The Daily Briefing Wednesday, May 25, 2022

AROUND THE NFL

The NFL scouting combine will remain in Indianapolis in 2023 and 2024, the league announced Tuesday from its spring meeting.

This marked the first time that the combine host was put up to a bid, a process that the NFL has used for the Super Bowl and the NFL draft. Proposals were due to the NFL by April, and Indianapolis was awarded the event for the next two years.

“After close review by our internal team, the Fan Engagement & Major Events Advisory Committee, and the National Invitational Camp staff, Indianapolis remains the best city to host and grow the NFL Combine in 2023 and 2024,” Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president of club business and league events, said in a statement. “Indy’s vision brings together its long legacy of successfully hosting the Combine and executing the evaluation process, with an exciting focus on innovating and further growing the event from a fan and media perspective.”

Dallas and Los Angeles were the other cities that submitted bids to host the combine.

“Indy is a city built to host major sporting events, and I’m proud the Combine will continue to stay in our city,” Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, said in a statement.

Studies showed that the 2022 combine generated an estimated $9.6 million in economic impact for the city.

Indianapolis’ successful bid includes a new fan experience outside Lucas Oil Stadium and a legacy program that is focused on mental health, led by Irsay’s “Kicking the Stigma” program.

Indianapolis has hosted the scouting combine since 1987. The 2023 combine is scheduled for Feb. 28 through March 6, while the 2024 combine will take place Feb. 27 to March 4.

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There are more sheep than people in New Zealand, so it makes sense that the Rams want to establish that nation as a new international market.  And the Eagles have laid claim to Ghana.  This from The Athletic:

he NFL approved four new International Home Marketing Areas, the league announced Tuesday. The Rams will add New Zealand, while the Eagles will add Australia, New Zealand and Ghana — the first African market attached to an NFL team.

The IHMA program now includes 19 teams with access to 30 marketing areas across 10 different countries. The initiative, which launched in January, grants NFL clubs access to international territories for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization as part of an effort to enable clubs to build their global brands while driving NFL fan growth internationally.

The NFL will host its first events in Africa — a developmental camp and fan event in Ghana — in June.

“We’ve seen great momentum since teams began entering their markets earlier this year,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president, club business and league events. “From launching social media accounts, to hosting in-market events, to announcing Draft picks from locations around the world, clubs are creating moments to really engage and energize our international fanbase. We look forward to seeing what the Eagles and Rams have planned for their new markets.”

Dan Kaplan, sports business writer: Teams apply for international home marketing areas to the league’s international group, which looks for a commitment from the clubs and a marketing plan. Clearly, given the large number of teams awarded similar markets — such as Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Germany — the league is not choosy in which teams get which markets.

This is a very new program, so the metrics of what constitutes a solid marketing plan, and commitment are unclear. Clubs’ financial expenditures range from six figures to seven digits, so there is no monetary standard for what teams must invest.

How much might this push for more international games?

Kaplan: The addition of new international home marketing areas underscores the NFL’s commitment to expanding overseas, but it doesn’t mean more international regular-season games will be played. The league is committed already to playing four to five regular-season games overseas, but it is unlikely that figure is going to increase given the issues generated by taking away a team’s home game and the costs of putting on a game in a foreign country.

So don’t expect a game in Ghana or New Zealand — that is not what today’s announcement is about. Instead, those markets can expect more NFL content and perhaps player visits.

MINNESOTA

Despite having worked with Sean McVay with Washington’s football team, QB KIRK COUSINS has a lot of work to master the offense being installed by Coach Kevin O’Connell.  Andrew Krammer in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

Kirk Cousins paced through dropback after dropback with fellow Vikings quarterbacks long after the team wrapped up Tuesday’s practice on the fields outside TCO Performance Center in Eagan. They weren’t heaving deep balls, but seemingly refining the rhythm and timing of plays.

As Cousins enters his 11th NFL season — fifth with the Vikings — he does so with yet another new offensive coaching staff and playbook that also requires him to learn another football language with which to communicate. This spring, the veteran has embraced being back in school under rookie head coach Kevin O’Connell.

His homework involves flash cards, which help him study the Rams-like offense.

“Trying to memorize plays and terms and formations and protections,” Cousins said. “You feel like an eighth-grader studying for a quiz in school the next day the way you go home each night and study.”

Cousins has grown accustomed to change. O’Connell will be Cousins’ seventh different play caller in as many seasons. The last coach to call plays for a Cousins-led offense in back-to-back seasons was then-Washington offensive coordinator Sean McVay in 2015-16.

O’Connell was Washington’s quarterbacks coach in 2017 and spent the past two seasons as McVay’s offensive coordinator with the Rams, giving Cousins a tinge of familiarity with the Vikings’ new approach. But the quarterback still described this offseason’s workload as “learning it from scratch,” having only needed to pull out the flash cards two or three times prior in his career.

“This is the first time really since 2014 when Jay Gruden was hired and then back in 2012 when I was a rookie coming from Michigan State to Kyle Shanahan’s offense,” Cousins said. “Those were the only other two times in my career where I truly felt like I was learning it from scratch. I guess you could also say coming here in 2018 as well.”

Before Tuesday’s organized team activities, Cousins said he tried to further his memorization of the new playbook by spending time drawing up some of the new plays. While some plays and concepts are similar to past offenses, learning the new names for them — or “verbiage” in NFL parlance — can be the toughest part for established players, according to offensive coordinator Wes Phillips.

Cousins’ experience with O’Connell and McVay can go only so far. Coaches evolve their schemes annually. The names in the playbooks change, too. Phillips, the Rams’ pass game coordinator last season, referenced a package of plays for certain situations that they called the “Rampage menu” in Los Angeles, referencing the name of the team’s mascot.

That wasn’t very fitting for the Vikings.

“There was some talk about the Ragnar menu,” Phillips said. “It ended up going to the Rage menu; that’s what Rampage turned into.”

Another difference for the Vikings will be what’s expected of receivers, who Phillips said will have a lot on their plates.

O’Connell will often be calling more than one play in Cousins’ headset. To shorten those play calls for Cousins, some of the receivers’ responsibilities and adjustments will be unspoken. They’ll have to know how to adjust their splits — or pre-snap alignments — and pick up on other changes through code words based on which play the Vikings settle into before the snap. That can take a little off the quarterback’s plate.

“We’re not going to just spell it out [in the huddle] and have the longest play calls known to man,” Phillips said. “Everything is coded. Everything’s got the ability to get up to the line of scrimmage and go fast, and ultimately that’s what we want so we can put pressure on the defense when we choose.”

Another change for Cousins is the atmosphere at work. Tensions were high, especially last year, as former General Manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer entered a must-win season to keep their jobs. In his opening remarks Tuesday, Cousins mentioned the “fun” of being at practice and learning from mistakes in a new offense.

He sidestepped questions about differences from the Zimmer regime, saying he has always felt a level of tension in wanting to play well.

“You always have a deep care and concern for what you’re doing and as a result you feel that tension in a good way,” Cousins said. “I don’t think that will ever go away and I think it’s never needed to come from a coach. I think it’s something that comes from within to put a high standard on your performance.”

PHILADELPHIA

Multi-media Philly legend Ray Didinger is calling it a career – 53 years around the Eagles!  Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic:

When Ray Didinger announced earlier this month that he’d be retiring, the first thing I did was text my dad.

“I heard it on WIP,” he responded. “Sorry to hear that but happy for him.”

Didinger’s voice has been a constant in my dad’s ears for roughly 35 years. For others, the relationship goes back even further. Didinger’s first year on the Eagles beat was 1970. He’s been educating and entertaining us ever since — 53 years in all.

If it were up to Didinger, he would’ve announced his retirement on one of his final shows this weekend. But his radio partner and close friend, Glen Macnow, convinced him that people needed the opportunity to say goodbye.

“It’s been overwhelming,” said Didinger, who has been staying up until 3 a.m. many nights responding to emails. “That’s really the only way to describe it. It’s been very emotional the whole time and painful in some ways, knowing you’re walking away from something you’ve done for 50 years and really loved.”

Didinger, 75, said he felt himself slowing down in recent years. Last season, for the first time, there were a couple of Sundays when he woke up and didn’t feel like going to work. That had never happened before. He took it as a sign.

“One of my biggest concerns is that I don’t do anything other than my work,” Didinger said. “I don’t have hobbies. I don’t play golf. I don’t play tennis. I don’t do arts and crafts. I don’t play a musical instrument. I don’t really have any life or skills outside of what I’ve done. So when I stop doing that, now the question is: Now what do I do? So that’s a little bit of a concern.”

The plan is to travel with his wife, attend his granddaughter’s field hockey games and catch up on books he’s been meaning to read. There will be at least one fall Sunday where he’ll do something he’s never done before: watch an Eagles game with his son, David.

“The two of us sitting on the couch, father and son, and actually watch the game? It’s never happened,” Didinger said. “Because I was always there. So no. And that’s actually one of the things I’m looking forward to.”

David is, too.

“I’m not gonna have him in the parking lot shotgunning beers with fans celebrating his retirement,” he said. “But it would be nice to sit in the stands and watch a ballgame with him.

“But he’s nuts,” David continued. “He’s still gonna track all these plays with his yellow legal pads. He says there’s no other way he can watch a game other than doing that. I’m curious if I go to his condo and watch a game with him, is he really gonna be sitting there charting plays? I think he is.”

For the last 25 years, fans could switch over to Comcast SportsNet/NBC Sports Philadelphia to hear what Didinger had to say right after games. Didinger has long been known for his measured, well-reasoned takes. He did the work and then told you what he thought. When he expressed frustration or anger, it was a sign to Eagles fans everywhere: It’s OK to follow suit. You’re not being irrational.

“I think it’s because he could express a negative opinion without offending anyone,” WIP’s Angelo Cataldi said. “He was able to find the right words to express the point. I would tend to use a sledgehammer. He would use a stiletto. (Fans) all saw him as their real advocate. There are a lot of football fans who would look at me and think, ‘He’s too abrasive. I don’t want him to be my spokesman. He doesn’t know how to say it in a way that doesn’t offend the player, the organization, whatever.’

“Ray knew how to express the same opinion and not offend these people. These people would have to look at him after and go, ‘He’s got a good point.’”

During “Eagles Postgame Live,” host Michael Barkann could always tell when Didinger needed to get something off his chest. Didinger would take his pen and start tapping it on his legal pad. That was a sign for whoever was talking to wrap it up. Didinger had something to say.

“One of my favorite things to say when things go wrong for the Eagles, I’ll say, ‘Ray, that’s a disgrace, Ray. It’s a disgrace. It’s a stone-cold disgrace!’” Barkann said. “And he’ll always chuckle. A lot of times, before we come on, like literally, 10, nine, eight, he’ll just say under his breath to me, ‘It’s a disgrace, Mike. It’s a disgrace.’ He knows that will set me off. It just becomes a mantra during the game. If there’s a miscue by the Eagles, ‘It’s a disgrace, Mike.’ ‘It’s a disgrace, Ray.’”

Didinger paired his TV work with radio. He joined WIP in 1988 when the station switched to 24-hour sports talk and has been paired with Macnow for the last 21 years. When they first started working together, Macnow quickly found out that Didinger liked to be prepared. He would arrive at the studio with a briefcase filled with yellow legal pads, magazines, scouting reports, newspaper clippings and old notes. If someone called in and asked what happened to a sixth-round pick from five years ago, Didinger wanted to have an answer.

“Most people would google, but Ray does not believe in such things,” Macnow said. “Ray believes in knowing it, studying it and reading it on paper. His kids got him an iPad for his birthday two or three years ago. I think he used it for a week and then bequeathed it to his wife.”

A couple of years in, it was a June weekend, and there wasn’t much to dive into with the local teams. Before they went on the air, Macnow told Didinger he had nothing that day. Didinger said they’d be OK. He was right.

“It was the most fun I had doing a show maybe ever,” Macnow said. “And we talked about nothing.”

That’s when they knew they had something.

Since announcing his retirement, Didinger has heard from all kinds of people he never knew were listening.

“One of the letters, the guy said, ‘My mom and dad weren’t big sports fans, but I was. I had these two favorite uncles of mine who were big sports fans. I used to love spending time with my two uncles because they would talk sports with me. But they both passed away,’” recalled Didinger. “And he said, ‘Over the last 20 years, you and Glen have become my two new uncles.’

“That’s the kind of stuff that’s been coming out in the last few weeks. … There’s a really profound connection there that sometimes you’re not even aware of.”

He paused before continuing.

“But I’m aware of it now.”

ARIZONA

The Cardinals have re-enforced their backfield with the signing of former Chiefs RB DARRELL WILLIAMS.  Matt Conner of ArrowheadAddict.com:

The Arizona Cardinals have grabbed Darrel Williams to bolster the backfield after losing Chase Edmonds earlier this offseason to the Dolphins.

On Monday of this week, Darrel Williams was asking open questions as to why he was not yet signed, On Tuesday, the Arizona Cardinals gave him a place to land.

Per a report from NFL reporter Jordan Schultz, Williams has reached an agreement with the Cardinals for the 2022 season. Terms of the deal were not yet made known.

Williams came into his first round of free agency with high hopes that he might generate the big payday most players dream of earning. He just enjoyed a breakout campaign with the Kansas City Chiefs in which he went over 1,000 yards from scrimmage while proving himself durable and reliable on the field.

So far this offseason, however, Williams was mostly just waiting around for someone to notice him. He’d earned a visit from the Cardinals and New Orleans Saints, but those were the only teams known to be interested in him even after showing up in a big way for the Chiefs in ’21.

The Cardinals were looking for further help beyond James Conner to help out the run game in the wake of Chase Edmonds leaving for the Miami Dolphins. Williams now gives them a solid runner who is also worthy of numerous targets out of the backfield. It should also be noted that Williams is a competent blocker and can step into a lead back role if needed.

SAN FRANCISCO

Kyle Shanahan believes the 49ers can and will come to an agreement with WR DEEBO SAMUEL.  Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:

49ers receiver Deebo Samuel is staying away from the team’s voluntary organized team activities as he seeks a long-term deal. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday he expects Samuel at the mandatory minicamp next month, along with Nick Bosa and Trent Williams.

Samuel’s contract dispute with the 49ers led him to ask for a trade this offseason, but the team continues to express confidence it can work things out with the All-Pro. Shanahan reiterated his optimism Tuesday.

 “Yeah, of course I do,” Shanahan said. I thought that the last time I talked to you guys at draft time. I feel the same if not stronger.”

Samuel is due $3.986 million in base salary in 2022, the final season of his rookie contract.

New deals for receivers Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs have raised the stakes, but an extension for Cooper Kupp with the Rams likely will up the price even more. So, the 49ers would be wise to get something done sooner than later.

BALTIMORE

The Ravens have inked veteran CB KYLE FULLER.  Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com:

The Baltimore Ravens reached a one-year deal with cornerback Kyle Fuller on Tuesday, bringing home the Baltimore native while continuing to upgrade their secondary.

Fuller provides experienced depth behind Pro Bowl cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, both of whom are coming off season-ending injuries. Last season, Baltimore allowed the most passing yards (4,986) and gave up a franchise-worst 31 touchdown passes.

Before adding Fuller, the top backups behind Humphrey and Peters were rookie fourth-round picks Jalyn Armour-Davis and Damarion Williams.

Fuller, 30, had a bit of a roller-coaster year with the Denver Broncos in 2021 but exited the season believing he still had plenty of quality football left in him. He had signed a prove-it, one-year $9.5 million deal a year ago after he was released by the Chicago Bears.

He opened the season as one of the team’s starters at cornerback, but he struggled almost immediately, and rookie Pat Surtain II soon supplanted him in the lineup. Fuller did not play in four of the last 11 games of the season.

Some of it was also bad timing for Fuller as Surtain, who was the Broncos’ first-round pick last April, showed early in training camp it wouldn’t be long until he was in the starting lineup. Surtain became a starter in Week 2.

Fuller didn’t return to the lineup as a regular until injuries to Surtain and Bryce Callahan forced him into the slot corner role, something he had not done in his NFL career. Then-coach Vic Fangio consistently praised Fuller’s willingness to play in that role down the stretch, “especially since he’s never done it before in the NFL.”

CLEVELAND

Jake Trotter of ESPN.com has the key comments from the interview with two of the women accusing QB DESHAUN WATSON of improprieties.

Two women who have accused Deshaun Watson of inappropriate sexual conduct condemned the Cleveland Browns for giving the quarterback an NFL-record $230 million guaranteed contract after trading for him.

“It’s just like a big ‘screw you,'” Ashley Solis said of the contract in an interview on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,” which aired Tuesday. “That’s what it feels like. That we don’t care. He can run and throw, and that’s what we care about.”

Watson is facing 22 civil lawsuits from women who have accused him of inappropriate sexual conduct during massage sessions. Two grand juries in Texas have declined to pursue criminal charges, and Watson has denied all wrongdoing.

The NFL is investigating whether Watson violated its code of conduct policy; the league interviewed Watson in person last week as part of its investigation. At the NFL’s spring meeting in Atlanta, commissioner Roger Goodell said he thinks the league is nearing the end of its investigation but couldn’t give a timeline for when a ruling might be made.

In addition to slamming the Browns, Solis told HBO that she felt threatened by Watson after their massage session.

“He just said, ‘I know you have a career to protect,'” she said. “‘And I know you don’t want anyone messing with it just like I don’t want anyone messing with mine.’ To me, that’s when I got really scared.”

The Browns traded for Watson two months ago, sending the Houston Texans a trade package that included three first-round picks to complete the deal. Cleveland then gave Watson a new five-year contract, worth $80 million more than the previous high set when reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers signed his extension with the Green Bay Packers earlier in the offseason.

Kyla Hayes, who has also accused Watson of inappropriate sexual conduct, called the contract “sick.”

“I felt like he’s being rewarded for bad behavior,” she told HBO.

Leah Graham, one of Watson’s attorneys, told HBO that Watson has “no regrets because he did nothing wrong.”

“He did nothing wrong in these massages,” Graham said. “And although — to your first question, ‘How can he be innocent?’ I think the real question is, ‘What evidence is there of any guilt?'”

The Commish signals that NFL Justice has moved closer, at last, to a determination on Watson’s availability.  Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, at a league meeting in Atlanta on Tuesday, revealed that the league is close to wrapping up its investigation into allegations against Deshaun Watson.

“I can’t give you a timeline (for a possible suspension),’’ Goodell told reporters in a press conference at the conclusion of the meeting. “I think we’re nearing the end of the investigative period and then at some point this will be handled by our disciplinary officer.

Six weeks?  Eight weeks?  A full year?

PITTSBURGH

The Steelers replace retiring GM Kevin Colbert.  Charean Williams ofProFootballTalk.com:

The Steelers are staying in house for their next General Manager.

Not long after news broke that Eagles vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl was leaving to become the Steelers’ assistant General Manager comes word that the expected will happen. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports the Steelers are promoting their vice president of football and business administration Omar Khan to General Manager.

Khan will replace Colbert, who is retiring after 22 seasons with the Steelers.

Khan has spent the last two decades with the Steelers. He also interviewed for the Bears G.M. opening before they hired Ryan Poles this year.

Weidl, Steelers pro scouting director Brandon Hunt, Titans vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden, Buccaneers vice president of player personnel John Spytek and former Bills G.M. Doug Whaley were the other candidates to have two interviews with the team for the job.

Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Press-Gazette confirms that Khan gives the Steelers a Rooney Rule victory.

The Steelers have championed minority hiring and diversity in the NFL. The league has a rule named after the late Dan Rooney, who as Steelers team president hired Mike Tomlin and worked tirelessly for other minorities to land high-profile positions of power.

Now Art Rooney II has followed in his father’s footsteps with his decision to hire Omar Khan to succeed Kevin Colbert as Steelers general manager.

Multiple sources confirmed to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the move is expected to be announced this week.

In his current role as the team’s vice president of football and business administration, Khan, 45, has served primarily as the Steelers’ lead contract negotiator, managing the team’s always-intricate salary cap.

In many ways, Khan’s hire is a typical Steelers move: They value loyalty and familiarity, and Khan has been with the Steelers for more than two decades.

But in many other ways, it’s an outside-the-box hire. Khan is a first-generation American. He is the son of immigrant parents. His father is a native of India, and his mother is from Honduras.

Khan’s diverse family background isn’t the only thing that sets his apart from other NFL general managers. Khan rose through the ranks of the Steelers organization on the business side, while most others in his position came up as talent evaluators.

Khan was hired by the Steelers in 2001 when he was 24 years old. His only previous experience came as a student assistant at Tulane, his alma mater, and with the New Orleans Saints, where he started as an intern and eventually landed a full-time job in their football operations department when he was just 20.

With the Steelers, Khan started as the football operations coordinator. He received promotions over the years, becoming director of football administration in 2011 and vice president of football and business administration in 2016.

Throughout most of the past 21 years, Khan has been the Steelers’ contract negotiator, developing a reputation as one of the best in the business.

The Steelers have been one of the league’s most consistent franchises over the past two decades, with 14 playoff appearances and two Super Bowl victories. Khan’s ability to navigate the NFL salary cap has helped the Steelers build teams that contended on an annual basis.

Under Khan, the Steelers have paid out huge contracts to the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and T.J. Watt, all of whom were the highest-paid players at their position for a time. Khan structured those contracts in such a way so the Steelers could retain other important players, maneuvering the cap on an annual basis with contract extensions, restructures and releases that kept the team in cap compliance.

Colbert, who was hired by the Steelers one year before Khan arrived, came up as a talent evaluator and relied on Khan to juggle the team’s salary structure.

Khan was no stranger to interviewing for general manager jobs around the league. He interviewed in January for Chicago Bears GM position that eventually went to Ryan Poles. He’s also interviewed for GM jobs in recent years with the Houston Texans, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. He was one of two finalists for the Jets job in 2014.

NEW ENGLAND

G COLE STRANGE was not expecting a first round phone call.  Chris Mason of MassLive.com:

As the opening night of the 2022 NFL Draft dragged on, Cole Strange watched the broadcast from the couch in Lenoir City, Tennessee with his father, Greg.

The offensive lineman from UT-Chattanooga was one of the best guard prospects in the field, and his camp had gleaned that he’d probably be picked somewhere between No. 30-40; very late first round or early second. It seemed every team was using its entire 10-minute allotment on the clock, and Strange and his father both started to fade as teams in the mid-20s made their picks.

Then around 11 p.m., Strange’s cell phone lit up with an unknown number.

More from MassLive’s exclusive: The inside story of how Cole Strange went from ‘the backside of a damn wheelbarrow’ to Patriots first-round pick

Strange slid down to the couch next to his father and put the call on speaker phone. The voice on the other end of the line said it was the Patriots, but Cole has some friends (and a brother) who are pranksters, so he was naturally a little leery.

Here’s how that phone call went, according to Greg Strange:

“(Cole) said, ‘Sir, I don’t mean to be disrespectful at all, but I’ve gotta know because I’ve got some crazy friends. Is this a prank?’ The guy said, ‘Hold on just a second.’ And then Bill Belichick got on the phone and of course, unless you’ve been under a rock for the last 20 years, you know Bill Belichick’s voice.

“As soon as I heard Bill Belichick’s voice, Cole and I both started screaming and hugging and acting crazy. Probably saying a bunch of inappropriate stuff. We were so excited. To his credit, you’ve gotta love the guy, Belichick is sitting there and when we got through, the first break he had, he said, ‘Hey Cole, you’ve gotta act like you’ve been there, man.’ It was classic to us. We absolutely loved it.”

And just like that, Strange was bound for Foxborough.

THIS AND THAT

PRO BOWL

The smart guys and gals in the NFL office are focused like lasers on the Pro Bowl – as they try to re-imagine it, perhaps without a game.  Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com:

NFL owners are discussing the future of the Pro Bowl at this week’s league meetings, a source confirmed to ESPN after multiple media outlets reported the news.

The league has spoken to players and NFL teams and is now exploring alternatives to the weeklong Pro Bowl celebration, which could include the elimination of the traditional tackle game, the source said.

No vote is needed to approve a change. The NFL, while exploring this with players and television partners, hopes to have a decision this summer.

The annual all-star game, broadcast on ESPN, has suffered in recent years because of players backing out and the lack of competition due to injury concerns.

The NFL has played a traditional Pro Bowl game in some fashion since 1938. Festivities surround the game, including dodgeball, throwing competitions and skills challenges in the past.

Says Mike Florio upon hearing the news:

They can talk about it all they want. The Commissioner at one point huffed and puffed and threatened to blow the Pro Bowl’s house down. In recent years, the complaining has stopped. It stopped because it’s impossible to reconcile player health and safety with expecting them to beat the crap out of each other in an exhibition game.

If the league gets rid of the Pro Bowl game, it needs to replace it with something else that will be as profitable. Unless the league is willing to give up the revenue it generates in exchange for avoiding a day or two of people complaining about the Pro Bowl being the joke that it should be, because players should not be blocking and tackling and hitting that late in the season.

BROADCAST NEWS

Although he will be calling games on Amazon this year, Al Michaels is still part of the ABC family.  Ryan Young of YahooSports.com:

Al Michaels may be done in the “Sunday Night Football” booth, but he’s not leaving NBC just yet.

Michaels has been given “emeritus status” and will “continue to broadcast and contribute across NBC Sports’ high-profile properties,” the network announced on Tuesday. Among other things, Michaels is expected to work NFL playoff games on NBC and help with Olympics coverage again in 2024.

Michaels is set to take over calling “Thursday Night Football” broadcasts for Amazon Prime Video this season. Amazon is starting the first of its new exclusive deal for those games this fall. He’ll be joined there by longtime ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit.

Michaels has called “Sunday Night Football” for NBC since 2006. His longtime partner Cris Collinsworth is remaining there this season, and will be joined by Mike Tirico. Maria Taylor will then replace Tirico as the host of their pregame show.

Michaels, 77, also called “Monday Night Football” games for ABC starting in 1986. He called his record-tying 11th Super Bowl earlier this year, too.

It’s unknown which playoff games Michaels will be part of next season, though NBC has a deal to broadcast a divisional game and two wild card games next season. In theory, Tirico and Collinsworth will call one of the playoff games while Michaels and someone else will take the other game on the weekend that NBC has two games.

NBC isn’t set to broadcast a Super Bowl again until 2026. Assuming Michaels hasn’t retired by then, as he’d be 81 when that game rolls around, he could be part of that coverage, too. The next Olympics aren’t until 2024 in Paris.

Wouldn’t we think that Herbstreit will be the leading candidate to join Michaels for the playoff game or games?

DIVISION RANKINGS

Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com ranks the divisions 1 to 8.  Let’s guess AFC West to AFC South.

1. AFC West

Do I really need to belabor this point? Did you pay attention to the offseason? And yeah, the Chiefs still reside here. And they have been good for at least the AFC title game since Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes started hanging out on a regular basis. Any of the other three teams may be able to make a case for most improved, and I don’t think anyone would blink if at least three of these four are in the expanded postseason. I’m gonna go ahead and crown ’em here.

2. AFC North

We all know that the balance of power in this league has swung to this conference in a big way. It’s reflected in these rankings and projections. Baltimore and Pittsburgh are annual playoff contenders. Big Ben hadn’t been giving the Steelers much these last few years and Mike Tomlin still doesn’t have a losing season. That ‘D’ is legit. The Ravens can’t have a redux of their 2021 injury situation. The Bengals are looking like a model franchise with all of their young talent still on the cheap and the Browns will probably still Brown it up, but have the makings of a better defense and if Deshaun Watson plays most of the season and does so at the level he performed for the Texans, then all four of these teams have a legit postseason shot.

3. NFC West

I don’t know what to make of this group, but someone had to be third. The Rams may have the moxie to repeat and we know they will keep adding veterans to the roster ahead of the trade deadline to fortify for that pursuit. San Francisco has a Super Bowl team if Trey Lance is ready, but that’s a big if. Kyler and Kliff drama ain’t good for the Kardinals, and their issues on the offensive and defensive line will keep them from being more than wild-card fodder again. Seattle lacks talent and will need time to re-establish as a contender without Russell Wilson. Still, I figure the West is good for a few playoff teams in the watered down NFC, which gives it the nudge here, without great conviction.

4. AFC East

The Bills may have the best roster in football. That’s gotta count for something. And there is no shortage of Lombardi lust after another tough playoff exit. Miami really intrigues me and I could see them pushing for a wild-card spot. But the Patriots are gonna regress, I believe, and possibly substantially. The Jets are inching towards eventually crawling out of the abyss, I think, but man that is a deep hole to climb out of and I figure six wins at best. Which ain’t a lot in the grand scheme of things. If the Pats really free-fall then this is gonna look too high for this division.

5. NFC South

The Bucs might send Tom Brady out a champion for good this time. Or maybe send him to Miami with another ring for his ridiculous collection. Either way, they are a legit threat even without Bruce Arians as head coach. But it’s an older team in many respects. After them it really gets murky. I am buying the Saints as a playoff team, but that means a healthy Jameis Winston for all of the season and a different Dennis Allen then the one the Raiders got as head guy. Losing Sean Payton will leave a mark, either way. And, as previously mentioned, the Falcons and Panthers have a ton of holes and are afterthoughts for me this season. But the Brady bump lands them at 5 and not lower. 

6. NFC North

I don’t believe the Packers are winning another Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers, I don’t believe they will win as many games as they have become accustomed to in recent years, and I’m not sure they are even the best team in this division. That might be the Vikings … but the Vikings ain’t winning a Super Bowl, either, and that’s what it’s all about. If Green Bay is regressing, this feels like the right spot to slot this group. The Lions are still years from competing, but heading in the right direction, and the Bears seem intent on breaking Justin Fields this year and their extended wait before finally hiring a new coach and GM will continue to set the team back in the present and future.

7. AFC South

Man, they really make it hard not to just slot them in the 8-hole every year and forget about it. They want to hold that spot down with a vengeance. But this year it’s addition by subtraction. Just by Shad Khan finally waking up and tossing Urban Meyer out of the league they get a bump. The mere fact we don’t have him to mock anymore gets them out of the cellar. That is tremendous progress alone. And must be applauded. The Colts have a chance to be a factor, too, and swapping out Carson Wentz (to the NFC East no less!) for Matt Ryan is another upgrade. The Jags can’t be a football atrocity with Urban gone, though the Titans’ window to win big with Derrick Henry/Ryan Tannehill is closing and the Texans aren’t even pretending they care about 2022 as part of their three-year teardown.

8. NFC East

It’s still the NFC Least for me. None of these teams has displayed a recent pedigree to be anything other than horrible-to-mediocre at best with any consistency in recent years. There is not a legit Super Bowl threat in the bunch, although I think the Eagles are gonna be better than some would think. Still, I bet only one team from this bunch reaches the postseason, despite them getting to feast on one another. The Cowboys are in decline, the Commanders always stink and the Giants are mired in a rebuild (though I believe Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen will finally lead them out of it eventually). Be careful what you wish for Woodbridge, Virginia. And who you do business with.

We’re not sure Shad Khan deserves a “finally waking up” shot.  Sure it was a bad hire, but Meyer didn’t make midseason of his first year.