G ZACK MARTIN got paid by the Cowboys.

So who is left out there either without a contract or abdicating on one?

RB JOSH JACOBS of the Raiders, EDGE NICK BOSA of the Niners and DT FRANK CLARK of the Chiefs come to mind.  RB JONATHAN TAYLOR is not happy in Nappy.

Anyone else?

DALLAS

The Cowboys have increased the compensation of G ZACH MARTIN, ending his holdout.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

Cowboys right guard Zack Martin arrived at the team’s training camp on Monday after agreeing to the reworked contract that he’s been looking for all offseason.

The Cowboys added $8.5 million to Martin’s compensation over the final two years of his deal and bumped him closer to the top of the list of best-paid guards in the league. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had indicated the team had other plans for that money, but Martin said the two men met face-to-face last week and that conversation helped get the wheels turning toward their eventual agreement.

“I just think I’ve been here a long time. I’ve accomplished some great things but just felt like where I was in the market that it’s something that had been deserved and felt strongly about it,” Martin said, via Todd Archer of ESPN.com. “Obviously it took a little time, but I’m super grateful to the Joneses. Once we started talking and having that connection we were able to figure something out that worked for both of us.”

Martin said he’ll take things “year by year” once his current deal is up following the 2024 season and hopes that he’ll “start feeling good and start feeling like I’m ready to rock” after a couple of weeks of practice.

PHILADELPHIA

Already elite, WR A.J. BROWN is even more amazing says Jori Epstein ofYahooSports.com:

A.J. Brown says it matter-of-factly, as if the precision of his goal isn’t actually as unusual as it is.

“This offseason, I was hitting 23 miles per hour a couple of times, and that’s what I needed,” the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver said last week in a sit-down interview with Yahoo Sports. “The goal for me is to get in the best shape possible and to run my routes around 18, 19 miles per hour every single time.”

It’s a striking goal, not only because of the minuscule percentage of humans who could accelerate to 18-plus mph if they tried. It’s also striking because while NFL players are constantly seeking to hone their crafts, few define and measure their success so concretely.

But the Philadelphia Eagles’ Pro Bowl wide receiver spent his offseason doing just that: chasing measurable and actionable goals. Sure, his 1,496 yards marked a career best and a team-high production among skill players in a Super Bowl-berth season. Brown’s 11 touchdowns, too, tied his career high and tied running back Miles Sanders for the most scored by an Eagles player other than the quarterback.

But Brown sought to improve further, with his second year in Philadelphia’s system and his cleanest bill of health during an NFL offseason allowing him to better sync his body with his mind than in recent years. Brown teamed up with his college strength coach and longtime trainer, Joey Guarascio, to determine how best to achieve that.

Eagles coaches and teammates say they can see the results.

“It’s hard to say he’s getting quicker, but he is,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “He’s in and out of his breaks quicker, which helps you create more separation, which is going to help you get more yards after the catch, which is going to help the quarterback throw you the ball more.

“He said something in the offseason, like, ‘Yeah, if I’m in great shape, I’m going to get more opportunities.’ He’s right.”

‘It’s like venom’: How Brown trained for quickness, not just speed

After a 2022 offseason regimen of training four days a week, Brown increased that schedule to five this year. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he mixed conditioning into a route- and release-heavy day. Brown devoted Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to speed and explosiveness training.

He cycled through hops and bounds, plyometric training and resistance sprints with sleds and chains, Guarascio said. The sled pushes aimed to hone acceleration angles. Top-speed work emphasized whether Brown’s legs were best positioned to strike down under his hips each time.

“Giving him small doses of high-speed running because it’s like venom — it’s so potent,” Guarascio told Yahoo Sports. “Just giving him those exposures in limited doses so that we can give him the ability that, OK, if he does catch a deep ball, he can separate.”

Each session, Guarascio was measuring data with Catapult GPS tracking. The goal was not simply to run as fast as possible.

Sirianni measures quickness by how a player transitions in and out of breaks, changes directions after running in a straight line or jabs at the line of scrimmage in a different direction. Guarascio, currently the head strength and conditioning coach at Florida Atlantic University, similarly discerns between the fastest a player can run in theory and the fastest a player can translate that ability to their craft.

Brown’s overall top speed was 1.6 mph faster than a year earlier, up from 22.1 mph to 23.7, Guarascio said. Brown also ran a fly-10 — a 10-yard dash after building speed, in this case for 20 yards — in 0.91 seconds, which translates to 22.48 mph over a distance he could realistically encounter in game scenarios. Brown’s average depth of target last season was 12.1 yards.

But Guarascio expands his players’ perspective on speed based on their responsibilities. For a receiver such as Brown, quickness isn’t only about how fast he can go.

“You want to run as fast as you can stop,” Guarascio said. “He’s capable of running 23 mph. But if he ran 23 mph and tried to run a dig route, he’s going to have to sacrifice in his cut and his plant. So the faster you can run while maintaining the ability to put the brakes on really separates people. Because not only are you able to threaten people with speed, especially in your releases, but then you’re also able to separate on your change of direction and your deceleration.”

With that framework, Guarascio and Brown determined at what maximum speed Brown could execute his route trees smoothly. For deeper routes, Guarascio said, they settled on 17 to 19 mph.

“If I have five plays, I’m not just trying to get through the five plays,” Brown said. “I’m trying to be effective the entire five plays. So I was just trying to learn the difference. Because I could easily get through five plays. But being effective play after play, what if you throw me the ball all five times?

“That’s the mindset I was trying to accomplish.”

Brown’s quickness translating at Eagles camp

At Eagles training camp, Brown’s speed and quickness have already begun to show in his plays. He references one play on which he burst past cornerback James Bradberry when Bradberry was “full, full, full running,” Brown said, “and I ran right by him.” (If that sounds like a boast, he shared it only after repeated questions and noted that he did not talk trash to Bradberry because “he knows. You don’t have to say it.”)

In the final first-team snap of team period during a practice last week, Brown similarly edged out fourth-round rookie cornerback Kelee Ringo on a 50-yard pass down the left sideline. Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson praised Brown’s hands as well as his adjustment.

Brown can adjust to throws more fluidly as he applies his understanding of his peak performance range to each play. The more he fine-tunes his quickness, the more intentionally he can separate from defenders and set up higher probability throws from quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Brown caught just 60.7% of throws intended for him last year, second-worst among the 10 Eagles who caught at least one reception. The volume of Brown’s team-high 145 targets and team-long 12.1-yard average depth of target contextualize that success rate but nonetheless point to an opportunity for improvement as the Eagles continue to trust Brown with riskier plays.

They know his physicality is impressive, with third-string quarterback Ian Book telling Yahoo Sports that the team shows younger receivers tape of Brown off the press and says: “You should just talk to A.J. about what he does because he’s pretty damn good at it.”

“He’s getting off releases. He’s winning one-on-one balls,” Book said. “They’re definitely not 50-50. They go in his favor big-time.”

Johnson also doesn’t underestimate the psychological factors that are influencing Brown’s quicker play. Route-running, chemistry with the quarterback and general offensive flow are “both parts art and science,” Johnson believes. Brown’s offseason speed work exemplified that science. Brown’s deeper understanding of the playbook and of Hurts’ tendencies — the two communicate at the line of scrimmage with a series of nonverbal signals and nods, Brown said — reflect the art.

The combination could prove lethal.

“When you have players like that, you want to be able to get them involved in a ton of different ways,” Hurts said. “He’s been working really hard.

“He looks great to me.”

ARIZONA

Soccer star Julie Johnston Ertz retired after the USA’s desultory World Cup.  But her husband, TE ZACH ERTZ, has been activated by the Cardinals – just 9 months after he tore his ACL.

SAN FRANCISCO

A QB BROCK PURDY update from Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com:

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy cleared one more significant obstacle on his road to starting in the team’s Sept. 10 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Purdy will now be able to participate in three practices in a row without a built-in off-day, coach Kyle Shanahan announced during his conference call Monday. It’s another important step in Purdy’s recovery from offseason elbow surgery.

DENVER

In recent years, we have become used to QBs pushing through with excellence into the late 30s and beyond – Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers to name three.

QB RUSSELL WILSON on the other hand, may have hit a wall.  Will Brinson of CBSSports.com:

There aren’t many things worse than slinging small sample size preseason NFL takes, knowing how much vitriol is hurtling down the “didn’t read the article” pipeline. A quick list off the top of my head: toilet snakes, local radio advertisements, Oxford comma aficionados, political Thanksgiving conversations, unexpected allergic food reactions, wearing the shirt of the band you’re going to see in concert, inattentive motor vehicle operators, milk — we’re just scratching the surface here, but you get the point.

Or maybe you don’t so let allow me to be more clear: the first week of the preseason is the first NFL action we’ve gotten in months. It’s amazing and incredible but it’s also terrible, for a couple of reasons. One, we’re talking super small, rusty sample size here. And two, we’ve already spent months and months building up preconceived notions for how the season will play out, despite several decades of evidence proving we know nothing.

If you’re down on the Broncos and Russell Wilson, Friday evening’s nightcap was confirmation bias bliss. If you expected Sean Payton to sprinkle pixie dust on Denver’s offense, smashing the panic button would be totally reasonable.

Asking questions is a pretty solid method for avoiding massive overreactions, so let’s ask a few about Week 1. There are no good and/or right answers here, because it’s too early. But if you think I’m wrong you can yell at me on X DOT COM (rolls right off the tongue) @WillBrinson and on Instagram at the same handle.

Is Russell Wilson washed?

Plenty of people will tell you Russell Wilson was “fine” during Week 1 of the preseason, his first live action in Sean Payton’s offense. I am not one of those people. Russ was one of my MVP sleeper picks so this isn’t confirmation bias: he didn’t look the way I hoped he would in his first action with Payton calling plays. This might not be remotely indicative of how Russ ends up playing in 2023, but the highly-scrutinized quarterback played well into the second quarter of Denver’s matchup against Arizona (less than eight minutes were left before halftime) and he looked lethargic.

I don’t care about the points scored, at all. He threw a touchdown to Jerry Jeudy but it was a slant against a silly cover zero all-out blitz. Great job by Russ to throw the ball but that’s a freebie. Jeudy killed him with a bad drop the play before and he was penalized by several missed kicks and heavy pressure from Arizona.

But Wilson didn’t step into any throws and just generally didn’t seem comfortable or quick in the pocket. I’m comparing him to Drew Brees, which is unfair, except it’s not — Brees/Russ have been compared for years and Payton turning Russell into Brees 2.0 or Brees 1.5 was the big selling point of this marriage. Brees dropped back, moved in the pocket and scanned the field so quickly you felt like he was on fast forward. Russ looked like someone listening to a podcast at 0.5x speed while sitting in quicksand. I’m not sure he stepped into a single throw on Friday night.

Week 1 of the preseason is way too early to make a definite call about this year’s Broncos. It’s bad policy to let the preseason impact full-season beliefs. But I will certainly be dialing back my Denver optimism a bit until I see more reasons to be enthused about this offense and this quarterback.

HOUSTON

INDIANAPOLIS

QB ANTHONY RICHARDSON will play sooner, rather than later.  James Boyd of The Athletic:

The Colts will start No. 4 pick Anthony Richardson as their starting quarterback for the 2023 season, coach Shane Steichen said in a Tuesday news conference. Here’s what you need to know:

Indianapolis listed Richardson and veteran Gardner Minshew as the team’s starting quarterback on its unofficial depth chart leading into the preseason opener. Minshew will be the backup in the regular season.

“Honestly, I was shocked,” Richardson said of being named QB1 on Tuesday.

“This is his franchise,” Minshew said of the decision.

Richardson went 7 of 12 passing for 67 yards and an interception with a 39.2 passer rating in the Colts’ preseason loss to Buffalo last week. He also rushed for 7 yards on two carries.

Richardson spent three seasons with the Gators but only served as the starter for the 2022 campaign. He threw for 2,549 yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions on a 53.9 completion percentage last season. Richardson also rushed for 654 yards and nine TDs.

We know from last year’s carousel and the firing of head coach Frank Reich that owner Jim Irsay is not bashful about inserting his authority into QB matters.  And Irsay is in love with Richardson.

This from Zac Keefer in April:

Colts owner Jim Irsay said he called quarterback Anthony Richardson three hours before the draft and told him he was likely headed to Indianapolis.

Irsay said that if the Colts had the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, “we would’ve probably taken Anthony.”

NEW ENGLAND

This from NFL.com on the signing of RB EZEKIEL ELLIOTT:

New England’s Week 4 road trip to Dallas just got a little more interesting.

The Patriots are expected to sign former Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott to a one-year deal worth up to $6 million, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Monday, per sources.

Elliott was released by the Cowboys this offseason after seven seasons with the club. The 28-year-old had a free-agent visit with the Patriots on July 29.

Earlier Monday, Elliott posted a picture of himself with a new look. It ended up being a clue that he had a new team.

Elliott later revealed Monday that he will wear No. 15 in New England, his number during his illustrious college career at Ohio State.

The Patriots added a needed element to their backfield with the signing of Elliott. Rapoport reports that while the team loves Rhamondre Stevenson, New England had been seeking a back like Zeke who specializes in running between the tackles. Add in Elliott’s prowess as a pass-blocker and Bill Belichick’s squad got itself a useful component to the backfield.

Remaining Patriots RBs will have to fight for a roster spot upon the arrival of Elliott, however, with veteran Ty Montgomery, Pierre Strong Jr., Kevin Harris, J.J. Taylor and CJ Marable left in a crowded room.

There was some hope in Dallas that Elliott would return to the club that drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick in 2016, but New England swooped in with a contract that was in all likelihood more valuable than what the Cowboys had to offer.

Elliott saw career lows in 2022 with 876 rushing yards and a 3.8-yard per carry average, but proved to still be a viable goal line threat with 12 touchdowns.

Although his tenure with the Cowboys came to an unceremonious end this offseason, Elliott will have a rightful Dallas homecoming in Week 4 when the Patriots come to town.

Elliott ranks third on the Cowboys’ all-time rushing list with 8,262 yards behind Hall of Famers Tony Dorsett (12,036) and Emmitt Smith (17,162), the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.

Another big Patriots signing for 2023, TE MIKE GEISICKI is now iffy for the opener.  Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Patriots may be without one of their key offensive players until the start of the regular season.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, tight end Mike Gesicki suffered a dislocated shoulder during Monday’s practice. The team is hoping that Gesicki can return for Week One, despite the injury to his AC joint.

Gesicki signed with New England on a one-year deal worth up to $9 million in March. He is expected to form a solid tight end tandem with Hunter Henry to improve a revamped Patriots offense under coordinator Bill O’Brien.

In 2022, Gesicki caught 32 passes for 362 yards with five touchdowns. It was a significant drop off in production from 2021, when Gesicki had 73 catches for 780 yards, though he had only two touchdowns.

Aside from Gesicki and Henry, the Patriots also have Anthony Firkser, Johnny Lumpkin, Matt Sokol, and Scotty Washington at tight end.

NEW YORK JETS

Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com with some winners and losers from the signing of RB DALVIN COOK:

Winner: Jets fans

Did the Jets need Dalvin Cook? Not necessarily. But the minute New York traded for Aaron Rodgers, needs went out the window in favor of wants. This is now an “all-in” operation, for better or worse, and as a fan, at the very least, that’s fun. Cook will undoubtedly make the already-enticing offense more explosive, even if it’s just for a year. His Jets jersey will fly off the shelves.

Loser: Breece Hall

Cook’s arrival does not end Hall’s prospects as the Jets’ long-term RB1. If anything, it might help Hall return from his 2022 knee injury at a healthier speed. But let’s not pretend this couldn’t hurt the second-year back’s trajectory. As long as Cook is active, the veteran will command a heavy workload as the Jets’ lead ball-carrier, reducing his younger counterpart to a secondary role.

Winner: Aaron Rodgers

The longtime Packers quarterback would’ve been better off getting big-name offensive line upgrades, but that’s another story. After all, if your protection might be shoddy, you might as well stock up on weapons to whom you can dump the ball! No matter how you slice it, the Jets are better with Cook, and that’s good news for Rodgers, who’s trying to make an instant title run in New York.

Hall was activated off PUP on Tuesday, 10 months after his injury.

The Jets upgrade their running game with the signing of Cook – and Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post demands that they hoist Lombardi this February.

Well, it’s not like the Jets are being subtle about any of this. There is no ambiguity attached at all to what they are doing, and what they aspire to, and where they wish to go. No half-measures now. No innocent climb. No hedged bets.

The Jets are all-in. Period. End of story. End of argument. They reached a deal with Dalvin Cook on Monday, adding a few extra watts of star power — and more than a few extra dollops of controversy — to what is already a fascinatingly combustible — or is that combustibly fascinating? — assemblage of a roster.

Cook brings four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons with him from Minnesota to New York. He also lugs dueling clouds of alleged domestic abuse charges and the alleged offer of $1 million to his accuser to keep the matter quiet. This is not a slip-him-in-through-the-side-door transaction. He is a big talent, undoubtedly; time will tell if he is also proven to be big trouble. The Jets now own all of that.

And they now also own exactly one chosen pathway where this can all seem even remotely worth it all: They have to win the Super Bowl.

It’s absurd, of course. And unprecedented. Think of the greatest teams of the Super Bowl era, any of them: the Steelers dynasty, the Niners dynasty, the Patriots dynasty, the ’72 Dolphins and the ’85 Bears and the ’86 Giants. All of those teams surely spent their summer believing they were good enough to win a championship. Did any of them truly break camp knowing they had no other choice to do it or else suffer calamitous consequence? Of course not.

With the Jets, there’s no longer any room for a solid 10-7 season followed by a feisty wild-card game loss. There is no longer any room for a 12-5 cruise that ends with a hard-fought loss at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Championship game. Hell, there’s not even room for a 14-3 dream ride that culminates with a bruising Super Bowl loss to the Eagles.

It’s a title or bust. For better or for worse.

And of course all-in is different, much different, than shoo-in. A lot can happen to a team anyway between September and February in a sport where the twist of a shoulder or the snap of a leg can send everything careening into a ditch. Now add one of the 10 best quarterbacks of all time, who brings his own personality quirks to the locker room. And now Cook — who will be expected to pick up in East Rutherford where he left off in Minneapolis as a weekly source of production and dependability — who adds even more baggage to the team’s overhead bin.

(And there will be plenty of time to fret over how much any of that will matter if the offensive line doesn’t keep making strides from now until Sept. 12 … )

And look: If the Jets can actually honor these expectations that they’ve foisted upon themselves, that will also be among the greatest football stories ever told. Just remember how hard it is to be the hunted every week. Remember how much swagger the ’07 Pats accumulated along the way for 18 straight wins … and even they weren’t good enough to run through the finish line.

And those Pats were already fully versed in the elements of expectation. These Jets? However much they may have individually accomplished in the face of scrutiny before, they’ve never done it as a group. This coaching staff certainly never has. And suddenly everyone is going to be graded against the ultimate prize in the sport. No learning curve. No half measures.

No hedged bets.

There is no place for a cute, loveable story here. Not anymore. The Jets have one bar to clear and it’s the most difficult one of all. Good luck to them. It’s going to be fascinating and combustible show week after week.

The DB would say that if the Jets go 12-5, win the AFC East, win two playoff games and lose with honor at Kansas City in the AFC title game that the season is not a failure.

Heck, 11-6, Wild Card, win on the road at Jacksonville, lose in Divisional at Buffalo wouldn’t be all that bad.

– – –

QB AARON RODGERS is a happy man, or as happy as Rodgers can get.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

When Aaron Rodgers emerged from his darkness retreat this offseason, he targeted the Jets as the team he wanted to play for this season and he made the move to the AFC East club when the Packers worked out a trade with his new club shortly before the draft.

During an appearance on WFAN on Tuesday morning, Rodgers was asked if his first few months with the Jets have lived up to what he had in mind. Rodgers said that it “has been better than I was even daydreaming about sitting in that hole in the ground thinking about what my life could be” because of the chance to make new connections with new teammates while developing a “special feeling” about what the team is capable of doing this season.

“It’s really been better that I could have expected,” Rodgers said. “It feels like sometimes that I woke up inside of a dream and that this is my life playing out. I pinch myself at various times throughout the week every single week that I’ve been here.”

The Jets made another big move this week by agreeing to sign running back Dalvin Cook. Rodgers said he’s “excited” about that move and his comments make it clear that’s just one of many things that have him fired up about what’s coming.

THIS AND THAT

BLINDSIDED

Former Ravens tackle Michael Oher has filed a suit to dissolve a Conservatorship established with his “adoptive parents” the Tuohys.  Michael Fletcher of ESPN.com:

Retired NFL star Michael Oher, whose supposed adoption out of grinding poverty by a wealthy, white family was immortalized in the 2009 movie “The Blind Side,” petitioned a Tennessee court Monday with allegations that a central element of the story was a lie concocted by the family to enrich itself at his expense.

The 14-page petition, filed in Shelby County, Tennessee, probate court, alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, who took Oher into their home as a high school student, never adopted him. Instead, less than three months after Oher turned 18 in 2004, the petition says, the couple tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators, which gave them legal authority to make business deals in his name.

The petition further alleges that the Tuohys used their power as conservators to strike a deal that paid them and their two birth children millions of dollars in royalties from an Oscar-winning film that earned more than $300 million, while Oher got nothing for a story “that would not have existed without him.” In the years since, the Tuohys have continued calling the 37-year-old Oher their adopted son and have used that assertion to promote their foundation as well as Leigh Anne Tuohy’s work as an author and motivational speaker.

“The lie of Michael’s adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the legal filing says. “Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys.”

The Tuohy family did not immediately return phone calls Monday to numbers listed for them. Their attorney, Steve Farese, declined comment to ESPN on Monday, saying the family would file a legal response to the allegations in the coming weeks.

Sean Tuohy told the Daily Memphian website that he was stunned by Oher’s allegations and said the Tuohys “didn’t make any money off the movie,” only a share of proceeds from Michael Lewis’ book, which was the foundation for the film.

“We’re devastated,” Sean Tuohy told the outlet. “It’s upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children. But we’re going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16.”

Oher’s petition asks the court to end the Tuohys’ conservatorship and to issue an injunction barring them from using his name and likeness. It also seeks a full accounting of the money the Tuohys earned using Oher’s name, and to have the couple pay him his fair share of profits, as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

“Since at least August of 2004, Conservators have allowed Michael, specifically, and the public, generally, to believe that Conservators adopted Michael and have used that untruth to gain financial advantages for themselves and the foundations which they own or which they exercise control,” the petition says. “All monies made in said manner should in all conscience and equity be disgorged and paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher.”

Oher was a rising high school senior when he signed the conservatorship papers, and he has written that the Tuohys told him that there was essentially no difference between adoption and conservatorship. “They explained to me that it means pretty much the exact same thing as ‘adoptive parents,’ but that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account,” Oher wrote in his 2011 best-selling memoir “I Beat the Odds.”

But there are some important legal distinctions. If Oher had been adopted by the Tuohys, he would have been a legal member of their family, and he would have retained power to handle his own financial affairs. Under the conservatorship, Oher surrendered that authority to the Tuohys, even though he was a legal adult with no known physical or psychological disabilities.

The petition alleges that the Tuohys began negotiating a movie deal about their relationship with Oher shortly after the 2006 release of the book “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game,” which chronicled the story.

According to the legal filing, the movie paid the Tuohys and their two birth children each $225,000, plus 2.5% of the film’s “defined net proceeds.” The movie became a critically acclaimed blockbuster, reportedly grossing more than $300 million at the box office, and tens of millions of dollars more in home video sales. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, and Sandra Bullock won a Best Actress trophy for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy. While the deal allowed the Tuohys to profit from the film, the petition alleges, a separate 2007 contract purportedly signed by Oher appears to “give away” to 20th Century Fox studios the life rights to his story “without any payment whatsoever.” The filing says Oher has no recollection of signing that contract, and even if he did, no one explained its implications to him.

The deal lists all four Tuohy family members as having the same representative at Creative Artists Agency, the petition says. But Oher’s agent, who would receive movie contract and payment notices, is listed as Debra Branan, a close family friend of the Tuohys and the same lawyer who filed the 2004 conservatorship petition, the petition alleges. Branan did not return a call to her law office on Monday.

In the past, the Tuohys have denied making much money from the movie, saying they received a flat fee for the story and did not reap any of the movie’s profits. And what they did earn, they added, was shared with Oher.

“We divided it five ways,” the Tuohys wrote in their 2010 book, “In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving.”

Oher’s court petition says he never received any money from the movie, even though he long suspected that others were profiting, according to his attorney, J. Gerard Stranch IV. Whenever Oher asked questions, he did not get straight answers, his attorney said.

And since the film’s success coincided with the start of his lucrative NFL career in 2009, Oher did not take the time to fully investigate the deal until after he retired in 2016, Stranch said. Oher eventually hired a lawyer who helped him uncover the details surrounding the movie deal and his legal connection to the people he believed were his adoptive parents. His lawyer unearthed the conservatorship document in February, and Oher came to the painful realization that the Tuohys had not adopted him.

“Mike didn’t grow up with a stable family life,” Stranch said. “When the Tuohy family told Mike they loved him and wanted to adopt him, it filled a void that had been with him his entire life. Discovering that he wasn’t actually adopted devastated Mike and wounded him deeply.”

The petition marks a sharp break in what had been an inspiring, if unsettlingly stereotypical, feel-good story. As the movie portrayed the story, the Tuohys adopted Oher, a poor, virtually homeless and academically challenged Black teenager. They made Oher part of a functional family for the first time. They helped him catch up in school, taught him the basics of football and how to harness his physical skills, putting him on the road to sports stardom.

The truth, however, was more complicated.

Oher certainly led a hard-knock life growing up. But he also had the smarts, the pluck and plenty of help from the Tuohys and others to rise above his circumstances.

Oher was one of 12 children born to his mother, who struggled with drug addiction. Before his 11th birthday, Oher was placed into foster care, where he bounced around numerous homes, and at times lived on the streets. Although he was a capable student, he attended 11 schools in nine years, and repeated both the first and second grades, leaving him behind academically.

His fortunes changed after a friend’s father, impressed with Oher’s inner drive and focus, introduced him to the principal of a private Christian school in a prosperous Memphis neighborhood. Oher began attending the school in 10th grade, even as his home life remained chaotic. He was a sports prodigy, excelling in track and field, basketball and football, a game he had studied for years.

He began playing football for his new school in 11th grade, quickly establishing himself as one of the nation’s top offensive linemen, and college scholarship offers poured in from big-time football programs across the country.

Because of his unstable housing situation, Oher frequently stayed over at the homes of his classmates, including the Tuohys, whose children attended the school. The petition says that the Tuohys forged a closer relationship with him once Oher’s athletic prowess drew wide attention. They invited him to spend more nights at their spacious Memphis home and took him shopping. Eventually, they asked Oher to move in. They encouraged him to address them as “mom” and “dad,” and said they planned to adopt him, the filing says.

Oher was delighted with all that at the time, his lawyer said, and he fully trusted the Tuohys.

Oher went on to play college football at the University of Mississippi, the Tuohys’ alma mater. He was a two-time All-American and a first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2009.

In his new book, Michael Oher says the film depicting his life has been a “large source of some of my deepest hurt and pain over the past 14 years.” Denny Simmons/The Tennessean/Imagn

After the success of “The Blind Side,” however, suspicion slowly eclipsed Oher’s trust of the Tuohys, his lawyer said.

“Mike’s relationship with the Tuohy family started to decline when he discovered that he was portrayed in the movie as unintelligent,” Stranch said. “Their relationship continued to deteriorate as he learned that he was the only member of the family not receiving royalty checks from the movie, and it was permanently fractured when he realized he wasn’t adopted and a part of the family.”

For years, Oher has chafed at how “The Blind Side” depicted him, saying it hurt his football career and clouded how people view him. He has said that based on the film, some NFL decision-makers assumed he was mentally slow or lacked leadership skills.

“People look at me, and they take things away from me because of a movie,” Oher told ESPN in 2015. “They don’t really see the skills and the kind of player I am.”

For their part, the Tuohys agreed that Oher always had what it took to succeed. “If there is a fundamental misapprehension about Michael, it’s that he needed saving,” the Tuohys wrote in their book. “We discovered that underneath his shyness, his foot shuffling, and his head ducking, he had a tremendous will to determine the course of his own life.”

For years, Oher has said, he was content to live with the myth created by the movie, reasoning that its inspirational message outweighed the pain inflicted by what he saw as its inaccurate portrayal of his life. But that has changed.

“There has been so much created from The Blind Side that I am grateful for, which is why you might find it as a shock that the experience surrounding the story has also been a large source of some of my deepest hurt and pain over the past 14 years,” Oher wrote in his book “When Your Back’s Against the Wall,” released last week.

“Beyond the details of the deal, the politics, and the money behind the book and movie, it was the principle of the choices some people made that cut me the deepest.”

The Tuohys tale is that the Conservatorship was actually a ploy to stymie the NCAA as they steered Oher to Sean Tuohy’s alma mater. SI.com:

Hours after the news broke, Tuohy said in an interview with The Daily Memphian he and his family were “devastated” by Oher’s allegations. He also denied his family made millions from the movie.

“We didn’t make any money off the movie,” Tuohy said. “Well, Michael Lewis [the author of the book ‘The Blind Side’] gave us half of his share. Everybody in the family got an equal share, including Michael. It was about $14,000, each.

“We’re devastated. It’s upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children. But we’re going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16.”

In regards to the conservatorship, Tuohy, a former Ole Miss basketball player and supporter of the school’s athletics, went on to claim that it was “the only thing” he and Leigh Ann could do to legally make Oher a part of their family so he could attend Ole Miss since he was over 18.

Tuohy also stated his family brought Oher’s mother into the proceedings in order to make sure the conservatorship was handled properly. In his petition, Oher claimed the Tuohys, who’ve called him their adoptive son over the years, never actually adopted him and pretended they did so they could make money.

“Michael was obviously living with us for a long time, and the NCAA didn’t like that,” Tuohy said. “They said the only way Michael could go to Ole Miss was if he was actually part of the family. I sat Michael down and told him, ‘If you’re planning to go to Ole Miss—or even considering Ole Miss—we think you have to be part of the family. This would do that, legally.’ We contacted lawyers who had told us that we couldn’t adopt over the age of 18. The only thing we could do was to have a conservatorship.

“We were so concerned it was on the up-and-up that we made sure the biological mother came to court.”

While the proceedings between Oher and the Tuohys are in the preliminary stages, Sean said the family will end the conservatorship if Oher wants.

So many questions – the basic one being – did Oher ever ask, formally or informally, for the Tuohys to join him in dissolving the conservatorship at any point between his departure from Ole Miss, during his NFL career and now at the age of 37?  Or did he and lawyer Stranch just walk into the Shelby County courthouse with suit from the blind side?

Stranch claims “millions” in his legal filing, Tuohy says $14,000 each is at stake (and was given to Oher).

A somewhat larger number, still well shy of “millions” spills from the lips of the Tuohy’s son.  Jason Munz of the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

The biological son of the Tuohy family, the subject of former NFL player Michael Oher’s legal challenge of a conservatorship agreement, discussed the situation Monday.

“I get it, why he’s mad,” SJ Tuohy said during an interview Monday with Barstool Sports. “It stinks that it’ll play out on a very public stage. That part sucks, but, oh well.”

Oher grew up in Memphis and played football at Briarcrest Christian School and Ole Miss before becoming a first-round NFL draft pick in 2009. On Monday, he filed a petition in Shelby County probate court asking a judge to grant an order to end the conservatorship that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy had signed in 2004.

Oher’s petition argues that the Tuohys “enriched themselves” at his expense. Oher’s life story was the subject of a 2006 book by Michael Lewis and was later adapted into the movie “The Blind Side,” which generated more than $300 million at the box office and millions more in home video sales. SJ Tuohy indicated during the Barstool Sports interview how much money he has seen in recent years from royalty checks.

But SJ Tuohy — the executive director of The Kingdom, which is the name, image and likeness collective for UCF athletics — balked at the notion that any member of his family made an exorbitant amount of money off the film.

“I’ve never once talked about, truthfully, um, how much money I have made off the movie,” SJ Tuohy said. “But candidly — I mean, I don’t really care that much, it’s gonna be public record now anyway. But . . . remember I got the first check. I was at the University of Arkansas (as a member of the coaching staff). We were in Memphis. We were, uh, um — I’m trying not to get me illegal recruiting implications. I was around my house at the time. I met my dad for lunch and he gave me a check, and I’m like, ‘We get paid off this thing?’

“He’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s made so much money now that they can’t hide it.’ We’ve probably — we, as in me personally only, because I can speak to that — I’ve made like $60, $70 grand over the course of the last four or five years.”

Were the Tuohys really so avaricious that they gave Michael Oher nothing?

Why did the conservatorship linger?  You would think one side or the other would want to get out from it once Ole Miss was in his rearview mirror.

The Tuohys had numerous Taco Bell restaurants and are believed to be prosperous.

According to Sportrac, Oher made $34,506,875 in his NFL career.

Most of America will now think the Tuohys are slimy after today’s stories, no matter how it is resolved.    And some will wonder why it came to be that Oher’s attorneys grandstanded with a law suit, when a strongly-worded private letter might had done the trick, if even necessary.

ALEX COLLINS RIP

RB Alex Collins, who last played in the NFL, has passed away after the motorcycle he was driving crashed into an SUV.  Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com:

Alex Collins, the former Arkansas running back who went on to play five seasons in the NFL, died after he was involved in a motorcycle crash in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, on Sunday night, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

He was 28.

Collins crashed into a sport-utility vehicle on West Oakland Park Boulevard, according to the news release. The SUV was making a left turn when Collins’ motorcycle hit its rear passenger side, causing him to go through a window and come to rest inside the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash is under investigation.

“Alex was cherished by his family and friends as well as supporters from all around the world,” Collins’ family said in a statement Monday night. “All who truly know him can attest to his drive, determination, and larger-than-life personality.”

A fifth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2016, Collins was released by Seattle a year later and became one of the biggest surprises of the 2017 Baltimore Ravens. He led Baltimore with 973 yards rushing and six touchdowns, celebrating each score with an Irish dance that he learned from the daughter of his high school football coach.

“With heavy hearts, we mourn the passing of Alex Collins,” the Ravens said. “Always quick to greet everyone with a smile, he was a genuinely kind person who carried a special joy and passion wherever he went. May Alex always be remembered for the light and love he brought to so many people in his life.”

In 2018, Collins struggled to match the same success and was placed on injured reserve in December because of a foot injury. Baltimore released him four months later after he was charged on gun and drug violations. He returned to Seattle in 2020 and ’21, and was the team’s lead back for a time after starter Chris Carson was injured.

In a social media post, former Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson called Collins one of his favorite teammates.

Collins most recently played this spring with the USFL’s Memphis Showboats, rushing for 98 yards and a touchdown in three games.

“Alex was a joy to be around and someone whose light shined brightly,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said in a statement. “I’ll always remember him for being a great teammate who had an uplifting spirit that impacted everyone he encountered. He was also a smart player who ran with unlimited determination, and he contributed to a lot of our success during his time in Baltimore.”

Before the NFL, Collins starred at Arkansas, where he rushed for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons and scored 20 touchdowns as a junior. He is one of just five players in SEC history to rush for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons, along with Herschel Walker, Kevin Faulk, Darren McFadden and Benny Snell Jr., according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

“We are so saddened by the sudden and tragic passing of Alex Collins. He was a legendary Razorback and an even better person,” the Arkansas football account posted on social media.

Ryan Mallett, a backup quarterback for that 2017 Ravens team who also starred at Arkansas in college, also died earlier this summer. He drowned in late June while swimming with his girlfriend in Florida.

Collins was known for an affinity for Irish dance, and was clearly a great teammate.  This from Robert Griffin III:

Alex Collins was so special man. Amazing teammate and a guy everyone was down to kick it with. This man invited me and wifey out one time in Baltimore and I will never forget it. We show up to the spot and AC is no where to be found. We are looking around for him for 20 min and finally I feel a little nudge on my shoulder. I turnaround and AC is walking behind me, drops his shades to his nose and signals with his eyes to follow him. It was so funny and smooth, we forgot he was 20 min late. AC told us he had to be discreet because he couldn’t have everyone knowing he was there. The rest of the night, we found out why. Everywhere AC went that night everyone knew him. Everyone was excited to see him, laughing when he came around and showing him love. You see everyone loved this man and his energy was contagious. To end the night, he hit this dance with all the fans watching him on the dance floor. WHAT A NIGHT and WHAT A GUY AC WAS. Shared more laughs than people know and I’m blessed to have been your teammate my brother. Rest In Peace.

32 LESSONS FROM WEEK 1

Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com has thoughts on all 32 teams after Week 1:

Arizona Cardinals

Colt McCoy is probably a safe bet to start Week 1. There’d been some buzz about rookie Clayton Tune handling QB1 duties for the rehabbing Kyler Murray, but he had a predictably uneven debut, whereas McCoy went 4 for 4 before exiting to rest. Don’t rule out feisty reserve David Blough as a dark-horse candidate for early-season snaps, too.

Atlanta Falcons

The defense may actually be turning a corner. Primarily a sieve under Arthur Smith, the revamped unit made plays at every level against the Dolphins. Ryan Nielsen’s entry as the defensive coordinator is something to monitor throughout the year.

Baltimore Ravens

Tyler Huntley is the clear No. 2 at QB. The local broadcast crew talked up all-time journeyman Josh Johnson as a candidate to become Lamar Jackson’s top backup, but Huntley remains the superior athlete and QB even in a new system, finding a solid rhythm working against the Eagles’ backups.

Buffalo Bills

There’s no cause for concern with their offensive depth. Against the Colts, Matt Barkley stood out as Josh Allen’s veteran backup, James Cook flashed his shiftiness alongside new sidekick Latavius Murray, and Andy Isabella stayed active competing for a rotational role out wide. This team is primed for another run.

Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young needs reinforcements up front. The rookie QB did his part getting rid of the ball quickly against the Jets’ pass rush, but getting Austin Corbett healthy would help shore things up. They’ve got good personnel in Ikem Ekwonu, Bradley Bozeman, etc., but they’ll need better execution and depth moving forward.

Chicago Bears

Justin Fields’ weapons are, indeed, better. Of course he still has to improve his decision-making over a full season, but the young QB needed just a few plays against the Titans to see how much D.J. Moore might open up their offense. Khalil Herbert also appears ready to emerge more fully from David Montgomery’s shadow.

Cincinnati Bengals

Their offensive line depth remains a concern. Joe Burrow’s front has gotten better each year, but Jackson Carman’s struggles at right tackle against the Packers are a reminder of their lack of insurance. Jonah Williams is set to open the year at RT, but pricey reserve La’el Collins is still recovering from injury.

Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson might have a new backup. Joshua Dobbs has more NFL experience, but rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been a star of the preseason, excelling as a dual threat in two different games. If he doesn’t officially supplant Dobbs before Week 1, you wonder if Kevin Stefanski might incorporate him in other ways.

Dallas Cowboys

They already have their RB2. Remember all the talk about an unlikely Ezekiel Elliott return? Sixth-round rookie Deuce Vaughn made it clear in his ultra-shifty debut that he’s more than capable of complementing Tony Pollard in Dallas’ backfield.

Denver Broncos

The Russell Wilson reclamation project is still in the works. It’s tough to truly assess his progress integrating to Sean Payton’s system, but the longtime Seahawks star was occasionally sluggish and scattershot before a late touchdown drive vs. Arizona.

Detroit Lions

It’s Teddy Bridgewater time (behind Jared Goff). Nate Sudfeld got lots of support from Lions coaches this offseason, but after Detroit added Bridgewater as a more experienced backup, Sudfeld threw two picks in a scoreless stretch against the Giants. It’d be an upset if Teddy doesn’t open 2023 as the No. 2, even though he just arrived.

Green Bay Packers

The young QB room could be a lot better than expected. Jordan Love was always gonna enter 2023 as a high-upside unknown, but he showcased elite touch on a TD pass against the Bengals. Rookie reserve Sean Clifford was even more surprising, rebounding from two picks with athletic gunslinging against Cincinnati backups.

Houston Texans

Tank Dell could be their go-to weapon. Rookie QB C.J. Stroud struggled in limited reps against the Patriots, but Dell’s electricity out wide should offset some of the concern. He easily offers the most juice of anyone at his position on Houston’s roster.

Indianapolis Colts

The Anthony Richardson roller coaster is confirmed. The Florida product entered as a raw passer with elite athletic traits, and that was very apparent against the Bills, with the rookie QB slinging an ugly pick but also showing off an effortlessly strong arm.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Nathan Rourke earned himself a job somewhere. The former CFL QB had maybe the highlight of the preseason, evading rushers to deliver an improbable TD against the Cowboys. Whether in Jacksonville or elsewhere, he’ll surely find work.

Kansas City Chiefs

It’s Richie James season. The former Giants wideout was already an underrated addition to Kansas City’s shuffled WR corps. His success downfield against the Saints proved he’s got the tools to have a breakout alongside Patrick Mahomes in 2023.

Las Vegas Raiders

Josh McDaniels might have sneakily found his QB of the future. OK, so that’s premature, but fourth-round rookie Aidan O’Connell was practically perfect operating from the pocket against the 49ers, making a case he already belongs as the top reserve behind Jimmy Garoppolo. We know the Purdue product isn’t a threat to run, but he spun the ball nicely all game.

Los Angeles Chargers

Quentin Johnston is a work in progress. Continuing a reportedly up-and-down summer, the first-rounder out of TCU scored but also dropped a few balls against the Rams. It may take time for Justin Herbert to trust him as he does the other wideouts.

Miami Dolphins

Their lack of QB insurance is glaring. New backup Mike White failed repeatedly in the red zone against the Falcons, underscoring how much pressure the Dolphins are indirectly putting on Tua Tagovailoa to both grow and stay healthy in 2023.

Minnesota Vikings

Jordan Addison is that dude when it comes to route-running. Impressive in camp, the rookie first-rounder displayed veteran-level footwork on a sideline catch that should’ve been upheld. He’s primed for a busy year opposite Justin Jefferson.

New England Patriots

They must find ways to get Malik Cunningham on the field. The undrafted Louisville QB was electric on the ground against the Texans, providing a welcome contrast to the more scripted styles of Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. Whether or not he actually makes noise under center in Bill O’Brien’s return as offensive coordinator, the Pats need that kind of dynamism.

New Orleans Saints

Their offense could be dazzling if healthy. The “if” is the key word. Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas have different availability concerns, but Derek Carr slinging it to them in his Saints debut against Kansas City was a pretty sight.

New York Giants

They still need pass rushers. The G-Men added more slot receivers than they can count this offseason, but what about help for Azeez Ojulari and Kayvon Thibodeaux? The pressure off the edge was lacking against the Lions, and the depth chart isn’t overly impressive beyond the projected starters.

New York Jets

Zach Wilson and Mekhi Becton appear to be settling in. The polarizing former first-rounders got prominent snaps against the Panthers and for the most part did their jobs, with Wilson controlling the ball and Becton upping his left-tackle duties. They still project as reserves for 2023, but at least the arrow is starting to point up.

Philadelphia Eagles

Their key offseason additions look good. New running back D’Andre Swift showed off both shiftiness and power in early snaps against the Ravens. And first-round pick Jalen Carter needed barely any playing time to get after the opposing QB.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The WRs are ready to break out. George Pickens broke free for a nice TD against the Buccaneers and already profiled as a candidate to make a big leap. But Calvin Austin also scored while showing off deep speed. Throw in veterans Diontae Johnson and Allen Robinson, and Kenny Pickett has the setup to do more damage through the air.

San Francisco 49ers

Trey Lance remains in purgatory. Starting against the Raiders, the former first-rounder showed nice improvisation behind an iffy line but also put the ball in harm’s way quite a bit, appearing more frenetic than Sam Darnold, his competition behind Brock Purdy. With Purdy all but locked into the QB1 gig, it remains to seen what the future has in store here.

Seattle Seahawks

They’ve got young building blocks. A year after unearthing gems in Kenneth Walker III and Tariq Woolen, Seattle got solid preseason debuts from rookies Zach Charbonnet, Jake Bobo and Jaxon Smith-Njigba against the Vikings.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield is pulling away in the QB competition. Kyle Trask has been given every opportunity to steal the job this offseason, but he struggled against the Steelers, whereas Mayfield smoothly guided a TD drive that ended with a nice touch pass. We all know Baker remains a mercurial option under center, but all signs point to him claiming the Week 1 gig.

Tennessee Titans

Will Levis needs time. Not surprising, but the Kentucky product was more erratic than even 2022 third-rounder Malik Willis against the Bears, absorbing four sacks and throwing a pick in his debut. Willis should be the favorite to back up Ryan Tannehill.

Washington Commanders

The Sam Howell-Jahan Dotson connection is working. The young duo had chemistry in the summer, and it continued against the Browns. Terry McLaurin is the leader of Washington’s WR corps, but Dotson is a prime candidate to break out.