| Does Ollie Connolly have sources? @OllieConnollyPer sources: Bill Belichick has discussed buyout options with North Carolina’s hierarchy. Belichick has signalled a willingness to trigger his own $1 million buyout if he can find a soft landing with another team or in media Members of Belichick’s coaching staff have already spoken to other schools that are expected to be in CFB Playoff about taking on roles during the postseason. From one coach: “the rats are leaving the ship”. Some staffers believe a change will come within two weeks Serious recruiting violations remain under investigation at UNC. Recruiting and practice violations have already been proven by the school, according to multiple sources. Using recruit violations to knockdown a coaches buyout has become a standard practice. If Belichick cannot find a landing spot to trigger his own buyout, he’s excepted to accept a greatly reduced, compromised rate Belichick’s communication with his staff in the past two weeks has been described as “weird” and “distant” by multiple members of UNC’s coaching staff. Multiple coaches were unable to get hold of him during UNC’s bye week Connolly has a background in NFL scouting.- – -Did we already run this? If so, worth repeating: @MySportsUpdate·The #Bills, #Ravens, and #Chiefs all lost in Week 5 — the first time that’s happened in an NFL season since 2017, over 2,800 days ago. That was before Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, or Patrick Mahomes were even starters in the NFL. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| TAMPA BAYJenna Laine of ESPN.com with some quotes from QB BAKER MAYFIELD and teammates: But as a member of the Bucs, with a 4-1 start to the 2025 season, having led his team to four thrilling come-from-behind victories within the final minute, it feels different. And those are the most by any team in its first five games since the 1970 merger, according to Elias Sports Bureau. “Early on in my career, it was ‘cocky, immature.’ Now it’s ‘moxie’ and ‘he’s a dog.’ Same s—, different day,” Mayfield said Wednesday. “As long as you play well, they change the narrative, but you’ve just got to be yourself, and I’ve always been like that.” He had just turned 23 years old when he entered the NFL. It took a four-team odyssey for him to find his footing long-term, where he’s playing some of the best football of his career at age 30. His 10 touchdowns are tied for third most in the league while his 1,283 passing yards are fourth most, as is his 10.0 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Against the Seahawks, he became the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 376 yards (he threw for 379) with four or fewer incompletions (he had four), according to NFL Research. He has said on multiple occasions that the Bucs “let me be myself,” and he believes that has helped him propel them to two division titles in the post-Tom Brady era. Asked Wednesday about the MVP talk and whether he has paid much attention to it, Mayfield said he tries “not to get too high or too low” and he tries to shift the focus to what the team has accomplished, reaching 4-1 or better for just the sixth time in franchise history and just the second time in the past 20 years. “Whatever is being said is a testament to the offense and the group that we have,” he said. “Individual accolades and recognition — you never have it on your own. This is the greatest team sport for a reason, so [I am] always trying to remind myself that and realize I cannot do it without the guys next to me.” Mayfield’s interactions with local media have played a role in reestablishing his identity. His weekly news conferences have produced light-hearted moments, with laughs and playful exchanges. Mayfield was asked by a reporter Wednesday, “Do you need to be pissed off to play better?” Mayfield raised one eyebrow and deadpanned, “What are you saying?” before smiling and laughing. “No, I don’t. It’s just as a competitor, I enjoy it, and it’s something that I think our team as a whole is kind of wound like that,” he said. Away from football, he and his wife of six years, Emily, have a daughter, Kova Jade, who will turn 2 in April, and the family has been very active in the Tampa Bay community. Their charity, the Baker and Emily Mayfield Foundation, which they launched before he was even formally named the starter in 2023, is known for supporting lesser-known nonprofits. That and his blue-collar style of quarterbacking has resonated with the fan base. But there has also been a growing number of fans across the league rooting for Mayfield as he continues to write his comeback story. “At the core, definitely the same, but matured in different ways,” Mayfield said. “I’m not worried about little things that don’t matter. Now if you put it in the landscape of a competitive football game — in that atmosphere — that’ll never change.” Bucs wide receiver and former Oklahoma teammate Sterling Shepard, who has gotten a front row seat to Mayfield’s turnaround in Tampa, but also his trash talk, said, “He’s not scared to bite back at somebody that’s trying to go at him, and we all love that about him. … We love that energy and everybody feeds off of him.” |
| AFC WEST |
| LAS VEGASIn defending INT-plagued QB GENO SMITH, Coach Pete Carroll appears to take a shot at OC Chip Kelly. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: Raiders head coach Pete Carroll suggested when asked about his offense’s struggles that he wants to see better play calling from offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Asked what the Raiders have to do to get quarterback Geno Smith on track, Carroll said Smith would benefit from the Raiders calling more running plays. “We have to run the football better, more,” Carroll said. “And we’re going to continue to work at it and see if we can’t continue to bring it to life. The running game has looked well in order right now, we need to get more of them. That’s part of it. That’s just mixing football. That’s how you do it. We don’t ever want to rely on the quarterback has to do the whole show, sitting in the shotgun, throw the football. Never coach that way. So we have to mix our stuff so we can use our play action game.” Carroll then said running back Ashton Jeanty can play well when he gets opportunities, and noted that Smith isn’t the one calling the plays. “I was pleased with how we saw Ashton come to life on the edge,” Carroll said. “He made some nice plays and stretched the defense and put some threat on them with that. And we’ve got to make sure that we’re calling all the best stuff in the situations. He’s not calling the plays. We’ve got to call them and we’ve got to make sure and get him in the right spots and give him the best chance to stay out of harm’s way. Part of that is really controlling the game with what we do in front in the running game.” Carroll didn’t mention Kelly by name, but that’s who’s in charge of the Raiders’ offensive play calling. If Carroll wants the Raiders to call better plays, that means Carroll wants Kelly to do his job better. Kelly, who was previously head coach of the Eagles and 49ers as well as Oregon and UCLA, was once viewed as the most innovative offensive coach in football. His reputation took a hit with his struggles in the NFL, but in 2024 he was offensive coordinator at Ohio State and helped the Buckeyes win the national championship, and when Carroll got the Raiders’ top job, he brought Kelly in. Now Carroll sounds like he’s not pleased with his offensive coordinator, a month into their first season working together. |
| AFC NORTH |
| CINCINNATIPaul Dehner, Jr. of The Athletic with a good breakdown of the Bengals desperate move to acquire QB JOE FLACCO: — The Bengals traded for Joe Flacco, who is now on his sixth team in eight years. The 40-year-old quarterback was benched six days ago by the division rival Browns for a 5-foot-11, third-round rookie just four weeks into the season. He’s gone 10-22 as a starter in the regular season since leaving the Ravens after 11 years with the franchise. In 1996, the Bengals selected Willie Anderson with their first-round pick. He was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2022. He spent a season blocking for Flacco! Flacco will become the oldest player in team history when he takes the field, likely against the Packers only five days after arriving in Cincinnati. He might be the least mobile quarterback in the NFL. He’s been sacked 80 times in 32 starts since leaving Baltimore and will now be tasked with standing behind an offensive line ranked 30th in the league in pressure rate allowed. Yet, the Bengals didn’t just make the move to add Flacco on Tuesday; they did so by making only the fourth in-season trade in organization history and giving up Day 3 draft capital in the process. It begs the question: Doesn’t this decision reek of desperation? The answer: Yes! Of course it does! When you’ve been outscored 69-9 in the first halves and by 76 points overall in the previous three games after losing Joe Burrow for three months, every decision comes caked in desperation. It was also the right one. The trade for Flacco was necessary strictly because of how grim the outlook had become. The play of Jake Browning was no longer tenable. Three consecutive weeks getting blown out, throwing picks, failing to move the ball or even see the proper reads on every play sent the backup too deep into his own head. This had not been the Browning of 2023. Cincinnati digested the latest drubbing against Detroit knowing the only answers at quarterback were outside the building. There was no riding out the storm until Browning figured it out. So, the Bengals went QB hunting. More than any other characteristic, they needed a quarterback capable of putting the ball in the proper spot on every play. Whether that means to a checkdown, the belly of the running back, a screen to the running back, over the middle to Ja’Marr Chase, progressing to the second read, deep inside the hash to Tee Higgins or thrown away into the first row. The ball wasn’t going where it was designed to go with Browning. The playmakers were missing opportunities. Frustration mounted. Everybody knew it. So, when the Bengals sifted through the rubble of available quarterback options Monday, all with glaring flaws in their fit, Flacco, of 200 regular-season games played, knows where the ball is supposed to go on an NFL field. And he can start making that happen immediately. Time was running out early on the Bengals. While it might not seem like it for a team ranked 32nd in Team DVOA through five weeks, an enticing opportunity sat in front of them. The AFC North might be the worst it has been since its inception in 2002. The Steelers also have a 40-year-old quarterback, an older defense and a history of late-season swan dives. Nine wins just might be enough to take the division. The Ravens and Browns are both digging out of a hole at 1-4, and the Ravens are as beat up as any other team in the NFL. The AFC has been flipped upside down without a dominant, undefeated team in the bunch. The upstart Colts and Jaguars are the talk of the conference. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are 2-3. Meanwhile, the Bengals only have two games left with opponents currently ranked in the top 13 of the league in team DVOA. They still play the Ravens (1-4) twice, Jets (0-5), Bears (2-3), Dolphins (1-4), Cardinals (2-3) and Browns (1-4). After this weekend’s game against Green Bay, a team Flacco just prepared for and beat two weeks ago, the Bengals have three consecutive home games leading to a bye. To hang around in the playoff picture, they merely need to find some semblance of offensive execution to start utilizing Chase, Higgins, Chase Brown, Mike Gesicki and the cast of weapons the Bengals are paying hundreds of millions to this season. There’s enough evidence to suggest there’s a chance Flacco can make that happen. The holy grail at the end of the tunnel is the idea that Burrow could return for January football intact to take the baton and make a run at a championship. The defining goal of every move this organization makes revolves around handing the ball over to Burrow, Chase and Higgins in January. If giving up Day 3 draft capital increases the chance of reaching that goal in 2025 by even five percent, it’s a no-brainer. The Bengals had to do something. For all the talk about the front office’s reluctance to make in-season trades over the years, that often stemmed from a refusal to give up on even the bleakest seasons. They won’t trade away players who can help in exchange for future assets just because the current season seems lost. They’ve taken that stance to a fault before. In that same vein, they had to execute the previously nonexistent Plan C at quarterback when Plans A and B became nonfunctional because the season needed relevance. The players (and fans) needed hope. You might not like Plan C. Flacco’s lack of mobility, having to learn the offense on the fly or his propensity to throw interceptions could prove a recipe for more ugly losses. Shoot, given Flacco’s age and the protection in front of him, Browning could be forced back into action before you know it. Maybe taking on the roller coaster of Jameis Winston, the baggage of Russell Wilson or the price tag of Kirk Cousins felt like a better choice. They all were flawed options for their own reasons. Flacco is, as well. This was desperate. Yet, there is a chance Flacco enters with his experience, professional accountability, strong arm and understanding of where the ball should go and sparks the most dynamic group of skill players he’s ever been given. There’s a slim chance — but a chance. It’s one that the Bengals were correct to take, no matter how desperate it is. And sure enough – Flacco starts Sunday against the Packers. More Dehner: After trading for Joe Flacco on Tuesday, the Bengals wasted no time announcing their plans for the 40-year-old quarterback. In a press conference Wednesday, Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor announced that Flacco would be the starter for Sunday’s matchup at the Green Bay Packers. “His style fits our style,” Taylor said. The Bengals acquired Flacco and a sixth-round pick from the Browns in exchange for a fifth-round selection. Flacco will start for the third AFC North team in his career, and he will also be the Bengals’ third starting quarterback this season. The veteran started the first four games for the Browns before Dillon Gabriel was given the nod in Sunday’s 21-17 loss to the Vikings. With Joe Burrow’s season-ending turf toe and the struggles of backup Jake Browning, Cincinnati grew desperate for a change. Browning had eight interceptions and a quarterback rating of 70.5 across his four appearances, which included three straight losses. With Flacco’s 195 career regular-season starts, the Bengals are hoping his experience can help right the ship in a wide-open AFC North. The Bengals are second in the division at 2-3, trailing the 3-1 Pittsburgh Steelers. Why are the Bengals starting Flacco immediately?There are few quarterbacks on the planet capable of arriving on Tuesday and starting an NFL game in a new offense on Sunday. But, if you were putting together a list, Flacco might be at the top. Not only does Flacco have familiarity with nearly every offensive and defensive concept the league has to offer, having played over 200 games with six teams, but he has also already prepared for the Green Bay Packers just two weeks ago. Taylor pointed out the advantage of having Green Bay’s defensive elements already known while fast-tracking Flacco on the core concepts of Cincinnati’s playbook. Taylor spent Tuesday on the phone with Flacco during his drive down I-71 to Cincinnati and plans on using every waking moment this week to get him as up to speed as possible. The team will spend extra time on the grass this week, going through play calls and verbiage to assure his understanding and execution, but that won’t be a foreign concept. There’s nothing in this league Flacco hasn’t seen, and Cincinnati plans on using that to its advantage. – Dehner says Burrow’s turf toe is season-ending (see bold above). Did we miss that? |
| CLEVELANDSo, the Browns have two QBs on their active roster – and QB DILLON GABRIEL is going to make his 2nd start against the Steelers. That means that the other rookie, QB SHEDEUR SANDERS, will be the backup with QB JOE FLACCO in Cincinnati. Right? Not so fast. Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com: Even in avoidance, choice of words says a lot in the NFL. And try as he might, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski might have tipped his hand about the pecking order of his quarterback room against the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. Yes, Stefanski did decline to name a No. 2 quarterback behind rookie Dillon Gabriel following the trade of Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. But he also sounded like a head coach who didn’t have any plans to lose the most experienced veteran in his quarterback room, nor suddenly have a hole at the backup spot. On Wednesday, he was answering for both unexpected scenarios in a news conference where the first question was about Shedeur Sanders’ place on the depth chart — not about a Flacco trade that came out of nowhere. “The Joe trade took us by surprise,” Stefanski said, speaking broadly about the organization. “That was not something we saw coming. They called us. It happened very fast and it happened not too long ago. So [I’m] still working through all roster type of things.” The most interesting revelation Stefanski had to offer was suggesting (more than once) that it was general manager Andrew Berry who ultimately made the decision to flip Flacco to the Bengals with a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, netting a 2026 fifth-round pick in return. “AB makes those decisions,” Stefanski said of the trade. “I trust AB. We talk about every decision we make. [The Bengals] wanted Joe. … I trust in our decisions.” Questioned about the wisdom of trading Flacco to a division rival, Stefanski said he preferred to not speak for Berry and then reiterated, “I trust in his decisions.” So what does this mean for the Browns’ depth chart? Well, there are a few things we can infer as they wade through Week 6. First, with Stefanski making it clear that he had no plans to trade Flacco, it stands to reason that he is still going to want an experienced veteran at the backup quarterback spot. And at one point Wednesday, Stefanski called fifth-year veteran Bailey Zappe “the elder statesman right now” in the QB room, along with 30-year-old Deshaun Watson, who does not appear to be written into any plans this season. The second inference? Stefanski is less concerned about developing Sanders this week than he is about playing at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. That means getting Gabriel as prepared as possible for his start, which is a role a veteran like Zappe fills more appropriately than another rookie like Sanders, who has repeatedly made it clear he wants to be on the field playing. As Stefanski put it on Wednesday, “I always have to be mindful of our players and our players’ development. I want to make sure that I’m always doing what’s best for our players, and of course our team. But with young players I’m always thinking about — last week, making the change to Dillon, you have to think long and hard about that. Because these are young players that you’re so invested in their development, so I’ll let the week play out and make a decision later on that.” Asked about balancing the short-term goals of his team with the long-term development of players, Stefanski was blunt. “It’s really important to stay in the short term when you’re making these type of decisions or any decision for your team,” he said. “What’s most important is this week. Obviously we have long-term development plans for all of our players at every position. But really this week is what’s most important.” All of this is suggestive of one thing: While the roster changed when Flacco was traded, the ultimate calculus of how Stefanski wants the quarterback depth chart to operate did not. If he prized having an experienced Flacco behind Gabriel last week, he’s likely to prize having the experience of Zappe behind his rookie starter this week. And by not revealing that on Wednesday, he removes what is likely to be a circus of criticism for not elevating Sanders to the No. 2 role. Now that is tamped down for the team and most especially for Gabriel — possibly all the way to Sunday, when the Browns could make Zappe a gameday call-up from the practice squad. This could also come down to a simple question about Sanders, too. Is he ready to go play in Pittsburgh if he’s called upon? If there’s any hesitation in that answer, then it’s unlikely he’ll be elevated to a role behind Gabriel. And that might explain why Stefanski was asked two specific questions about Sanders — first about what the rookie needed to show his head coach, and then about what he had already shown Stefanski to date — and both times he directed his response into broader statements about “young players.” That’s a course Stefanski has been navigating since training camp, repeatedly taking Shedeur Sanders questions and answering with broad stroke comments that don’t single out Sanders in a tangible way. All while Sanders remained at No. 3 on the depth chart and inactive through five games while serving as the emergency QB. Unless something has changed and the Browns no longer require having an experienced veteran behind Gabriel, Sanders’ role as the No. 3 quarterback is going to be the status quo moving forward. Cleveland’s head coach might not say it, but how he’s handled Sanders thus far speaks loudly enough. |
| AFC EAST |
| MIAMIWR TYREEK HILL’s domestic violence situation still is unresolved. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com has some new information in the case: The season-ending knee injury suffered 10 days ago by Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill pushed from the front burner the Personal Conduct Policy investigation sparked by recent allegations of domestic violence made by his estranged wife, Keeta Vaccaro. However, the situation still lingers — and Hill still faces a suspension without pay. The court document containing Vaccaro’s allegations previously had been sealed at the request of Hill’s lawyers. Through legal maneuvering, various media outlets secured the release of the relevant materials on Tuesday. Diana Moskovitz of Defector Media thereafter posted an item containing details of the allegations. The contentions appear in an amended petition for divorce, which was filed on September 4. Vaccaro contends that the problems trace to Hill’s effort to get her to sign a postnuptial agreement, which would have bought out her rights upon divorce for $100,000. The issue first arose in January 2024, less than two months after the wedding. When she resisted, Hill allegedly became upset. Moskovitz has posted the full document, along with a summary of the allegations. The petition makes multiple allegations of domestic violence against Hill, with eight total counts of battery listed. Examples include a claim that, on or about January 20-21, 2024, Hill “violently attacked [Vaccaro], throwing her to the floor, twisting her intimate body parts, ripping her hair out and grabbing anything on her person he could get hold of.” On July 12, 2024, when Vaccaro was pregnant, Hill allegedly“picked up Plaintiff’s phone and threw it at her, hitting her in the face.” At that same time, he allegedly “threw a punch and tried to hit her pregnant stomach, but she deflected it.” He also allegedly “ripped at her hair and pulled some hair out, then grabbed her purse and flung it across the room.” On November 24, 2024, the day before Vaccaro gave birth to their baby girl, Hill allegedly spat in Vaccaro’s face. The document also includes an allegation that, at a time when Hill was allegedly trying to “get my daughter and get the fuck out of here,” he allegedly “violently pushed [Vaccaro’s] elderly mother to the floor and grabbed the baby from her crib.” Per Moskovitz, the filing attaches as an exhibit a September 4, 2025, letter from Hill’s lawyer to Vaccaro’s lawyer aimed at persuading her lawyer not to file the amended petition. In the letter, Seth E. Schneiderman said the allegations of the amended petition “appear to be a calculated and malicious attempt to weaponize the judicial process for improper financial gain,” and that the “claims are demonstrably false, exaggerated, and distort prior events in a manner that suggests bad faith litigation.” Schneiderman’s letter accurately predicted that the NFL would launch an investigation of Hill based on the allegations, and that any punishment imposed on Hill would harm Vaccaro financially. “You and your client are undoubtedly aware that any filing of this nature will be scrutinized by the media and become part of the public record,” Schneiderman wrote. “Should these baseless allegations trigger an NFL investigation, suspension or loss of income for Mr. Hill, the reputational and financial damage will be substantial and may be actionable. Such harm would not only affect Mr. Hill but also Mrs. Hill and the parties’ child.” In the letter, Schneiderman also threatened Vaccaro’s attorney, Evan R. Marks, that Hill would pursue “all available civil remedies against your client, your firm and you personally” if the petition is filed and if the allegations are proven to be false. The NFL commenced an investigation after Vaccaro’s amended petition came to light. The overriding question is whether and to what extent Vaccaro will cooperate with the league. With no way to compel her to be interviewed, a refusal to cooperate would short-circuit the investigation. It’s unclear when the investigation will be resolved. With Hill currently set to miss the next 12 games due to his knee injury and subsequent surgery, it will be in his best interests to have the situation resolved and any suspension imposed during the 2025 season. With Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, saying last week that Hill has a “realistic goal” to be ready by the start of the 2026 season, it’s possible that Hill will be serving his suspension when he otherwise would be playing. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| FIRST QUARTER REPORT CARDSFrom Frank Schwab of YahooSports.com – 32 team report cards: AFC East Buffalo BillsThere wasn’t much question about the grade before Sunday night. The Bills had a great runout in September, with the rest of the AFC dealing with injuries or disappointing play. A home loss to the Patriots is a setback but the Bills are still clearly the favorite to get the AFC’s No. 1 seed. They’ll need to clean some things up, but every NFL team does after the first five weeks. And this team has Josh Allen. Grade: A New England PatriotsThe difference between Week 1 and Week 5 is dramatic. In the opener, the Patriots looked terrible and lost at home to the Raiders. Week 2 wasn’t much better, barely beating the Dolphins. But the Patriots have improved and got a signature win at the Bills on Sunday night. It wasn’t a perfect start to the season, but Drake Maye looks like the real deal and the Patriots appear to be a playoff contender. Grade: B Miami DolphinsAt least the Dolphins aren’t winless. They beat the woebegone Jets. Everything else hasn’t looked great, and it’s unlikely to get better with Tyreek Hill out for the season and the run defense looking like it can’t be fixed. The Dolphins aren’t the worst team in the NFL, but it’s close and Mike McDaniel is clearly on the hot seat going forward. Grade: D New York JetsOnly one team doesn’t have a win. The Jets looked OK in Week 1, barely losing to the Steelers. It has been rough ever since. Most of their games haven’t been competitive. They make way too many mistakes for a team that is already at a talent disadvantage. It’s way too early to start seriously worrying about Aaron Glenn as a new head coach, but nothing has looked good for the Jets yet. Grade: F AFC North Pittsburgh SteelersThe Steelers were a mystery coming into the season. And it hasn’t been a great start for them in all ways. Aaron Rodgers is surprisingly reluctant to throw it downfield or even far beyond the line of scrimmage. The defense has been worse than anticipated. But they’re winning games. The Steelers are 3-1 and given the state of the rest of the AFC North, they could win a division title. That’s a pretty cool story in what might be Rodgers’ last season. Grade: B Cleveland BrownsWant an idea how the AFC North is doing? A 1-4 team has the second best grade. The Browns’ defense has been excellent. They’ve been competitive in most games and have a really good win over the Packers. The rookie class has been promising, which might be the most important development for them so far this season. Cleveland won’t win many games but there are reasons to feel OK about how things are going. Grade: C- Cincinnati BengalsEven before Joe Burrow’s injury, the offense looked bad. They clearly couldn’t protect Burrow, their most valuable asset. Then Burrow went on injured reserve and the Bengals turned into one of the NFL’s worst teams. Joe Flacco isn’t saving this. Burrow’s injury was unfortunate, but let’s not act like it was just bad luck and it derailed a championship season. The Bengals have been disappointing since the season kicked off, and their organizational failures had a hand in that Burrow injury too. Grade: D- Baltimore RavensThe Ravens came into the season with Super Bowl dreams and find themselves with a 1-4 record. It will be 1-5 if they don’t upset the Rams. Injuries have been unfortunate and voluminous, but the defense was bad before the injury report filled up. The collapse against the Bills in Week 1 set the tone for an extremely disappointing first quarter of the season. There’s reason to believe the Ravens can rally when healthy, but the first five weeks were a complete debacle. Grade: F AFC South Indianapolis ColtsEven if you were optimistic about the Colts, nobody saw this start coming. Daniel Jones looks like a revelation. Jonathan Taylor is an NFL Offensive Player of the Year candidate. The defense has been good. Shane Steichen went from the hot seat to one of the NFL’s hottest coaches. Had it not been for some bad mental mistakes at the Rams, the Colts would be 5-0. What an incredible start. Grade: A Jacksonville JaguarsThe Jaguars legitimized their hot start with an impressive comeback win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5. They have a road win at the 49ers too. Losing to the Bengals, led by Jake Browning in the second half, was really bad. There are some things to iron out, most notably consistency in the passing game. But they’re 4-1. Liam Coen might be your NFL Coach of the Year by the end of the season. The AFC South race could be fun. Grade: A- Houston TexansTwo weeks ago, this grade might have been an F. The Texans couldn’t protect C.J. Stroud, the offense looked broken and they were 0-3. It was a horrible start for the AFC South favorite. Beating the Titans and the beaten-up Ravens isn’t proof that everything is better, but it’s a start. It’s not too late for the Texans to rally, though we’ll need to see them play well against tougher competition. Grade: C- Tennessee TitansA miracle win against the Cardinals at least stops the bleeding. But everything else about the Titans has been pretty bad so far. Coach Brian Callahan has made some inexcusable mistakes, and he has to be on the hot seat. The Titans aren’t doing enough around Cam Ward, and Ward hasn’t played great yet either. The defense isn’t good. The Titans are in contention to get the first pick of the NFL Draft. Again. Grade: F+ AFC West Denver BroncosThe Broncos have two losses, both on the road to good teams, both with no time left on the clock. That has kept them under the radar, though that might change after their win over Philadelphia. The defense has been very good. The offense has been up and down, and whether the Broncos become true Super Bowl contenders depends on whether Bo Nix plays better. A win at Philadelphia is one of the best wins of the entire NFL season, though we can’t totally forget the losses against the Chargers or Colts. Grade: B Los Angeles ChargersThe Chargers were the talk of the NFL two weeks ago. Then they lost at the Giants, lost at home to the Commanders and injuries have piled up. The Chargers still can win the AFC West, but it gets a lot harder with Joe Alt, Rashawn Slater, Omarion Hampton, Najee Harris and Khalil Mack dealing with injuries. It’s probably not fair to dock the Chargers too much for injuries, but they’ve lost a lot of momentum. Grade: B- Kansas City ChiefsFans might want a Chiefs demise to be a thing, but it’s premature. The Chiefs have lost competitive games to the Chargers, Eagles and Jaguars, who are a combined 11-4. It’s just that their good luck in close games is regressing. Patrick Mahomes is playing very well. Rashee Rice will help in a couple weeks. If you think the Chiefs are dead because they’re 2-3, you’ll probably be surprised in a couple months. Grade: C Las Vegas RaidersThe Raiders looked like the type of team that could be feisty this season. They brought in Pete Carroll and Geno Smith to start winning right away. They beat the Patriots in Week 1. And since then it has been putrid. They’ve lost four in a row. Smith is throwing interceptions at a startling rate. A 40-6 loss to the Colts in Week 5 tells us where the Raiders are at, and it’s not in a better place than a year ago. Grade: D- NFC East Philadelphia EaglesYou’d think a Super Bowl champion sitting at 4-1 wouldn’t have a care in the world. But the Eagles are the student in class that studies just enough to pass. They haven’t played a complete game yet. The passing offense has been inconsistent at best. Saquon Barkley hasn’t gotten going. The defense has been solid but has had some letdowns, like the first half against the Rams and the fourth quarter against the Broncos. There’s no reason to freak out — the Eagles started slow last season, they have the most talented roster in the NFL and they’re still 4-1 with some good wins — but they aren’t living up to their standard yet. Grade: B- Washington CommandersIt hasn’t been a great start for the Commanders. But being 3-2 despite Jayden Daniels missing a couple games due to injury isn’t that bad either. Winning at the Chargers in Week 5, with an impressive defensive performance, might be a big turning point in their season. There has been some regression since last season but all in all, it’s not a terrible start. Grade: B- Dallas CowboysIf you want to be optimistic about the Cowboys, you can be. Dak Prescott is playing very well, even without CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys are 2-2-1, and the tie was a solid one against a good Packers team. On the other hand, one of the wins was pretty fortunate against the Giants, and it exposed the defense as one of the worst in the NFL. Can Prescott overcome a poor defense all season? Probably not, but he gives the Cowboys some hope. Grade: C+ New York GiantsThe Giants probably should have started Jaxson Dart from Week 1 on and just lived with the mistakes. He gives the entire franchise some juice that it has lacked. So do young players like Cam Skattebo and Abdul Carter, though losing Malik Nabers to a knee injury was a crushing blow. It hasn’t been good for the Giants, but at least there are some reasons to believe better days are coming. Grade: D NFC North Detroit LionsSome of the reactions to the Lions after Week 1 will be fun to look back on by the end of the season. The Lions looked terrible in the opener against the Packers, a lot of people left them for dead, and they’ve been the best team in football since. They are showing they don’t really miss their coordinators, their offensive line is fine and they’ll again be one of the top scoring teams in the NFL. They’ll still need to deal with the Packers and a rematch late in the season, but a lot of people prematurely jumped off the Lions bandwagon after one bad game. And look around: Every team has had a bad game so far. Grade: A Green Bay PackersThe Packers were valedictorians of the NFL after two games and about 56 minutes of Week 3. Then they absolutely blew a game to the 1-4 Browns and only managed a tie against a defensively challenged Cowboys team. Green Bay looked like the best team in football through two dominant performances. Then they couldn’t get a win against two teams that they should have beat. It’s still a good team, maybe even a Super Bowl team, but the loss and tie are very disappointing. Grade: B- Chicago BearsThe Bears started slowly, looked a lot better against the Cowboys in Week 3 and then pulled out a win against a hapless Raiders team on a blocked field goal. It wasn’t going to be perfect in Ben Johnson’s first season, so the slow start isn’t that problematic. As long as Caleb Williams continues to improve it’ll be a positive season, and he has shown signs of that in the last two games. Grade: C Minnesota VikingsEverything has been weird for the Vikings. They needed big comebacks against the Bears and Browns to pull out wins. They also had a rough loss against the Steelers when the comeback came up short. J.J. McCarthy’s early struggles aren’t a sign that he’s a bust, but it’s a little alarming. Carson Wentz hasn’t run away with the job with McCarthy out due to injury, but he has been competent. The Vikings are 3-2 but it could easily be 2-3 or 1-4, which makes it hard to get any real read on them. Grade: C NFC South Tampa Bay BuccaneersWe can wonder if the Bucs are for real or just extremely lucky early this season, with four wins that came in the final minute of their games. It might not matter. The Buccaneers have banked four wins, three on the road, and will continue to get healthier and better. Baker Mayfield has been really good even with some major injuries around him. The defense still isn’t great, and if it improves, the Bucs might be a championship contender. Grade: A- Atlanta FalconsThe Falcons being shut out in a 30-0 loss at Carolina is mind-blowing. The rest of their season has been OK. Michael Penix has been up and down. The defense has improved, though it has allowed at least 23 points in three of four games. The Falcons were supposed to be a contender to the Buccaneers in the NFC South, and might become that. Their outlook would look better if they didn’t miss a field goal in the final seconds of their home loss to the Bucs in Week 1. For now they’re comfortably middle of the road. Grade: C Carolina PanthersThe Panthers were supposed to be a strong offensive team with a bad defense. The defense hasn’t been good, other than one outlier shutout against the Falcons, and the offense has been mostly disappointing too. Bryce Young hasn’t taken a step forward after a promising finish to last season. Still, Carolina isn’t bad. Or good. They’re 2-0 at home and 0-3 on the road, which tells you what you need to know. There’s a lot to work on over the rest of the season. Grade: C- New Orleans SaintsThe Saints were predicted by many to be the worst team in football. They haven’t been great, but they’re far from the worst. There has been only one blowout loss, and they did get a win against the Giants. Spencer Rattler has helped keep them in most games. The first quarter of the season could have gone a lot worse. But they’re still 1-4, so nobody is planning a parade down Bourbon Street for them. Grade: D+ NFC West San Francisco 49ersThe Ravens and Bengals might argue, but nobody has dealt with more injury adversity than the 49ers so far. And yet, they’re 4-1. Can they keep that up without Nick Bosa, who is out for the season? Maybe not. But the 49ers deserve credit for winning most of their games. The win over the Rams in Week 5, with Mac Jones having a career day, was particularly impressive. Kyle Shanahan is doing a phenomenal job. And the schedule is soft enough that when the offense gets healthy this could still be a division champion, even with Bosa out. Grade: A Seattle SeahawksThe Seahawks could be the talk of the NFL. But they blew two winnable home games in the final two minutes, one against the 49ers and the other against the Buccaneers. But the defense looks a lot better and the decision to trade Geno Smith and sign Sam Darnold looks like the right one. Those two losses were unfortunate and could be costly in the playoff and NFC West race, but so far the Seahawks look like a much-improved team in Mike Macdonald’s second season. And they did win 10 games last season. Grade: B Los Angeles RamsThe Rams look like a championship contender at times. They also totally blew a game against the Eagles that they dominated for two and a half quarters, then lost at home to a 49ers team that was without a handful of stars including their quarterback. Matthew Stafford looks healthy, which is great. Puka Nacua looks like he might be the best non-quarterback in the NFL this season. The defense has a high ceiling due to a talented front. They just can’t keep blowing games that they should be able to finish. Grade: B- Arizona CardinalsThe Cardinals’ two wins were against the Saints and home against the Panthers, two games they were expected to win. They lost to a beat-up 49ers team, then had consecutive home losses to the Seahawks and Titans. The latter was very fluky, but you simply can’t lose to Tennessee at home. There were hopes for the Cardinals showing improvement this season, but there’s been no proof that they are any better. A 2-3 start feels a lot worse than that record would indicate. Grade: D |
| BUNNY BUSINESSWe’re not sure we had former NFL running back Eric Dickerson as a leader of the Stop Bad Bunny movement – but his feelings are clear. Cooper Albers of the New York Post: NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson urged Bad Bunny to “keep his ass” away from the Super Bowl halftime show if he truly does not like the United States. The former Rams running back told a TMZ photographer outside of LAX on Monday night that he “heard some stuff” the pop star had said about America — remarks he doesn’t believe should be associated with the world’s grandest sports stage. “I’m from the US,” Dickerson said. “I love my country. And if you don’t like the United States, just get your ass out of here and don’t come over here.” When reminded that Bad Bunny is an American citizen by way of Puerto Rico, a US territory, Dickerson moved the goal posts. “I know Puerto Rico is part of the US,” the ex-Rams tailback said. “But, it’s not the US That’s the way I look at it. That’s the way I feel.” Taylor Swift says she didn’t turn down the NFL’s overtures before they turned to Bad Bunny. But she would have if they had made any, which could be splitting hairs, since she also says the NFL’s people did call her people to feel her out. Taylor Swift is putting the Super Bowl halftime show rumors to rest. During a candid interview with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show,” the pop superstar directly addressed reports she declined the NFL’s biggest stage because they wouldn’t let her own her performance footage, telling Fallon simply, “No.” “Here’s the thing,” she began. “Jay-Z has always been very good to me. Our teams are very close. They sometimes will call and ask how I feel about it — and that’s not an official offer or a conference-room conversation. We’re always able to tell him the truth, which is that I am in love with a guy who does that sport on that actual field.” As she referred to her now-fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Swift described how intense it can be to watch him on the field. “That is violent chess. That is gladiators without swords. That is dangerous. The whole season I am locked in on what that man is doing on the field. Can you imagine if he’s out there every single week putting his life on the line, doing this very dangerous, very high-pressure, high-intensity sport, and I’m like, ‘I wonder what my choreo should be. I think we should do two verses of ‘Shake It Off’ into ‘Blank Space’ into ‘Cruel Summer’ would be great.'” |
| 2018 DRAFTTony Vegas, who calls the Jets “we” noted the stacked 2018 draft. Tony Vegas@tonypaymentsIt’s insane that we actually did the correct thing for once and still fucked it up All those with names shaded in orange have been Pro Bowlers. How about those Cardinals whiffing with QB JOSH ROSEN at #10 1Cleveland BrownsBaker Mayfield †QB2New York GiantsSaquon Barkley †RB3New York JetsSam Darnold †QB4Cleveland BrownsDenzel Ward †CB5Denver BroncosBradley Chubb †DE6Indianapolis ColtsQuenton Nelson †G7Buffalo BillsJosh Allen †QB8Chicago BearsRoquan Smith †LB9San Francisco 49ersMike McGlinchey OT10Arizona CardinalsJosh Rosen QB11Miami DolphinsMinkah Fitzpatrick †S12Tampa Bay BuccaneersVita Vea †NT13Washington RedskinsDaron Payne †NT14New Orleans SaintsMarcus Davenport DE15Oakland RaidersKolton Miller OT16Buffalo BillsTremaine Edmunds †LB17Los Angeles ChargersDerwin James †S18Green Bay PackersJaire Alexander †CB19Dallas CowboysLeighton Vander Esch †LB20Detroit LionsFrank Ragnow †C You can also add QB LAMAR JACKSON at #32 and WRs D.J. MOORE and CALVIN RIDLEY at #24 and #26This from Tom Sheen of the UK Sun in February brought us up to date on Josh Rosen: The Cardinals traded a first, third and fifth-round pick in order to move up five spots to pick him. After being selected with the 10th pick, Rosen said “there were nine mistakes ahead of me.” After being drafted he signed a four-year deal worth $17.84 million. Rosen became the starter in Week 4 of his rookie season but the Cardinals were a disaster with offensive coordinator Mike McCoy fired after a Week 7 loss. He eventually went 3-10 as the starter (3-13) with Steve Wilks fired at the end of the season. Kliff Kingsbury came in as head coach and declared that “Josh is our guy”, but the Cardinals selected Kyler Murray with the No 1 pick in the next draft. Rosen was then traded to the Miami Dolphins and replaced Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starter in Week 3. However, three straight defeats saw him benched in place of Fitzpatrick – marking the final start of his career. Rosen then bounced around multiple teams as a backup but only saw more playing time with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021. He threw two interceptions in 11 pass attempts. Rosen had one more season earning an NFL contract but has now been out of the league since 2022. While others play in other leagues such as Canada or hang around on practice squads to try and earn another NFL shot, it appears Rosen is done with football. During the game between the Bills and Ravens earlier this year, NBC play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico was discussing Allen, Jackson and the class of 18. Tirico then revealed that Rosen is now erolled in the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. The business school was also founded by his great-great-great grandfather, Joseph Wharton. |
| KYREN LACYWe have not had anything to do with the story of former LSU WR Kyren Lacy and his tragic suicide in the aftermath of a fatal auto accident. But there have been developments. Initially, it was portrayed that he was responsible for the accident, although his car did not strike any other vehicle. Last week, his attorney provoked sympathy with a selectively edited video and charges that Louisiana cops railroaded Lacy to protect the white woman whose car veered into traffic and killed a man in a head on collision. And now, more complete video has emerged that shows that Lacy was indeed driving on the wrong side of the road at a recklessly high rate of speed before slipping into the proper lane. This from the AP: Louisiana state police have released video evidence in a deadly 2024 car crash that authorities contend was caused by reckless driving by Kyren Lacy, a former Louisiana State University football star who took his own life days before a grand jury was convened to review the case. The 11-minute video released Tuesday came in response to other footage given to a Louisiana TV station by Matthew Ory, Lacy’s defense attorney, who said it showed the former wide receiver couldn’t have caused the wreck because he was too far away from the collision. In a statement, Louisiana State Police defended their original findings that Lacy was responsible and urged the public “to rely on the full body of facts.” Louisiana’s attorney general said this week the case remained under review but maintained that eyewitnesses identified Lacy as having put December’s deadly crash in motion. Louisiana Democratic lawmakers called for an investigation and LSU coach Brian Kelley faced renewed questions about the case. Here are some things to know. The fatal crash on a Louisiana highwayIn December 2024, Lacy was allegedly “recklessly” driving a green Dodge Charger — speeding and crossing into the oncoming traffic lane to pass cars in a no-passing zone, according to Louisiana State Police. In an effort to “avoid impact” with Lacy, a driver swerved and crashed head-on into another vehicle, police said. Herman Hall, 78, died in the crash. Police said Lacy “fled” the crash scene without stopping to render aid or call 911. The 24-year-old Lacy, who had declared for the 2025 NFL draft, turned himself into police and was booked on negligent homicide, felony hit and run and reckless operation of a vehicle. He was released on bail. Days before a grand jury hearing on his case in April, Lacy died of an apparent suicide after fleeing a traffic stop near Houston and being pursued by police, authorities said. Attorney says Lacy was too far behind crash to be blamed:Nearly six months after Lacy’s death, his defense attorney on Friday went on a local news station in Houma, Louisiana, and presented what he says is evidence showing the LSU wide receiver was too far behind the deadly December wreck to be at fault. Ory, who did not respond to email seeking comment, acknowledged that Lacy had passed multiple cars but questioned how Lacy could be responsible for a crash that occurred so far in front of him. After Ory released footage of the crash, Louisiana State Police published their own video Tuesday. The agency detailed their findings, releasing a timeline, crash report, interviews with witnesses at the scene and surveillance footage — where the collision can be heard and Dodge Charger can be seen, but the wreck itself is out of view. A narrator in the agency’s video said that state police “never reported” that the Charger “impacted” any of the involved vehicles. “However, all evidence collected supports the conclusion that Lacy’s reckless operation of the green Charger in oncoming traffic triggered the chain of events involving the other drivers, ultimately resulting in the fatal crash,” the narrator said. Calls for more investigationsOn Monday, Louisiana’s Democratic Party called for Republican State Attorney General Liz Murrill to launch a “full-scale” investigation into the “wrongful accusations made against Mr. Lacy.” In a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Murrill said that she is reviewing all evidence in the case, but added that “the evidence is not disputed.” She said that the Lafourche Parish District Attorney’s office was prepared to present evidence to a grand jury, which included showing that Lacy returned to his lane of travel while driving; “However, that does not absolve Kyren Lacy of responsibility in this matter.” Murrill said that “every witness” identified Lacy’s green Dodge Charger as “having put the events in motion” that led to the deadly crash. Murrill said she is continuing to review evidence from state police. |
