and two other staffers believed players were being surveilled outside the building.

 

When SI began making phone calls in October to make sense of Easterby’s improbable path, he quickly caught wind and reached out to a reporter, saying that he wanted to help communicate “truth and honesty.” Easterby did not return a text message, sent Tuesday, offering a chance to tell his side of the story. But colleagues who spoke to SI—many requesting anonymity, like the player, for fear of retribution—said they felt compelled to share their own truth in the hopes of opening the eyes of McNair, of whom one source said: “[He] is just blinded.” There is a perception inside the Texans’ building that Easterby won a power struggle, completing his climb. And in doing so, these sources say, the character coach brought in to improve the culture has made it worse.

– – –

That unlikely ascent began on a hot July day back in 2005, on the basketball court. As South Carolina men’s coach Dave Odom made the rounds at his program’s summer camp, he noticed a young counselor who had earned the rapt attention of his campers. When the week concluded the veteran coach would invite Jack Easterby, then a part-time academic tutor at S.C., into his office—and by the fall, Easterby would be a fixture in Odom’s locker room, serving in a new role created by the coach in conjunction with a friend of Easterby’s at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

– – –

Easterby was well-liked, even loved, by most at South Carolina. There he earned the ear of Eric Hyman, the Gamecocks’ athletic director from 2005 to ’12. Hyman echoes Odom, saying Easterby was years ahead of the now-pervasive trend toward holistic care and mental health for athletes, acting as an all-around problem-solver. “He was sort of like an ombudsman,” Hyman says. But the unprecedented character coach role sometimes put Easterby’s short-term responsibilities and long-term goals in conflict. He was expected to serve the role of a selfless team chaplain, but he was also a young assistant who understood what he had to do to get ahead: Altruism and ambition don’t always sync. One lower-level athletic department staffer during Easterby’s time at South Carolina put it this way: “When it was just us, he’d want to know how you were doing and wanted to help you in any way he could.” But if an important coach or player walked into the room, “it was like, all of the sudden, you didn’t exist.”

 

Odom retired in 2008, and the next coach, Darrin Horn, showed little interest in Easterby’s services. After two more seasons under Horn, the program severed ties with the FCA program and the character coach. Easterby stayed in South Carolina, taking a job at his alma mater, Newberry College, as well as continuing to work with S.C. athletes through Gamecocks for Christ, a ministry for the school’s athletes that Easterby had founded. He was active with the women’s basketball program (Dawn Staley, the program’s Hall of Fame coach, raves about Easterby) and worked with players from the football and baseball teams.

 

Easterby used to pop by Hyman’s office and hand out these little cards bearing wisdom on leadership. Example: a picture of the open road, as seen from a driver’s seat; OUTLOOK splashed across the front; and the relevant lesson—Let your OUTLOOK be primarily focused on what’s in front of you, and let your past experience only serve as a reference—laid out on the back. Or: a picture of an open book; MOVE ON; Don’t dwell on the pages you have already read. Hyman so loved these cards that he kept more than 20 of them.

 

One year—Hyman thinks this was 2008 or ’09—the AD invited a special guest to talk to the football team. The speaker, a South Carolina alum, spent 10 minutes in that meeting room discussing character and the importance of developing mental skills in addition to physical ones. The Gamecocks’ character coach was sitting near the front of the room, intently focused on the man standing before him: Texans owner Bob McNair.

– – –

The promotion Easterby received in January, to executive vice president of football operations, reflected the wide-ranging authority he’d gained since being hired nine months earlier. The Texans’ football operations were divided into what they called “subprograms.” O’Brien handled coaching and had final say on the roster. In addition to strength and conditioning, Easterby oversaw everything from team logistics to salary cap management to sport science, equipment, video, player development and security for football operations.

 

The flux at the organization’s top levels had created a growing power vacuum leading up to Easterby’s arrival in Houston. Rick Smith had taken a leave of absence as GM at the end of the 2017 season to tend to his ailing wife; Bob McNair—the man whom Easterby heard speak at South Carolina a decade earlier—died in November 2018. The team’s original owner had once been a commanding presence in the building, but cancer had taken a toll in his final years. His son, Cal, newly in charge, hired Easterby in April 2019 as a vice president of team development.

 

At the time, Gaine was a little more than a year into his tenure as general manager, and O’Brien, as coach, had compiled a career-best 11–5 record the previous season, with a now-healthy Deshaun Watson in only his second year. It wouldn’t be until a year later that O’Brien came under heavy criticism for personnel moves. Easterby’s role wasn’t clearly described to many of his new colleagues, but he was expected to build on the position he held in New England, setting an organizational culture and mentoring players.

 

Within his first few weeks with the Texans, though, Easterby began making requests of multiple football operations departments to prepare presentations or reports, seeking specific information without disclosing how it would be used. Easterby framed these asks as a learning exercise. Looking back now, many of his colleagues wonder whether he was collecting the intel he would need to run a team.

– – –

Texans colleagues describe Easterby as a talented speaker, presenting his ideas with energy and dramatic flair. But some also noticed that he often speaks in vague terms. One former staffer says that when Easterby is asked for specifics about a subject on which he’s out of his depth—not uncommon considering his scope of responsibilities and limited NFL experience—he’ll artfully deflect and move on to a new topic. They watched curiously as Easterby’s responsibilities expanded well beyond the role for which he was hired—in some cases, outside his areas of expertise. As another colleague puts it, “Jack was basically doing everything O’Brien was doing, except for calling plays.”

 

Easterby weighed in on the handling of injuries and how the post-practice nutrition shakes should be prepared and distributed. He began giving input into the team’s daily agenda, which sometimes resulted in confusion: The schedule texted to players and the football operations division each night was often different from what was on the TVs when they arrived for work at the stadium the next day. To some, Easterby cast this as a mix-up; but others suspect his intention was to test the team, like some sort of Belichickian mind trick. Some of Easterby’s colleagues who have worked for other NFL clubs describe a constant scramble that devolved into a dysfunction unlike any they have experienced, complicating even routine tasks, such as compiling an injury report.

 

The character coach also freely shared with other members of the organization what some saw as unfair or inaccurate perceptions of players, including the notion that Watson and Hopkins didn’t get along when in actuality, others saw the two as close friends. Or that one Texans veteran had a gambling problem, a description with which other staffers disagreed. Last January, the Texans fired Chris Olsen, their longtime contract negotiator. Easterby subsequently took on a lead role in negotiating contracts—O’Brien publicly credited him for closing extensions for Watson and linebacker Zach Cunningham—some of which have been widely criticized for their player-friendly structures.

 

While Easterby aspires to be a transformational leader, guided by religion and morality, people who have worked alongside him in Houston have increasingly come to see him as transactional. Says a colleague: “If you combine a faith-healing televangelist with Littlefinger, you’d get Jack Easterby.”

– – –

For dozens of (Patriots), Easterby became an essential part of their lives. After the Patriots took Derek Rivers in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft, Easterby greeted the defensive end at team headquarters with a bear hug. Rivers called his mother after their initial meetings. “You gotta meet Jack Easterby,” he gushed. Eventually, Easterby performed the wedding ceremony for Rivers and his then girlfriend, Lauren—twice. The first was small, done quickly, Easterby told Rivers, so that he could concentrate on football in his rookie season and still live with his wife, and then later a larger ceremony in the offseason. One year, Easterby invited Rivers, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and their families to celebrate Easter at his home, complete with an egg hunt and a Wiffle ball contest.

 

Many who worked for or with the Patriots during Easterby’s tenure there saw him as something of a cheerleader, and they don’t mean that in a negative sense. Easterby was all hugs, high-fives and fist bumps. Three sources from that time in New England agree that Belichick approved of these sideline theatrics; if he hadn’t, all reasoned, they would not have taken place. “He was magnetic, and the energy in New England is the opposite of that,” says one person who saw the sideline dynamic up close. “All you need to do [to be a counter to Belichick] is exhibit a little bit of EQ, and Jack has a lot. People were attracted to that.”

 

Supporters and detractors say the same thing: Easterby has been able to accumulate power throughout his career because of his ability to build and strengthen relationships. In Foxboro, he was simultaneously a conduit between the players who trusted him and the coaches who wanted to better understand their players’ emotional needs. He managed a rare duality: He was sought out by most of the Patriots’ locker room and by Belichick.

– – –

It was an increasingly common sight in 2019. McNair, in his first full season as the franchise’s principal owner, would watch over practice 50 yards away. Next to him was Easterby, his newest hire and a man with whom he shared a deep religious faith. Often, no other member of the franchise was within earshot as the two chatted. Some saw this as the perfect visual to explain Easterby’s changing role in his first year: farther away from the players and closer to the owner.

 

While Easterby did forge some connections, four people who worked for the Texans around this time say that he did not have a relationship with Hopkins, one of the team’s most important players. Hopkins had earned first-team All-Pro honors in each of the three seasons since Houston drafted Watson in 2017. The emerging quarterback and star receiver led Houston to back-to-back division titles in ’18 and ’19. They also shared a close bond that extended beyond their prolific relationship on the field; the players jointly held a Thanksgiving dinner for teammates and members of the organization who didn’t have family in town for the holiday.

 

O’Brien, who assumed the GM title nine months before being fired, took the brunt of the backlash for Hopkins’s unpopular trade, which has proved to be lopsided. While O’Brien negotiated the terms—the consensus was that the coach wanted to trade Hopkins as well—the same sources who recounted Easterby’s perceived coldness to Hopkins say it went further: They describe Easterby as the first, and most persistent, advocate for the team’s trading the receiver out of Houston. One of these people recalls hearing Easterby saying about Hopkins in front of small groups of people on multiple occasions in 2019, “We need to move on from that person,” without using his name. Another recalls learning that the Texans discussed trading Hopkins as early as the summer of 2019.

– – –

Easterby also began occasionally addressing the team on the nights preceding games, turning the meeting room into his pulpit. But some of his efforts to relate to the majority-Black roster occasionally failed him; in some cases he even caused offense. During one Saturday-night meeting in 2019, Easterby, who is white and cites Martin Luther King Jr. as a role model, asked players to think back to when they were growing up “playing ball with Ray-Ray and Ki-Ki and them,” according to three people in the room for these meetings. Some saw the language as more of a misguided attempt to fit in—players often called Easterby a “try-hard.” But at least one person was bothered enough by what they saw as a use of Black stereotypes that they debated saying something to Easterby. (They decided not to take on that conversation with a game the next day.) A few weeks later, one of the sources says, Easterby used similar language again.

 

A culture of distrust had started to permeate the organization. Multiple Texans from Easterby’s tenure say they began to watch what they would say in conversations with him, nervous that the culture coach was looking for reasons to move out people with different values or lifestyles. Those worries weren’t limited to the workplace. One player was so convinced he was being followed by someone representing the team that he paid a friend to watch the dark sedan he says he observed frequently parked outside his house. He even went so far as to log license plate numbers of unfamiliar cars. Two other members of the organization shared the player’s concerns that members of the team were being surveilled away from the building. (The Texans did not respond to specific questions about these accounts.)

– – –

The image of Easterby emerging in Houston doesn’t square with his caricature in New England, where he became close with someone who doesn’t become close with many: Belichick. In Foxboro, Easterby had ascended quickly, though the responsibility he added wasn’t necessarily sent out in press releases. After Year 1, he told one friend, the equipment staff began to report to him. Year 2: the training camp staff. Year 3: football operations.

 

A former colleague describes this hypothetical ascension as grounded in fact, but also embellished. The Patriots have little additional training camp staff, for instance. It’s clear that Easterby did amass more responsibility—and that he did it through Belichick. Two employees who worked with Easterby say that he could speak to the Patriots’ coach in an honest way, more truthful than, say, an assistant might. It was part of the character coach’s job to say tough things, to share deep secrets and concerns. “He became a trusted confidant for Bill,” Easterby’s friend says. (Belichick, through the Patriots, declined to comment on this characterization.)

 

Even then, some in the building had started to suspect Easterby’s motivations. One person who saw his sideline histrionics up close says they were more show than substance: “When you see him and the big personality and how he’s moved up the ladder so fast, you’re like, ‘Man, this isn’t authentic. Something doesn’t feel genuine about this.’ ” Others saw him sidling up to assistants. They noticed that he hired an agent who represented coaches and executives, an unheard-of move for a chaplain in pro sports. One Patriots staffer compared Easterby to a preacher at a megachurch—a man of God who stands onstage and denounces the ills of poverty, then slips out the backdoor, into a private jet. Several current and former colleagues, from Foxboro and Houston, agree that this description is accurate.

 

Easterby told people that Kraft, New England’s owner, had offered him and Caserio, the longtime personnel czar, “lifetime” contracts to run personnel. But Easterby intimated that he had turned down that offer, lest it look like he was going behind Belichick’s back. (The Patriots, through a team spokesperson, say such a contract was never offered.)

 

Belichick’s tacit approval opened doors, and Easterby was eager for an expanded role from the one he had in Foxboro. In 2018, Easterby visited Carolina, where he met with new Panthers owner David Tepper and others. He drew interest from Miami, where a former Patriots assistant, Brian Flores, had been hired as the coach. Many believed Easterby would leave for Indianapolis with Josh McDaniels, but the coach backed out of an offer he accepted with the Colts. At that point, Easterby had an expiring contract and no immediate new offers.

 

Then the opportunity arose in Houston—an organization with a novice owner, a new general manager and a power vacuum waiting to be filled. As Easterby’s responsibilities grew, he discouraged communication between departments that previously talked often. According to two team employees, he made it so that many actions that previously did not need approval required his sign-off. The man who had once been known for cheering on the sidelines during games was now serious, taking notes on a piece of cardstock. He decreed that team employees couldn’t wear sunglasses during games unless they were playing outdoors and there was discernible sun. He wanted to look them in the eyes.

 

The partnership between Easterby and O’Brien appeared to work well at first. O’Brien wasn’t at odds with Easterby the way he had been with former GM Rick Smith, and Easterby took on tasks that gave O’Brien more time for his priority—coaching. But as Easterby continued to expand his influence in 2019 and beyond, team employees began to wonder when O’Brien would finally see Easterby the way they did. By that point, three Texans say they believed that the vast majority of the franchise did not trust the person brought in to improve the culture. Two of them estimate that 85% of the building did not trust Easterby; another upped the percentage to 90.

 

Even in an industry known for high turnover, many of the changes made during Easterby’s tenure sent shockwaves through the organization. J.J. Moses, a well-liked former player serving as the team’s player engagement director, was dismissed after the 2019 season, along with several other staff members. Amy Palcic, who led an award-winning p.r. staff, was fired midseason for not being a “culture fit”; the move raised more questions than answers about the kind of culture the team was trying to build. (Both Moses and Palcic declined to comment. As part of a statement provided to SI by a team spokesperson on McNair’s behalf, the owner said, “I am the one that made the decision to part ways with our GM and head coach. … I will not get into specifics about any decisions made regarding former employees of the Texans other than to say that I was aware of and approved every decision, and I hold the responsibility and accountability for each one.”)

 

In the meantime, with O’Brien as GM and Easterby’s influence growing, Houston began making additions with Easterby’s fingerprints on them, on and off the field. After dealing Hopkins, the Texans turned around and acquired Brandin Cooks, a speedy but injury-prone receiver who was close to Easterby when they were both in New England, parting with a second-round pick. It was a clear overpay, even before factoring in the disappointing return they got for Hopkins (a second-round pick and running back David Johnson). One new addition that staffers noticed: The team awarded an internship to a former South Carolina golfer who had gone to the same high school as Easterby; among his duties, this intern would set up in the home team’s tunnel and spin records, to the annoyance of the football team trying to get onto the field.

 

Just like Gaine had been isolated and fired, just like Hopkins had been traded, just like the roster had been made over, another domino would fall. Nine months removed from a close playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs, as the Texans worked their way to an 0–4 start, one player was approached by Easterby. The executive had foreshadowed a coaching change, the player told a person close to him, and asked for the player’s support when it happened. The day after a loss to the Vikings, Easterby wandered aimlessly around the office in a way that struck others as unusual, while telling colleagues that he had spoken to McNair after the defeat. Several hours later, O’Brien was fired (O’Brien, through his agent, declined multiple requests for comment).

– – –

Like Littlefinger became Lord Baelish, Easterby ascended to the top of the Texans’ hierarchy, his power consolidated and widespread. Not that long ago, some NFL insiders wondered whether he might become the Texans’ next (not interim) GM. But the lofty perch presented another, related problem: not how to get there, but how to stay. Instead, Easterby took control of his football kingdom only temporarily, and soon, it seems, it will be ruled by someone else.

 

The Texans sent that message again Tuesday. One day after SI provided the Texans with a list of questions regarding the details of this story but before its deadline for the team’s response, McNair sent a letter to season-ticket holders announcing the Texans had assembled a star-studded committee to conduct the search for the Texans’ next coach and general manager. Hall of Fame coaches Tony Dungy and Jimmy Johnson, as well as franchise legend Andre Johnson and others, will join McNair, team president Jamey Rootes and search firm Korn Ferry in the process.

 

In a statement provided to SI by a Texans spokesperson, McNair said he believes Easterby did “a great job picking up [GM] responsibilities in addition to his other duties,” but that he wants to “make it clear that Jack is not on our internal search committee for the next GM or head coach. … However, I value Jack’s input and if he has firsthand knowledge about a specific candidate, I will ask for his observations and feedback.” He and the next GM, McNair affirmed, will determine the roles of all football operations employees, including Easterby.

 

There’s a sense that Easterby is scrambling. Confidants say that the last couple of months have been a tough time for Easterby, as he’s faced what McNair labeled as “personal attacks.” He’s trying to hang on as the roles he once captured slip away. Those who were with him in that first season in Houston know that he’s capable of doing it. As one former Texans staffer says, it doesn’t matter what the rest of the building thinks of him. “All you have to do is convince one or two people, then isolate them from the thoughts and feelings of the rest of the staff.”

 

Last November, the Texans boarded their team charter for a 10-hour trip home after a game against the Jaguars in London. Mid-flight, several players gathered around a table in the galley area, playing cards and sharing laughs after their sixth win of the season. Nearby, Easterby knelt in an aisle, speaking in a low voice to McNair. The volume of the card game grew, and Easterby took his stand. He rose and made a move toward the galley, shushing the players, demanding quiet—imploring them that Mr. McNair needs his sleep. Then he returned to his post, by the owner’s side, the one voice in his ear.

 

JACKSONVILLE

Peter King:

I think this Sunday evening headline on Pro Football Talk made me chuckle: “Doug Marrone not ready to say who starts at QB in Week 15.” Ummm . . . Minshew, Glennon, Luton. I can’t imagine that even Duuuuuval cares.

By the way, it will be Minshew.

AFC EAST

 

BUFFALO

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer figured out who the Bills reminded her of on Sunday night:

 

@MaryKayCabot

The #Bills look so nice in their Christmas morning onesies.

 

NEW ENGLAND

Bill Belichick isn’t quite as definitive on QB CAM NEWTON’s status as he was Thursday night after being beaten by the Rams.

 

The Patriots are 6-7, four games behind the Bills with three to play. Thus, for the first time since 2008, the Patriots will not win the AFC East.

 

A wild-card playoff berth is a longshot, so New England likely also misses the postseason for the first time since 2008. The Patriots have not won fewer than 10 games since 2002 and have not had a losing record since 2000.

 

Yet, the Patriots apparently plan to stick with Cam Newton at quarterback, with Jarrett Stidham remaining on the bench.

 

“That’s not where we are right now. We’re not there now,” Bill Belichick responded on WEEI Radio, via NFL Media, when asked if he was ready to see more of Stidham.

 

Stidham replaced Newton late in Thursday’s loss to the Rams after the starter completed only 9 of 16 passes for 119 yards and an interception.

 

Belichick was asked if he played Stidham because he saw him as the team’s best chance to come back. He said, “Wanted to give him the opportunity to play, so we did.”

 

Newton signed a one-year deal, and despite the hype for Stidham during the offseason, it’s clear what the Patriots think of him. When Newton missed the Chiefs game with COVID-19, Brian Hoyer started.

 

For all the certainty and stability at the position for two decades with Tom Brady, the Patriots now are in search of a franchise quarterback to lead them into the future. It doesn’t appear that player currently is on the roster.

 

NEW YORK JETS

The Jets’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award does not play for the Jets, he plays for the Ravens.  Peter King:

 

There can be nothing more Jets-y about the 2020 season than the trifecta last week of the bad Gregg Williams call, the sacking of Gregg Williams, then naming as its Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee a player who was cut 22 days earlier. Pierre Desir, let go Nov. 17 for poor performance, is a tremendously enlightened and generous person and got the nomination when the NFL announced the 32 team candidates last week. He also plays for the Baltimore Ravens. There wasn’t someone in the Jets organization who said, “Hey, we should nominate the second-best guy for this award, someone who actually plays for us?”

– – –

Bill Cowher seems to put the damper on a Jets rumor:

“I have no interest in coaching.”

—CBS analyst Bill Cowher, to Rich Cimini of ESPN, dispelling rumors he would want to coach again in 2021 after 15 years out of the business.

Peter King:

I talked to Cowher for an hour in October—mostly about the Browns-Steelers rivalry but some about life—and got the strong impression that he was not going to coach again. He doesn’t want to abandon the New York life he’s settled into, happily.

 

THIS AND THAT

 

BROADCAST NEWS

Many broadcasters have had their patterns uprooted by the reaction to Covid.  Peter King looks at Dave Pasch who broadcast one NFL football game from a stadium where another game was going on.

Dave Pasch. A strange 2020 got stranger Sunday for the Arizona Cardinals’ play-by-play voice. Starting from the beginning: Pasch was one of ESPN’s NBA broadcaster in the Orlando bubble; he did eight games in August and September. He’s also a college football play-by-play guy for ESPN, doing most of the games from his home in Chandler, Ariz. (with partner Mike Golic Sr. in Bristol at ESPN); how strange, to do Michigan-Penn State to a national ESPN from your house. “At least I don’t have to wait in line for the bathroom at halftime,” Pasch said Sunday.

 

In a quirk of the schedule, Pasch did the USC-UCLA game Saturday night at the Rose Bowl—and then, because he couldn’t be sure an early flight would get him back in time for the Sunday morning (Arizona time) Cardinals game, he drove home, 5.5 hours, after the USC win in Pasadena. The weirdness continued Sunday, when the vagabond Niners hosted Washington at the Cardinals’ home stadium in suburban Phoenix. At 11 a.m. local time, Pasch went on the air from his regular radio booth at State Farm Stadium to do the Cardinals’ game from New Jersey. (Many radio teams don’t travel this year because of the pandemic, doing all games from the home stadium. The road games are done using the TV feed.) So Pasch and partner Ron Wolfley did Giants-Cards with the window in the booth closed so the music and noise from pre-game warmups wouldn’t filter into the Cards radio broadcast.

 

What’s it like? “I know it’s a cliché,” Pasch said, “but it’s so 2020.”