If a team is allowed by local authorities to open up its stadium to fans this fall, the NFL won’t hold them hostage to the actions of politicians in other jurisdictions.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com sounds concerned:

Money trumps competitive balance.

With the NFL facing significant financial losses from games played without fans, the NFL will not be implemented a game-day approach that is identical for all teams, when it comes to attendance.

“Attendance will be a state-by-state, county-by-county thing,” an unnamed NFL source told Daniel Kaplan of TheAthletic.com. “It will not be a one size fits all.”

Which means that in some states, fans will be present for games. In others, not. And even though this will create inequities when it comes to crowd noise, that apparently will be acceptable because a one size fits all approach to attendance will result in no fans being present, for any NFL games.

The NFL remains highly optimistic that the season will be played in full. In some cities, there should be or eventually could be optimism that fans will be present to watch.

NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com on the inability of the Bears to solve their quarterback problems:

The central storyline for the 2020 Chicago Bears revolves around the same question that has haunted the franchise since Hall of Famer Sid Luckman retired 70 years ago.

Can the Bears finally stabilize the quarterback position?

– – –

According to ESPN.com‘s own Quarterback Index, the Bears rank last in the Super Bowl era in terms of QB production (48.3 out of a 100 point scale). During that time, the Bears have started a total of 50 quarterbacks, per ESPN Stats & Information research, the most of any NFL team in that span.

The highest NFL passer rating for a Chicago quarterback over that span (minimum five appearances) belongs to Josh McCown, who played in just 11 games for the Bears from 2011 to ’13. The lowest-rated passer during that time was Henry Burris, who appeared in six games for the Bears in 2002, starting only once and posting a 28.2 passer rating.

For the Bears, amid the intermittent high draft picks spent on quarterbacks, it has been a constant parade of has-beens, reclamation projects or dice rolls since 1966. For every Erik Kramer — who set the Bears’ single-season record for passing yards (3,838) and touchdown passes (29) in 1997 — they’ve hit on, there’s a Chad Hutchinson, Jimmy Clausen, Dave Krieg or Chris Chandler. Brian Griese, anyone?

“In my nine years as Bears offensive coordinator, we started nine different guys … It’s crazy,” former Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner said.

Of course, Chicago’s perpetual quarterback crisis is fraught with irony. The Bears actually created the modern-day quarterback when team founder George Halas switched the offense from the single-wing to the T-formation and moved Luckman from the tailback spot to quarterback. The Bears and Luckman revolutionized football.

Finding Luckman’s replacement has been a maddening exercise in futility. Why does this keep happening with the Bears? NFL Hall of Famer and team historian Don Pierson attributed this problem to a set of particular recurring failures.

“I’ve broken it down into six categories — bad management, bad trades, bad drafts, bad coaching, bad luck and injuries,” Pierson said.

Let’s take a look.

BAD DRAFTS: BEARS PASSED ON MONTANA, WATSON, MAHOMES

The NFL landscape is littered with high draft picks who flamed out, and this is perhaps the biggest reason the Bears have struggled to develop a franchise quarterback.

Over the years, the Bears seemingly have been averse to selecting a quarterback in the first round. Since 1966, the Bears have selected a quarterback with their first-round pick just four times.

Perhaps as an omen of things to come, the Bears selected Bobby Douglass in the second round of the 1969 NFL draft. More of a runner than a thrower, Douglass amassed a 47.5 passer rating in seven seasons as the Bears went 13-31-1 in his starts. Ten years later, the organization inexplicably passed on a future Hall of Famer in the 1979 draft.

In that draft, the Bears did find one Hall of Famer — cornerstone of the famed 46 defense, defensive end Dan Hampton — in the first round. But as the Bears approached the third round (No. 66 overall), they had a shot at another future Hall of Famer.

“Every mock draft the Bears had done internally had Joe Montana coming to them in the third round,” Pierson said. “So, there’s Montana sitting there in the third round, and [former Bears general manager] Jim Finks gets cold feet because he didn’t want to confuse the Bears’ quarterback situation of Mike Phipps, Vince Evans and Bob Avellini, who took them to the playoffs.”

Instead, the Bears selected running back Willie McClendon out of Georgia. McClendon played four seasons, amassing just 369 yards rushing and two touchdowns before he was out of the NFL.

“So, they decided to pass on Joe Montana,” Pierson said. “I mean, that’s just silly.”

It wouldn’t be until 1982 that the Bears would finally select a quarterback with a first-round pick when they took Jim McMahon, out of Brigham Young, with the No. 5 pick overall. Until then, the Bears hadn’t selected a QB in the first round since 1951, when they picked Bob Williams with the No. 2 overall pick out of Notre Dame. Five years after McMahon, they took Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh with the 16th pick overall.

To be sure, McMahon led the Bears to their only Super Bowl win in 1985 and still holds the best win-loss record of any Bears quarterback at 46-15. Harbaugh had moderate success, going 35-30 as a starter for the Bears before leaving in 1993. But then it would be 12 years until the Bears took another quarterback in the first round.

In the 1999 NFL Draft, the Bears selected UCLA quarterback Cade McNown with the 12th overall pick. Like Harbaugh and McMahon, McNown was a highly successful college quarterback, setting a number of records at UCLA, winning the Johnny Unitas Award as college football’s best quarterback and coming in third in Heisman Trophy voting. However, McNown simply could not replicate that success at the pro level, plagued by injury, inconsistency and a questionable work ethic. McNown was gone after just two seasons, having gone 3-12 as a starter, posting a 67.7 passer rating.

After McNown’s failure, the Bears next used one of their two first-round picks in 2003 on Florida quarterback Rex Grossman.

Like McNown, Grossman was a highly decorated college quarterback with a gunslinger mentality. A Midwest kid, Grossman’s Indiana roots made him a seemingly good fit for the Bears. In three seasons in Gainesville, Grossman threw for 9,164 yards and 77 touchdowns, was a remarkably efficient passer (161.8 in 1999), won an SEC championship and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting in 2001. He chose to forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility.

After joining the Bears, however, it was a slow progression. Part of that was planned, as Grossman was to learn the job under veterans such as Chandler and Kordell Stewart. Grossman also suffered injuries in each of his first three NFL seasons. Finally named the starter in 2004, Grossman’s inconsistency and lack of preparation drew criticism early and often.

“I love Rex, but his preparation was inconsistent, and that’s how he played,” Turner said. “That Super Bowl year, Rex had some really good games, but he also had some really awful games.”

Grossman’s 2006 season illustrates this. The “shark teeth” nature to his peaks and valleys that season displayed moments of greatness and the depths of mediocrity. Still, Grossman was named the 2006 NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September as the Bears — behind the league’s best defense — stormed their way to Super Bowl XLI, where they eventually lost to the Indianapolis Colts.

But even as the Bears prospered, Grossman’s often erratic play worried everyone, including head coach Lovie Smith, who replaced Grossman the following season with Brian Griese and later Kyle Orton. Grossman’s last year in Chicago was 2008.

“Everyone in Chicago also said, there’s ‘Good Rex’ and ‘Bad Rex,’ and that was the thing that hurt him,” Turner said. “He had tremendous talent, but the inconsistencies in his preparation showed up on game day.”

It would take another 14 years for the Bears to select a quarterback in the first round: Trubisky out of North Carolina with the No. 2 overall pick in 2017.

The Bears find themselves in their current quarterback predicament because general manager Ryan Pace traded up to draft Trubisky second overall in 2017, ahead of Houston Texans two-time Pro Bowler Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes, who would go on to become a Super Bowl MVP.

The Bears’ original plan called for Trubisky, who started only one full season at North Carolina, to sit and learn for at least one year behind veteran Mike Glennon (who was signed as a free agent to a three-year, $45 million deal ($18.5 million guaranteed). However, Glennon struggled so mightily that then-Chicago head coach John Fox reluctantly turned to Trubisky to jump-start his team’s fortunes in Week 5.

“[Trubisky] was forced into duty too early,” former Bears quarterback and preseason television analyst Jim Miller said. “I don’t think their record is any different if Mike Glennon starts that whole year. So, Mitch is forced in — he wasn’t ready.

“Quick decisions, the requirement to process a lot of information — and I think that’s been a struggle for him,” Miller added. “Head coach Matt Nagy said at the end of last year Mitch still needs to learn to read defenses. Until he does that and understands what he is seeing, I think he is going to struggle. This is really the tell-tale year for him. This is going to decide the story of where he’s at, this season.”

BAD TRADES: CUTLER’S LEGACY COMPLICATED

Over the years, if the draft proved to be a minefield for the Bears to select quarterbacks, they helped their cause very little with large-scale trades on which they pinned QB savior hopes.

In 1997, the Bears traded a first-round pick to Seattle for quarterback Rick Mirer.

– – –

But the Bears’ brass thought Mirer could be reinvigorated in Chicago and was worth trading the draft pick.

However, the dynamic running/passing combination everyone saw at Notre Dame was replaced by a player with nervous feet, low confidence and a penchant for throwing on the run. Some blamed bad habits Mirer picked up in Seattle, others blamed the Bears for plopping Mirer into a jumble of quarterback soup in which none of the players felt secure or comfortable. Mirer lasted only one season in Chicago, posting a miserable 37.7 passer rating in just three starts.

In April 2009, then-general manager Jerry Angelo swung for the fences and acquired cannon-armed Jay Cutler from Denver in exchange for a pair of first-round picks, a third-round pick and Kyle Orton (the Bears also got back a fifth-round choice).

Over eight seasons, Cutler became the most statistically decorated quarterback in franchise history. At 102 games, Cutler by far started the most games of any Bears quarterback in the Super Bowl era. He passed for more than 23,000 yards, 154 touchdowns and an 85.2 passer rating. For perspective, in nearly every category Cutler’s numbers more than double McMahon’s, who sits third in games started for the Bears. Cutler’s pass attempts also are more than double McMahon’s and he correspondingly threw double the interceptions.

But McMahon’s legacy was cemented by the Bears’ 1985 Super Bowl win. Cutler’s legacy, on the other hand, is, well, complicated.

“I said at the time that I was not for the trade,” Turner said. “I said at the time that Orton was getting better and the guys in the locker room loved him. Kyle was a leader. The team respected him. There is no doubt we would have won a lot of games and Orton would have had a very, very good career had we just left him as the starter. I was not for the trade at all. But the trade was made, you deal with it, and you move on. I can understand why Jerry [Angelo] made the trade, but I didn’t think it was best for the team, and a lot of guys in the locker room didn’t think so, either.”

Turner worked with Cutler for only one season.

“It was just an up-and-down year,” Turner said. “Jay was up and down. I don’t think he ever bought into what we were doing. He wanted his own coordinator in there. He wanted someone different. His demeanor and his attitude and his preparation kind of showed that. Everyone talks about Jay’s demeanor and body language and stuff like that, but it was just a situation where he didn’t totally buy in and it just didn’t work.”

Cutler’s attitude and body language became stuff of legend.

“Just my opinion of Jay, he seemed kind of aloof,” Miller said. “I don’t know if he ever embraced the city like I did or other quarterbacks did. I think you have to have a connection, and I don’t think he ever had that connection where he was all-in.”

INJURIES: McMAHON, KRAMER DERAILED

Injuries also adversely affected the careers of Bears quarterbacks, which subsequently derailed the Bears’ postseason hopes in routine fashion. McMahon led the Bears to their only Super Bowl championship in 1985 but struggled to stay healthy in subsequent years.

Kramer enjoyed one of the most prolific seasons by a Bears quarterback in 1995, when he passed for 3,838 yards, 29 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The next year, he threw just three touchdowns and six interceptions while plagued by injury.

– – –

Miller had a terrific year in 2001, when he guided the Bears to a surprise 13-3 record and a division title, but Miller suffered a nasty shoulder injury in Chicago’s home playoff loss to the Eagles.

“That shoulder injury was more severe than anybody thought,” Miller said. “I came back the following year and my shoulder wasn’t right. I ended up playing the whole year with it. I did a lot more damage than anybody thought. It took me six surgeries to get my shoulder right. It was just unfortunate. I felt I had found my place. I felt very comfortable in Chicago. I was ready. I felt I was ready. I felt this was the perfect city for me — blue collar like me, they think like me and they appreciate hard work and effort.”

The Bears released Miller before the 2003 season.

BAD COACHING CREATES ‘TOXIC ENVIRONMENT’

According to Pierson, Mike Ditka might have been many things but a great quarterbacks coach he was not. Bears fans might remember vividly Ditka routinely berating Harbaugh on the sidelines as well as in postgame dress-downs.

“McMahon knew more offense than anybody in the building. Coaching was a problem in that era, too,” Pierson said.

Cutler, too, learned quickly that the grass isn’t always greener when it comes to coaches. The continuity needed for success was lacking, as the Bears changed playcallers (Martz, Mike Tice, Marc Trestman, Adam Gase, Dowell Loggains) five more times before Cutler’s time in Chicago concluded.

BAD LUCK: EVEN A ROSARY COULDN’T SAVE BEARS’ QB

Not even divine intervention could save Chicago’s quarterbacks.

“In 1984, they had seven or eight quarterbacks they had to play,” Pierson said. “One game they had to play a quarterback named Rusty Lisch. Now, Rusty is a very religious guy. So, Rusty screws up and Ditka pulls him out of the game and just cusses him up and down. Later on in the same game, another Bears quarterback gets hurt and Ditka has to put Lisch back in the game.

“Well … Lisch won’t go back in. Ditka is furious, ‘What do you mean he won’t go back in?’ The assistant coach tells him, ‘Mike, you can’t talk to Rusty like that.’ On the plane ride home Lisch is reading the Bible and Ditka walks up to him and goes, ‘I hope there is something in that book about job opportunities, because you’ll need one on Monday.’ Lisch responded by bringing Ditka a rosary on Monday to try and calm him down.”

It didn’t work, either.

NFC EAST

PHILADELPHIA

Eagles TE DALLAS GOEDERT was in a bar in Aberdeen, South Dakota, minding his own business with his two sisters and their husbands, when he ran into (or rather was run into) by a Lexus salesman from Sarasota, Florida.  Les Bowen in the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Kyle Douglas Hadala, 29, from Sarasota, Fla., has been charged with simple assault for punching Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert early Saturday in an Aberdeen, S.D. bar, Aberdeen police said Monday.

The department’s announcement on its Facebook page directed further inquiries to the Brown County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Sources indicated Sunday that an arrest had been made, but there was no official confirmation until Monday.

A source with knowledge of the situation said Goedert “was with some friends and family, and two guys kept saying disrespectful things.” The source said Goedert walked over to “tell them to chill,” and was punched.

Hadala is listed as having been arrested in Marion County, Fla., and charged with DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia in 2008.

A video of the incident was posted Sunday on Twitter, apparently taken from security footage at the Zoo Bar. In the video, when Goedert enters the frame from the right side, he has his hand against the chest of a man who is backing away. Goedert then takes a punch to the face from someone coming up from the bottom of the screen. Goedert seems to be unconscious as he lands on the floor, on his back.

People immediately come to his aid and obscure the video view. Other people seem to end up in a pile to the right of Goedert, with the person who punched him. The man Goedert was pushing away before he was punched stands at the edge of the crowd, then turns and leaves.

Goedert reportedly was checked out at a local hospital, but a source described him as “more embarrassed than hurt.” His agent, Chase Callahan, deferred comment.

More on Hadala from Heavy.com:

The man who attacked Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert at a South Dakota bar is now out of the job.

The Florida man — 29-year-old Kyle Douglas Halada — who sucker-punched the Eagles’ tight end at the Zoo Bar in Aberdeen, South Dakota, was reportedly traveling on a business trip when the encounter happened. However, Halada’s last known employer (Wilde Lexus of Sarasota, per his LinkedIn page) claims he has not worked at the car dealership since May 2, 2020. The store felt a need to put out a statement after their social media accounts became flooded with irate Eagles fans calling for Halada’s departure.

The company wrote the following message on Facebook: “The Wilde Automotive Family in no way condones any acts of violence. The former employee in question has not worked at any of our facilities since May 2, 2020, nor do we have any association with him. We wish Dallas Goedert a speedy recovery and good health.”

Classy move. Meanwhile, Hadala has been charged with simple assault for punching Goedert. The crime is considered a Class 1 misdemeanor in South Dakota and carries up to one year in jail, plus a fine of up to $2,000. Hadala was also arrested in Marion County, Fla., and charged with DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia in 2008. He’s due in court on July 10.

The former car salesman seemed to be living his best life before the fight. He had just been married, per LinkedIn, and bought a home. Ironically, Hadala was “looking to possibly find a new career.”

I’ve been in Automotive sales industry for 7 years.

I have had a successful career starting at 21 years old. Working for Deluca Toyota for 3 years. Moving to Sarasota and working for Germain Toyota of sarasota for 2.5 years. Now I’m currently with Wilde Lexus of Sarasota almost 2 years. Bought my first home at 25 and just got married back in August. Looking to possibly find a new career.

WASHINGTON

They are still the Redskins, but a part of the Washington team’s history, its founding, is being erased.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com says it is a start:

Last week, his monument came down (awkwardly) at RFK Stadium and his name was removed from the lower bowl at FedEx Field. This week, former Washington owner George Preston Marshall is being even further expunged from any positions of honor or prestige with the franchise.

The team has confirmed to multiple reporters that Marshall will be removed from the franchise’s Ring of Fame. His name also will be removed from the “History Wall” outside the team’s locker room at their practice facility. The news was first reported by John Keim of ESPN.com.

Marshall notoriously refused to integrate his roster, eventually becoming the last NFL team to hire a black player after the Kennedy administration prevented the team from playing in its then-new stadium in D.C. until Marshall relented.

The question now becomes whether these steps are a precursor to changing the dictionary-defined racial slur that the team uses as its nickname, or whether current owner Daniel Snyder will believe that wiping Marshall out of the team’s history books will be enough of a gesture.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal (hardly a left-wing rag) quoted an unnamed league executive who said that a name change “needs to happen.” But the league continues to defer to Snyder, and Snyder continues to refuse to relent.

Here’s what Snyder needs to keep in mind, as he keeps his heels dug in: His current behavior has parallels to Marshall’s in the early 1960s, and to the extent Snyder’s team ever accomplishes anything that would potentially qualify him for placement in the Ring of Fame, Snyder’s current intransigence eventually will get him removed, too.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Marshall and African-Americans:

Marshall has gained infamy for his intractable opposition to having African-Americans on his roster. According to professor Charles Ross, “For 24 years Marshall was identified as the leading racist in the NFL”. Though the league had previously had a sprinkling of black players, black players were excluded from all NFL teams in 1933. While the rest of the league began signing individual black players in 1946 and actually drafting black players in 1949, Marshall held out until 1962 before signing a black player. Along with his own personal views, Marshall refused to sign African-American players because of a desire to appeal to Southern markets. Famously, Marshall said, “We will sign black players when the Harlem Globetrotters start playing white players.” Until the Dallas Cowboys entered the league in 1960, the Redskins were the southernmost team in the NFL. His intractability was routinely mocked in Washington Post columns by legendary writer Shirley Povich, who sarcastically used terms from the civil rights movement and related court cases to describe games: for instance, he once wrote that Jim Brown “integrated” the end zone, making the score “separate but unequal”.

Finally, in 1962, Interior Secretary Stewart Udall and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy issued an ultimatum — unless Marshall signed a black player, the government would revoke the Redskins’ 30-year lease on the year-old D.C. Stadium (now Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium), which had been paid for by government money and was owned by the Washington city government. Udall and Kennedy were well within their rights to do this because the Constitution vests the federal government with ultimate authority over the District. Marshall’s chief response was to make Ernie Davis, Syracuse’s all-American running back, his number-one draft choice for 1962. Davis, however, demanded a trade, saying, “I won’t play for that S.O.B.”He got his wish, as the team sent him to Cleveland for All-Pro Bobby Mitchell. Mitchell was the first African American football player to play a game for the Redskins, and he played with the team from 1962 through 1969, initially at running back, but he made his biggest impact at wide receiver. Mitchell was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

That said, it is possible the team’s name was something of a tribute to some early members of the team, possibly a play off the Native-American inspired name of a co-tenant.

In 1932, he and three other partners were awarded an NFL franchise for Boston. This team became known as the Boston Braves, as they played on the same field as baseball’s Boston Braves. Marshall’s partners left the team after one season, leaving him in control. In 1933 he moved the team from Braves Field to Fenway Park, which the team would share with the Red Sox, hiring coach “Lone Star” William Henry Dietz, who may have been part Sioux, and changing the team nickname to the Redskins. There were four Indians on the original Redskins team in 1933.

And this:

Marshall did many things to try to endear the team to the people of Washington. During the 1937 season, Marshall rented a train and brought 10,000 fans to New York City to watch the team play the New York Giants. These actions paid off, and even today, Redskins fans are considered among the league’s most loyal, and some of the most likely to travel in large numbers to away games.

In the 1950s, Marshall was the first NFL owner to embrace the new medium of television. He initiated the first network appearances for any NFL team and built a huge television network to broadcast Redskins games across the South.

The last sentence may have something to do with Marshall’s reluctance to integrate his team, although that would seem a poor excuse.

NFC SOUTH

NEW ORLEANS

CB MALCOLM JENKINS says America needs uncomfortable conversations like the one he had with QB DREW BREES.  Jeff Nowak of the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

The Saints safety spoke on “The Daily Show” Monday evening about several topics, including the emotional messages and conversation with Drew Brees after comments the quarterback made regarding protests by NFL players.

“Yea, I think my interaction with Drew is a microcosm to what we need to do as a country,” Jenkins said as he spoke with host Trevor Noah by Skype. “That was the reason I posted [the video].”

Jenkins’ was far from the lone criticism heaped on Brees — even within his own locker room — after an interview with Yahoo Finance, during which the Saints quarterback said he would “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States or our country.” He went on to explain his connection to the military through his family.

Brees was referring to players taking a knee during the national anthem before games to protest police brutality against black communities, which was started by then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016.

Several teammates called him out publicly shortly thereafter, including some of the Saints’ biggest stars in Michael Thomas, Cameron Jordan and Alvin Kamara.

But Jenkins, long outspoken on social justice topics and returning to the Saints after six years with the Philadelphia Eagles, explained more as to why he posted the video even after speaking with Brees.

“I had actually recorded it before we talked, and I posted it anyway because I thought ‘this is something that people need to see,’ Jenkins said. “And I think we for a long time have tried to put reconciliation before truth, but when you do that you don’t really understand what is oppressing people and really what the problems are.”

Brees posted an initial apology the next morning, followed hours later by a video message to relay those words again. A day later he doubled-down on those words in a response to President Donald Trump’s Twitter criticism on his about-face.

In an Instagram post over an image bearing the words “to President Trump,” Brees explained that he understood the protests he was speaking to had never been about the flag.

In the ensuing days Jenkins announced he’d be joining CNN as a regular contributor.

“We try to move to a post-racial type of society and move on from our past without actually addressing the history and the way that our past pretty much paints the present,” Jenkins said Monday. “And until we change the direction that we’re going, until we change the systems that were put in place in the past, we’ll always be tethered to that. And I think that starts with truth.”

TAMPA BAY

Phil Krueger, a key front office figure for Tampa Bay in the 1980s, has passed away at age 90.  Krueger was John McKay’s detail man serving in a variety of roles including special teams coach AND player contract negotiator.  Yes, some staffs were so small back in those days that a person might do both jobs at the same time.

Krueger was in the midst of the events of 1982 and 1983 when Doug Williams went unsigned and left for Oklahoma of the WFL while the Buccaneers traded a first round pick for Jack Thompson who was not the answer.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times manages to do an obituary where the words “Doug Williams” do not appear:

Mr. Krueger compiled a 31-22 record as the head coach at Fresno State (1964-65) and Utah State (1973-75), and joined John McKay’s staff at Southern California (1966-70) in between as a defensive assistant. McKay hired him to coach the offensive backfield during the Bucs’ inaugural 1976 season.

Mr. Krueger also coached linebackers and special teams before moving to the front office following the 1980 season. He was known as a shrewd contract negotiator during a time when there was limited free agency and no salary cap.

He was named the Bucs’ first general manager (previously, coaches had control of personnel) in 1991, but coach Richard Williamson’s team went 3-13 and he left following that season.

After moving to south Florida to be closer to his daughter, Kristi, football remained in Mr. Krueger’s blood. He worked three years as a consultant for the Kajima Deers, a professional football team in Tokyo, Japan.

Mr. Krueger was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army and a Korean War veteran, also earning the Bronze Star.

Mr. Krueger is survived by his wife of 59 years, Kathy; daughter Kristi Krueger, a long-time newscaster at WPLG-TV in Miami, and son-in-law Todd Templin.

– – –

Jenna Laine of ESPN.com on the Bucs, led by Tom Brady, defying the guidance of “experts” by continuing to workout together.  She gives us a good history of the pandemic’s impact (or lack thereof) on the NFL:

The league office has been made aware of the workouts, as has the NFLPA and the Buccaneers, who officially reopened their team facilities on June 10. Bucs coaches returned to the facilities June 15, but players still are not permitted to enter unless they are receiving medical treatment.

“Everyone associated with the NFL should follow the recommendations and guidelines of state and local authorities and medical experts, including the NFLPA,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told ESPN. “The league is working with the NFLPA to conclude the remaining protocols and finalize arrangements for the safe opening of training camps next month.”

“We have no further comment at this time outside of the statement we released through Dr. Mayer,” an NFLPA spokesman told ESPN.

Infections in the state of Florida and in the Tampa Bay region are on the rise. The Hillsborough County government released a public service announcement on social media Saturday featuring Bucs coach Bruce Arians encouraging residents to take precautions, just as the state eclipsed 100,000 infections, with a record one-day surge of 4,000 new cases.

“During these difficult times, it is important that we all show we care about our community’s health,” Arians said in the video. “You could spread COVID-19 without knowing it. Wear a mask, wash your hands, keep your distance from each other, stay strong, and go Bucs.”

Since Florida’s reopening, younger people make up a significantly larger portion of new infections. The average age of infections is now 37 in Hillsborough County.

The Bucs aren’t the only team to conduct group workouts this offseason after OTAs and minicamps were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, nor are they the only team to have been affected by the virus, which has infected over 9 million people worldwide and killed 476,376 as of Tuesday morning, with the U.S. reaching over 2.4 million infections and 122,877 deaths.

A San Francisco 49ers player who was working out with teammates in Nashville, Tennessee, tested positive for the virus. Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and Denver Broncos defensive back Kareem Jackson have both tested positive recently.

In March, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton tested positive for the virus. Broncos pass-rusher Von Miller tested positive for the virus in April and told the team’s website, “It’s super serious. … I know if I can get it, then I know that anybody can get it. I want people to really take it seriously.”

NFC WEST

SEATTLE

The Seahawks are thinking about a risky signing of a formerly high-profile player – but it is not QB Colin Kaepernick.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

Antonio Brown played in just one game last season and faces a litany of off-field issues that could ultimately lead to a suspension. The talent of one of the best receivers in the game, however, could get Brown another shot.

NFL Network’s Michael Silver reported Tuesday on NFL NOW that the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens are having internal discussions about potentially bringing in the former All-Pro wideout.

“Teams are sniffing around,” Silver said. “I would keep an eye on the Seattle Seahawks. Antonio Brown has been doing some offseason workouts with their backup quarterback Geno Smith. They are absolutely interested in having him potentially as a late-season addition … assuming there is a suspension. And the Baltimore Ravens — his cousin Marquise Brown is on that team — they have sniffed around in the past. They are mulling that over too. So internal discussions in both of those organizations. Keep an eye on Seattle and Baltimore.”

Brown pleaded no contest earlier this month to burglary and battery charges stemming from a January incident in Florida.

The NFL is also investigating civil allegations of sexual assault and rape against Brown in addition to intimidating texts to a woman accusing the receiver of making past unwanted advances toward her.

The latter incident ultimately led to Brown’s release from New England after he played in just one game. Prior to joining the Patriots, Brown spent the offseason with Oakland, where he had a multitude of issues, including a foot injury following a cryotherapy mishap and complaints about his helmet. The 31-year-old ultimately coaxed his release from the Raiders.

Teams signing Brown will have to weigh his unquestionable talent with potential distractions and off-field questions, as well as any potential league discipline.

The Seahawks and Ravens have both sought to upgrade the receiving corps of playoff-caliber squads. Thus far Baltimore eschewed the veteran market, leaning on a top trio of Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin and Willie Snead. Pairing Antonio Brown with his cousin, Marquise, could make an already dynamic offense even more potent. The question is whether John Harbaugh would want to inject Brown into what seems a harmonious locker room that won 14 games last season.

The Seahawks, who have also considered bringing back Josh Gordon if reinstated, seem destined to add another receiver at some point. Seattle brought in Philip Dorsett this offseason to go alongside Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf.

AFC NORTH

PITTSBURGH

He hasn’t seen it with his own eyes, but Mike Tomlin says his medical experts like what they’ve seen from QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER.  Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Tomlin’s conference call with reporters was his first since the NFL Draft, which presented a chance for him to update the status of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in his recovery from right elbow surgery.

Roethlisberger began throwing passes to teammates in mid-May, but Tomlin has not personally watched any of the quarterback’s sessions.

“I’ve communicated with him consistently throughout,” Tomlin said. “The medical experts are comfortable with where he is in the rehabilitation process and the overall trajectory of his readiness for 2020. All those things being said, I’m comfortable with where he is.”

And this on how the Steelers will go into camp at some other positions:

Stefen Wisniewski signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in March so he could compete at the left guard spot vacated by Ramon Foster’s retirement.

When training camp opens next month, however, the South Fayette native and Central Catholic graduate will be running behind former right tackle Matt Feiler in competition for the starting job.

Blame the coronavirus pandemic, which has eliminated all spring on-field work and could result in a shortened training camp and preseason.

Coach Mike Tomlin announced Tuesday that, based on experience in the team’s system, Feiler will get the first crack at left guard, with young players Chuks Okorafor and Zach Banner competing at right tackle.

On defense, veteran Tyson Alualu, who is entering his fourth season with the Steelers, will get the first snaps at nose tackle.

“With the lack of opportunity and learning in the offseason and teaching, we’re acknowledging as a staff that we have to make some quick decisions and roll from there,” Tomlin said.

AFC EAST

MIAMI

QB TUA TAGIALOVA, who is 22 years old, has a celebrity crush who is 54. TMZ.com:

Dolphins top draft pick Tua Tagovailoa is quickly learning the perks of being an NFL superstar — ’cause the QB just got noticed by his celebrity crush, Shania Twain!!!

The rookie was doing a rapid-fire Q&A with the team when he was asked a bunch of questions … and Tua made sure to mention he LOVES Shania’s music, calling it his “guilty pleasure.”

But, the 22-year-old’s obsession goes far beyond Twain’s hits — he revealed the country singer is his celebrity crush … and even asked for a personal shoutout.

“Shania, if you watch this … from this moment on, please message me back!!” Tua said.

Thanks to the powers of social media, 54-year-old Twain caught wind of Tua’s big crush … and hit him back with a flirty tweet!!

“Guilty pleasure?! You should be proud of your good taste @Tua” … while adding a kiss emoji.

A KISS EMOJI!!!

Tua — who has proven what he can do under pressure — hit Shania back with the perfect response by referencing one of her songs … saying, “‘You’re still the one’ @ShaniaTwain.”

We ship Tua and Shania … or should we say, “Shua?”

NEW YORK JETS

Rich Cimini of ESPN.com analyzes whether or not the Jets have improved their offense from last year, breaking down all the position groups:

The 2019 New York Jets were historically bad on offense. They finished last in total yards for only the third time in the past 49 years, and that’s kind of wild when you think about how many bad offenses they have fielded over the past half-century. Google “the 1970s Jets” and you’ll understand.

Not surprisingly, Jets general manager Joe Douglas used his first offseason to rebuild that side of the ball, including an eye-opening overhaul on the offensive line. The revamped offense probably isn’t good enough to sniff the top 10, but the unit, which could have six new starters, should hover close to average if it can navigate a tough early schedule and the inevitable growing pains of transition.

Coach Adam Gase’s job security could depend on it.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the position groups and whether they’re better, worse or the same since 2019:

Quarterback

Additions: Joe Flacco, James Morgan

Losses: Trevor Siemian

Returners: Sam Darnold, David Fales, Mike White

Better, worse or the same? Better

Darnold should be better than last season, based on natural growth and an improved (on paper) offensive line. His mission is to build on the progress he showed late in 2019, when he ranked 10th in passer rating over the final eight weeks. The talent is there; he just needs to make better decisions, especially on third down (75.9 passer rating) and against the blitz (65.5). It’s melodramatic to say this is a make-or-break season, but it’s important for him to validate his potential.

Flacco provides much-needed veteran insurance, although his surgically repaired neck creates a variable. He might not be cleared by Week 1, meaning the Jets might have to carry four quarterbacks into the regular season (Fales as the insurance, the rookie Morgan as clipboard holder). Flacco isn’t the same quarterback who won a Super Bowl for the Baltimore Ravens in 2012, but he’s an upgrade over their recent backups. The Jets have dropped 11 straight with their backup QB in a starting role. No team can afford to give away games like that.

Running back

Additions: Frank Gore, La’Mical Perine

Losses: Bilal Powell, Ty Montgomery, Jalin Moore

Returners: Le’Veon Bell, Trenton Cannon, Josh Adams, Kenneth Dixon

Better, worse or the same? Better

After last season, it couldn’t get worse.

Bell, trapped behind a terrible offensive line, averaged 3.2 yards per rush — the worst in franchise history (minimum 150 carries). He might not be the Bell of 2017 — running backs rarely get better with age — but he should be more productive than he was in 2019. It will be interesting to see how the coronavirus pandemic affected his offseason conditioning. A year ago, Bell reported to training camp in outstanding shape. By the end of the season, he had lost some of his burst. If the Jets are out of contention by midseason, they probably will look to shop him at the trading deadline.

Even at 37, Gore is a slight upgrade over Powell (free agent) as the RB2. Gore is a longtime Gase favorite, so his presence creates a fascinating dynamic with Bell, whose relationship with the coach has been scrutinized since day one. Gase is on record as saying he wants to “lessen the load” for Bell. How much remains to be seen. Best bet: Look for Gore to average six to eight carries per game, with Bell still getting the bulk of the work.

The wild card is Perine, a fourth-round pick from Florida. Because of his pass-catching ability, he has the potential to be a three-down back. Scouts say he’s faster than his 40-yard time (4.6 seconds), and speed is a big question in this backfield. The fastest back is Cannon, but his foot injury from last season remains a big concern.

Wide receiver

Additions: Breshad Perriman, Denzel Mims, Josh Doctson, Jehu Chesson, Lawrence Cager, George Campbell

Losses: Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa (PUP), Demaryius Thomas, Josh Bellamy (PUP)

Returners: Jamison Crowder, Braxton Berrios, Vyncint Smith, Jeff Smith, Josh Malone,

Better, worse or the same? Same

The sobering reality for Darnold is that for the third straight season, he won’t have a true WR1 — and that won’t help his development. The Jets are counting on Perriman, who went on a hot streak at the end of last season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to continue that momentum in his new city. That’s asking a lot, considering the first 46 games of his career were nondescript. At his best, Perriman can fill the Anderson role, that of a vertical threat who can take the top off a defense.

There will be a lot of pressure on Mims, their second-round pick, to fill an immediate role. Once again, that’s a big ask. The former Baylor star has a high ceiling, but his chances of making an immediate impact were reduced by the cancellation of offseason practices due to the pandemic. Gase’s offense is complex, and Mims will need time.

The good news is that Perriman and Mims are big-time burners. Gase is hoping that forces defenses into playing a split-safety look, which would open up the running game for Bell & Co.

Chances are Darnold will lean on his trusty slot receiver again. Don’t be surprised if Crowder, who caught a career-high 78 passes last season, goes north of that total. Fantasy owners, take note.

Tight end

Additions: None

Losses: None

Returners: Ryan Griffin, Chris Herndon, Trevon Wesco, Daniel Brown, Ross Travis

Better, worse or the same? Better

How can the same cast be better than it was last season? Easy. Herndon is healthy, and that should make a big difference because in Herndon, the Jets have a versatile pass receiver who can threaten the deep seams. They missed that dynamic in 2019, as he was limited to one game.

The enthusiasm should be tempered by Gase’s recent history with tight ends. As coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2016 to ’18, his tight ends caught a league-low 150 passes. A year ago, the Jets managed 44 (tied for 28th).

Gase used “12” personnel (one RB/two TEs/two WRs) on 10% of their plays, their second-most popular grouping, but that included one third-down play, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. The coach needs to change the way he uses tight ends or else Herndon’s talent will go to waste.

Offensive line

Additions: LT Mekhi Becton, C Connor McGovern, LT/RT George Fant, G Greg Van Roten, C/G Josh Andrews, LT Cameron Clark, LT Jared Hilbers

Losses: LT Kelvin Beachum, RT Brandon Shell, RG Tom Compton, RG Brent Qvale

Returners: LG Alex Lewis, RG Brian Winters, RT Chuma Edoga, C Jonotthan Harrison, LG/LT Conor McDermott, G Ben Braden, OT Corbin Kaufusi, C Leo Koloamatangi, C James Murray

Better, worse or the same? Better

After finishing 32nd in total offense and 31st in rushing, the Jets had to make big changes, especially with five players heading to free agency. Douglas did just that, using 75% of his free-agent funds on linemen and spending his first-round pick on Becton. While this won’t be the second coming of The Hogs, the revamped line will be better in the pivot (McGovern) and more athletic in the tackle spots than last season.

The depth also will be improved, as they have eight players with legitimate NFL experience. Better depth means better competition in training camp. Two position battles to watch: Van Roten versus Winters (incumbent) at right guard. Becton, Fant and Edoga will compete for the two tackle positions. Becton is a virtual lock to start at left tackle, leaving right tackle for Fant or Edoga.