NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

Is RB TARIK COHEN worth three more years, even if he takes less to find cash for WR ALLEN ROBINSON?  Josh Alper of NFL.com:

Running back Tarik Cohen landed a three-year contract extension with the Bears last weekend and the timing came as a bit of a surprise since the focus had been on wide receiver Allen Robinson‘s push for a new deal.

Cohen said some of his focus was on Robinson while he was closing in on an agreement with the Bears and that it wound up impacting the eventual size of that agreement.

“Regardless of whether I got mine or not, it’s definitely time for him to get his,” Cohen said, via Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I even left some money on the plate. I took less so he could get more, so to say. I would definitely love to see my boy get extended. It means a lot to the team.”

It’s impossible to confirm whether Cohen took less without being at the negotiating table, but the $17.25 million contract shouldn’t be a major obstacle to getting something done with Robinson if that’s the way the Bears choose to go.

DETROIT

Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com takes a look at Sheila Hamp who has some big decisions coming up.  It is a long piece, with much about her passion for the fight for “social justice”.  You can read the whole thing here.

This part on her sports background, starting with her time at Yale.

As much as she loved tennis, football was Hamp’s passion. Gates recalled her “mastery on the subject.” Although she majored in art history, she was one of two women admitted into a 15-person seminar called “Sports and American Society,” taught by legendary sportswriter Red Smith.

As part of the once-a-week course that discussed social issues of the time and their relation to sports, they wrote papers for The New York Times writer and future Pulitzer Prize winner to read.

“Red critiqued our papers,” said Lawrie Mifflin, the other woman in the seminar; she became a sportswriter for the Daily News and The New York Times. “So there was an element of writing, of getting that kind of input from him, criticism of your writing, which was fantastic.” Hamp got an A on one. She still has it.

When Hamp graduated in 1973, she wanted to work for the NFL. She spent years going to events and games with her father, then-Lions owner William Clay Ford Sr. Times were different. No job existed for her.

She’d wait more than four decades for the chance, finally starting to have a large input in an NFL franchise when her mother took over ownership after her father died in 2014.

– – –

After decades of watching, she spent five years at her mother’s side. Part of it was apprenticeship, but she had input on massive moves, including retaining general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia last year and the midseason firings of then-team president Tom Lewand and then-general manager Martin Mayhew after a 1-7 start in 2015.

When her mother stepped down and made Hamp the controlling owner, she became the third Ford to run the team in more than a half-century of futility, with one playoff win and no Super Bowl appearances.

This is her job, to try to change the fortune of a franchise badly in need of change.

“One of the things she learned very young and has stayed with her is, ‘Can I really make a difference at this organization? Because that’s the only way I can do it,'” Skramstad said. “For Sheila, she’s got to be all-in or all-out. …

“The thing that excited me the most about the change at the Lions is she’s going to do this with the same sort of sense of commitment and research, and as a competitor, she’s not going to let anything get in her way.”

While she knows she’ll have to become more public in her new role, Hamp values her privacy. Her bio in the team’s media guide is six paragraphs — two of which are devoted to her taking over ownership and working as vice chair. She declined interview requests for this story.

After marriage, she and her husband, Steve, settled into an older Ann Arbor, Michigan, neighborhood where they had three kids and largely blended in. The children played sports — particularly soccer, and, for years, Hamp was “Coach.”

“The main thing that sticks out to me now is how much you would never know that Sheila was a Ford or a member of a family of that stature or was that well off,” said Ace Anbender, one of the kids-turned-adults Hamp coached on her son Peter’s team. “She was very much like your average soccer mom turned coach.

“She was great at overseeing the team, making sure things were organized.”

High-level tactics were unnecessary. These were elementary school kids. Yet Hamp spent time studying soccer and tried to create the best experience possible. As the team advanced in age, she brought in an assistant to handle intricacies of the game.

For years, she led purple-jerseyed Rampage players in the Ann Arbor Rec & Ed League with varying levels of seriousness and humility.

“Our first season, the first or second game, I let in my first-ever goal,” said Greg Brown, one of her players. “There are certain sports experiences that are traumatic, if you will. In this instance, I let the goal in and then I completely and utterly broke down on the field. I’m there in the goal box, having just let the goal in, crying and sobbing, thinking the world was over.

“Sheila was the first one to rush right out and comfort me and console me. That is the kind of person she is, the kind of friend, the kind of coach she was.” Brown was 5.

The Hamps traditionally held end-of-season parties at their home with video game consoles in their basement and cans of Orangina for the kids.

Sheila and Steve Hamp became friends with the parents of other children on the team, including Peter and Roseann Brown. Doug and Greg Brown played on separate teams with the Hamp children, Kiff and Peter. Roseann became Sheila’s co-coach.

They couldn’t have been more different: Hamp the former college athlete, Brown the graphic artist who knew nothing about soccer. Hamp ran drills. Brown focused on the mental side — one practice teaching visualization instead of skill development.

A close friendship formed. The Hamps and Browns were frequent dinner partners. Sometimes, Greg and Doug tagged along with Hamp to Lions training camp.

When Roseann received a breast cancer diagnosis, the Hamps were there and helped wherever possible for years. When Roseann became sick at a soccer function, Sheila took Greg back to the Hamp home and he spent the night — a small measure of comfort remembered decades later. Sheila took Roseann’s sickness hard, but remained positive. When Roseann’s condition worsened in 2001, Sheila visited several times. A pre-Christmas dinner gave Roseann brief respite near the end of her life.

When Roseann died in January 2002, at age 46, Peter asked Sheila to give a eulogy at the memorial service. Sheila declined, thinking it was a private moment of grief and too hard for her to speak. She called back hours later to say she’d do it.

At the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor, Sheila told the story of getting lost on a walk in northern Michigan and Roseann asking whether she’d ever seen how clouds always look flat on the bottom — something Sheila still looks for.

Decades later, memories of Roseann remain: Several pieces of her work are displayed in the Hamps’ Ann Arbor home.

– – –

Throughout many aspects of her life, Hamp has shown an openness to learn and willingness to take chances, and she understands the importance of loyalty.

It’s what she did at the museum. At the theater. At Yale. And, potentially, with the Lions — where she mentioned wanting to understand football analytics to help her in her job.

The competitiveness of being a high-level former college athlete remains too. In one answer at her introductory news conference, she said “I hate to lose” three times in 20 words. She has waited almost a half-century for this. Prepared, in some ways, her whole life for it.

Sheila Ford Hamp will push change when necessary. You might see it. You just might not hear she was the one who did it.

“It’s never about her. It’s not,” Leonhauser said. “It’s all about these responsibilities that she takes on, but not so she can toot her own horn about it. She just goes about her own business and does what she thinks is right.

“And that’s her strength.”

NFC EAST

NEW YORK GIANTS

Two significant roster developments for the G-Men.  WR STERLING SHEPARD heads to the IR.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

The New York Giants won’t have their top receiving target for at least the next three weeks.

Big Blue announced Wednesday that Sterling Shepard has been placed on IR as he deals with a turf toe injury.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport previously reported Wednesday morning that Shepard would miss Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. It turns out it will be more than just one week for Shepard.

Per the NFL rules for 2020, players must sit at least three weeks before coming off IR.

Shepard injured his foot in Sunday’s loss in Chicago on a reception late in the second quarter. After hobbling to the sideline, the wideout attempted to return in the second half but was ruled out after just one play.

Incoming is veteran RB DEVONTA FREEMAN who signs a deal for some pretty good money.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

Running back Devonta Freeman is back in the NFL. And he’s has a chance to make some decent money over the balance of the season.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the former Falcons workhorse will make up to $3 million this year with the Giants.

Atlanta cut Freeman during the offseason. He drew interest from teams like Seattle and Jacksonville, but no contracts were offered. The inevitable injury bug at the tailback position finally has created an opportunity.

Freeman rushed for 656 yards in 14 games last year for Atlanta, along with 410 receiving yards. He’ll play up to 14 games for the Giants in place of Saquon Barkley, who’s out for the year with a torn ACL.

Joining Freeman on the depth chart are Dion Lewis and Wayne Gallman.

PHILADELPHIA

DC Jim Schwartz thinks he should be the one hearing virtual boos.  Mike Kaye ofNJ.com:

The Eagles’ defense is still searching for answers following its embarrassing performance in the 37-19 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.

That said, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has figured out the answer to the biggest question in the fallout of his unit’s pathetic performance: Who’s to blame? Schwartz puts the onus on him.

“I had a poor game plan,” Schwartz said Tuesday. “And we had a very simple game plan … but in an effort to do that, it also created a lot of conflict with what the guys were doing, and it gave them a lot of stuff to look at. And, what I thought would make it easier, didn’t make it easier. It made it harder.”

Schwartz watched tape of the game immediately after its conclusion on Sunday. He realized that he should have developed a more complex game plan that would have offered individual assignments to each player. The general plan gave the Eagles too much wiggle room for error.

“It would have made it more difficult to execute,” Schwartz said, “but it would have narrowed the focus and I think we could have done that.”

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Schwartz eventually switched up the plan on the fourth series of the game, but by then, he admits it was too little, too late.

“I was probably a series too late on pulling the trigger,” Schwartz said. “I take 100 percent of that on me. It’s my job to put the guys in good positions, and I don’t feel like I did anywhere near a good enough job doing that.”

The Eagles have had one of the best run defenses in the league over the past four seasons. The group has also been extremely successful in the red zone. On top of those strengths, the unit had only given up 30 or more points eight times (including playoffs) in the previous four campaigns, putting them among the best groups in that category as well.

Schwartz isn’t huge on numbers, but those categories are what he prides his defense on. So far this season, the group ranks in the bottom third of the league against the run (22nd). The unit is ranked 27th in the NFL in the red zone. They are also giving up 32 points per game.

“My message to the guys was — even more than those areas — we need to get back to being us because we have a track record of being good over time in those areas,” Schwartz said. “But, the area that I’m on more high alert for is our response to adversity.”

The Eagles’ defense has overcome a plethora of injuries over the past three years. Sunday, the issue wasn’t the depth on defense. The Eagles didn’t have an injured inactive player on that side of the ball.

Instead, Schwartz said veteran players made uncharacteristic mistakes and failed to execute. He puts those failures on him as the leader of the group.

That’s why he isn’t considering personnel changes for Week 3.

“Execution is (on) the defensive coordinator,” Schwartz said. “Make no bones about where I’m pointing the finger on this one because it’s my job to put them in those better positions … Right now, I’m not thinking about different personnel. I’m thinking about the guys we have executing better, and I think that’s my job and that’s our coaching staff’s job.”

NFC SOUTH

ATLANTA

The Falcons will open up their stadium a bit in October.  Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com:

The Atlanta Falcons will welcome back fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a limited capacity beginning Oct. 11 against the Carolina Panthers, an official announced Tuesday.

The team did not host any fans for the Sept. 13 season opener against the Seattle Seahawks while adjusting to the coronavirus pandemic. The latest decision to allow fans was partly based on the decline in COVID-19 cases in the state of Georgia.

The team said all fans will be required to wear masks.

“We are thrilled to invite fans of both the Falcons and Atlanta United [soccer team] back to Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” said Steve Cannon, CEO of AMB Sports and Entertainment. “Having fans watch from alternative locations was a difficult but important decision. It’s been challenging for both teams to play without fans, but their well-being as well as the safety of our associates and fans was paramount.”

In a statement, officials said they will continue to “collaborate with national and local health officials and reserve the right to return to play without fans should current conditions related to the global pandemic change.”

Stadium protocols will be tested this Sunday when the 0-2 Falcons host 500 friends, family and associates for their Week 3 home matchup with the 2-0 Chicago Bears.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium originally planned to host between 10,000 and 20,000 fans until the pandemic altered those initial plans. Officials have not yet determined a range for capacity come Oct. 11, but it is anticipated to be a low number inside the $1.5 billion, 71,000-seat stadium.

AFC WEST

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

More details on the errant needle that sent QB TYROD TAYLOR to the hospital.  Adam Schefter:

A Los Angeles Chargers team doctor accidentally punctured quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s lung just before kickoff Sunday while trying to administer a pain-killing injection to the quarterback’s cracked ribs, league and team sources told ESPN.

That is the reason Taylor did not start Sunday and rookie quarterback Justin Herbert unexpectedly did against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, in an arrangement that is likely to continue Sunday against the Carolina Panthers and quite possibly beyond.

It also helps explain why Chargers coach Anthony Lynn strongly backed Taylor on Sunday night and again this week. Many coaches believe that no player should lose his job to an injury — especially one that accidentally came at the hands of a team doctor. The Chargers previously said Taylor suffered complications from an injection. Those complications were a punctured lung.

The NFL Players Association is investigating the medical mishap, sources said, seeing what steps it should take next. An NFLPA official declined comment Wednesday about Taylor’s punctured lung.

AFC NORTH

PITTSBURGH

A milestone for QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER on Sunday.  Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com:

When Ben Roethlisberger takes his first snap against the Houston Texans on Sunday, he will do something no other member of the Pittsburgh Steelers has ever done.

He’ll play in his 221st game for the organization, breaking the record previously set by center Mike Webster.

“I am so thankful to be in the black and gold 17 years later,” Roethlisberger said Wednesday. “I mean, almost half of my life, I’ve been here giving Steeler fans everything I have. And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else; I wouldn’t want to do it for any other team or any other fans.”

That Roethlisberger, 38, made it to this point in his career is no small feat — especially considering the physical toll on his body during the early years of his career. Roethlisberger was sacked an NFL-high 50 times in 2009 and an average of 46 times in each of the three years prior.

“I did take a lot of beating early on,” the 6-foot-5, 240-pound veteran said. “A lot of that was my fault. But God made me a bigger man than most quarterbacks, so I think I can take it, and I’m just enjoying playing this game.”

AFC SOUTH

INDIANAPOLIS

S MALIK HOOKER tore his Achilles in the win over Minnesota and is done for the year.  Jerry Trotta of HorseshoeHeroes.com studies the trade market:

Here are three safeties the Colts should target as replacements for injured starter Malik Hooker.

Does anybody else wish that Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season just hadn’t even happened? As enthralling as some of the games were, dozens of standout players went down with injuries that were ultimately confirmed to be season-ending, or the basis for multi-week absences.

The Indianapolis Colts were one of many teams to fall under this category, as wide receiver Parris Campbell (knee) and safety Malik Hooker (Achilles) were both removed from Sunday’s game. The initial reports indicate that the former avoided a torn ACL, which is extremely relieving when you consider the hit he took and how he went down.

The same unfortunately cannot be said for Hooker, who was confirmed to have suffered a torn Achilles, which will end his season. He is now the second Colts player, Marlon Mack being the other, to sustain a season-ending injury in a contract year.

It goes without saying that Hooker’s absence will be felt in Indianapolis’ young secondary, as he’s one of the most gifted ball hawks in the NFL, so general manager Chris Ballard should already be browsing the trade market to find a replacement.

Luckily for him, there are a handful of teams that either have a low ceiling or are dealing with a slew of injuries, and could thereby be open to acquiring future assets at the expense of their starting safety. Here are three names the Colts should be targeting.

3. Jaquiski Tartt

The 49ers roster has been ransacked with injuries thus far this season, which could be to the Colts benefit.

If you thought Indianapolis’ injury woes were problematic, get a load of the San Francisco 49ers’ list of players facing long spells on the sidelines. The team fears that defensive line stalwarts Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas suffered torn ACLs on Sunday.

Elsewhere, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo sustained a high-ankle sprain, and running back Raheem Mostert is believed to be dealing with a mild MCL sprain. That’s not even to mention how decimated the 49ers’ wide receiving corps is.

With these disheartening updates in mind, it’s worth pondering if San Fran will be able to overcome this adversity and compete in its loaded division and conference. If things spin out of control, GM John Lynch could look to sell expendable pieces ahead of the trade deadline.

Should that happen, the Colts should look to acquire Jaquiski Tartt, who’s started at least eight games each season since entering the league as a second-round pick back in 2015. The 28-year-old’s production and consistency have really taken off over the last two years, during which he’s averaged a respectable 66.6 grade from Pro Football Focus.

The Colts need a proven veteran who can come in and start right away, and Tartt is one of the few (potentially) available options that checks those boxes.

2. Anthony Harris

The Vikings have looked awful through the first two weeks of 2020.

As evidenced by their actions this offseason, the Minnesota Vikings have no clue if they want to lock down starting safety Anthony Harris long term.

After hitting him with the franchise tag, he was reportedly being shopped in trades. Then, suddenly, a late change of heart prompted Minnesota to enter extension talks with Harris, though terms weren’t agreed upon in time.

With the Vikings strugglingly mightily out of the gates in 2020 and Kirk Cousins looking completely lost under center, they could look to officially cash in on the former undrafted free agent, who is fresh off his best season as a pro.

In 14 games last season, Harris tallied 60 tackles, six interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown) and 11 passes defensed. He even ranked as the highest-graded safety in coverage on early downs last season, according to PFF. If Ballard is able to strike a deal for Harris, who would serve as a clear upgrade to Hooker, well, his status as a Colts legend might already be solidified.

We pitched this trade during the early summer after Hooker’s fifth-year option was declined, and we still like it now.

1. Justin Simmons

The Broncos quietly roster one of the best safeties in the entire NFL.

There’s no two ways about it, folks: Justin Simmons will be one of the most sought after free agents next offseason. While he’s been a reliable starter for Denver for the last three years, he really entered the elite conversation in 2019.

Simmons started all 16 games last season while playing 100% (!) of the defensive snaps, recording 93 tackles, 15 passes defensed and 4 interceptions along the way. Those numbers are impressive for a safety, but they don’t even begin to encapsulate his dominance in coverage. For context, Pro Football Focus gave the former third-round pick a 90.5 coverage grade and 90.4 seasonal grade for his efforts in 2019. Both of those ranked first among ALL defensive backs in the NFL.

Simmons will be due for a monster extension next offseason, and the Colts will undoubtedly be able to offer him one once the contracts of Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett, who combine to form a $46.375 million cap hit this year, come off the books.

What makes Simmons a legitimate trade target for Indy is that the Broncos are already 0-2 and will be without quarterback Drew Lock for multiple weeks after he went down with a sprained AC join in his throwing shoulder on Sunday. To add injury to insult, No. 1 wideout Courtland Sutton suffered a season-ending ACL in the game, too.

If Denver mails it in — chances are they do —  the Colts should seriously get them on the phone with an offer for Simmons at the ready.

THIS AND THAT

COVID THEATER

Two more coaches and organizations are hugely fined for the crime of an uncovered face.  Grant Gordon of NFL.com:

Following Monday night’s game in Las Vegas, the NFL is fining the Las Vegas Raiders and the New Orleans Saints franchises $250,000 each and their respective coaches Jon Gruden and Sean Payton $100,000 apiece for failure to follow proper face-covering protocol, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported.

With the latest fines, the NFL has doled out $1.75 million in total fines for Week 2 violations of violating rules of wearing face coverings in the bench area.

On Monday, head coach Vic Fangio and the Denver Broncos, Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers and Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks were fined for the same infractions as the NFL aims to uphold COVID-19 protocols and safety.

Following Week 1, warnings were dispersed, but penalization escalated to fines in Week 2, Pelissero added.

While Monday’s fines were reported, the Raiders’ eventual 34-24 win over the Saints was in progress and Pelissero and Mike Garafolo, who reported the initial fines, commented it was likely more to come based on Payton and Gruden being seen on ESPN’s broadcast multiple times without their face coverings properly utilized.

Following Monday’s game, Gruden was asked if he expected a fine and responded that he was doing his best and also revealed that he had previously contracted COVID-19.

“I’m doing my best. You know, I’ve had the virus. OK. I’m doing my best,” Gruden said. “I’m very sensitive about it, but I’m calling plays. I just wanna communicate in these situations and I apologize and if I get fined, I will have to pay the fine, but I’m very sensitive about all of that and I apologize. Alright? Thanks guys.”

Carroll also commented on his fine Tuesday, expressing regret.

“Sometimes you’ve got to get coached up,” Carroll said, via the team website. “Sometimes you have to admit that that you screwed up and have got to do better.”

If you have been brave enough to go to a restaurant recently and struggled to follow a masked server’s recitation of the special of the day with their mask on, you can understand Gruden’s frustration.

Could a team place an amplified microphone inside the coach’s mask – or would that violate NFL Medical Justice’s protocols?

It’s either a huge fine or no fine apparently, even though there are different levels of mask compliance/non-compliance.  Mike Florio is unhappy with the inconsistency, but also surprisingly questions the protocol’s wisdom:

Per a league source, those were the only five coaches who faced any type of fine.

Although 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, Broncos coach Vic Fangio, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, Saints coach Sean Payton, and Raiders coach Jon Gruden were the most blatant about it, others failed to comply with the mandate that the mouth and the nose constantly be covered.

For the others, there was no fine at all. The end result amounts to mixed signals about whether full compliance is indeed required.

Apparently, it’s not. For the five who were fined $100,000 each (with their teams fined another $250,000 each), however, it probably makes sense to not press their luck when it comes to partially wearing a mask.

All of this overlooks the broader question of whether it even makes sense for coaches who, like players, are tested every day should even be required to wear masks. Unless and until the rule is scrapped, however, that remains the rule.

This Twitter debate featuring Melissa Whitworth, wife of Rams T ANDREW WHITWORTH who is on the sideline without a mask.

Melissa Whitworth

@mrs_whit77

If everyone on the sideline is COVID-NEG per the NFLs testing policy – why do coaches need masks again??

Ms. Ann

@JamaicanTang

A neg result can mean not infected when sample was collected, but could be a false neg due to lower sensitivity of rapid test, test administered soon after virus exposure,  or human error from poor sampling technique.

Wearing a mask provides added protection.

Melissa Whitworth

@mrs_whit77

Then why aren’t the players wearing masks too? Argument doesn’t hold up.

GALE SAYERS R.I.P.

Running back Gale Sayers, a classy runner and a classy man, has passed away at age 77.

Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, died Wednesday at the age of 77, the Hall of Fame confirmed.

“All those who love the game of football mourn the loss of one of the greatest to ever play this Game with the passing of Chicago Bears legend Gale Sayers,” Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker said in a statement. “He was the very essence of a team player — quiet, unassuming and always ready to compliment a teammate for a key block. Gale was an extraordinary man who overcame a great deal of adversity during his NFL career and life.

 “The ‘Kansas Comet’ burst onto the scene in the National Football League and captured the attention of all of America. Despite playing only 68 NFL games because of an injury-shortened career, Gale was a clear-cut — and first-ballot — Hall of Famer for his accomplishments on the field and for the man of character he was in life.

“The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Gale. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Ardie, and their entire family. We will forever keep his legacy alive to serve as inspiration for future generations. The Hall of Fame flag will fly at half-staff until he is laid to rest.”

NFL.com will have more on Sayers’ passing shortly.

This from the Chicago Sun-Times:

Though other great running backs were more prolific — Jim Brown before him and Walter Payton after him, among others — there rarely if ever has been a weapon as dangerous from anywhere on a football field as Sayers. He scored 56 touchdowns in 64 games over his first five seasons in the NFL from 1965-69 — 39 rushing, nine receiving, six on kickoff returns and two on punt returns. He also threw a touchdown pass.

“Give me 18 inches of daylight, that’s all I need,” Sayers famously said early in his career.

Nearly 50 years after his final full season of 1969, Sayers remains the standard of big-play threats in the NFL. He scored 18 touchdowns of 50 yards or more in his first 45 games in the NFL, including a 103-yard kickoff return, 85-yard punt return, 80-yard pass reception and a 61-yard rush.

In his first four seasons in the NFL (50 games), Sayers set eight NFL records, including career rushing average (5.3 yards), total offense in a season (2,440 yards in 1966), touchdowns in a season (22 in 1965) and touchdowns in a game (six in 1965). He tied Ollie Matson’s NFL record of six kickoff return touchdowns — in just 56 attempts in his first three seasons.

“I played with Gale,” former Bears wide receiver Johnny Morris said in 2019 at the Bears convention celebrating the team’s 100th season. “I covered Payton [as a sportscaster/announcer] and I’ve covered a lot of guys over the years. If I wanted one player for a season, I’d take Walter Payton. But if I wanted a player for one play, I’ll take Gale Sayers — above every running back I’ve seen, whether it be Jimmy Brown or O.J. Simpson.

“For one play, there’s nobody that was quicker and could cut. He had a knack of being able to cut, be in the air and swing his leg over the other leg and come down going in a different direction. That’s the best way I could put it — if I wanted a player for one play, I’ll take Gale Sayers.”

An All-America running back at Kansas, Sayers was drafted fourth overall (the Bears took linebacker Dick Butkus third overall the same year) and was an immediate sensation as a rookie in 1965. He set an NFL rookie record with 22 touchdowns — 14 rushing, six receiving, on a punt return and one on a kickoff return.

The highlight of that rookie season was a magnificent performance against the 49ers in the muck at Wrigley Field on Dec. 12, 1965, when he set an NFL record with six touchdowns, including a 50-yard rush, an 80-yard reception on a screen pass and an 85-yard punt return. Sayers had 336 all-purpose yards in that game — nine carries for 113 yards; two receptions for 89 yards and five punt returns for 134 yards.

“He was unbelievable, I’m telling you,” former Bears tight end Mike Ditka said at the Bears100 convention in 2019. “There’s [nobody] like him. … He was unbelievable. I was there. The field was muddy! It didn’t bother him. He looked like he was gliding. Everybody was slipping and sliding, except him. It was the most unbelievable exhibition I’ve ever seen in the history of the game.”

Regrettably, Sayers’ brilliant NFL career played out like a greek tragedy. At the height of his powers at 26 in 1968 — coming off games in which he rushed for 143 yards against the Vikings and 205 against the Packers — Sayers suffered a devastating, season-ending right knee injury when he was hit by 49ers cornerback Kermit Alexander in a 27-19 Bears victory at Wrigley Field. He was replaced by Brian Piccolo.

Sayers not only returned for the start of the 1969 season, but remarkably led the league in rushing after a slow start — with 1,032 yards on a career-high 236 carries — and scored eight touchdowns. But much of the Sayers magic was gone. His longest rush was 28 yards (he had at least one 50-yard carry in his first four seasons). His yards per carry dropped from a league-leading 6.2 to 4.4 (though it was 4.8 yards per carry and 90 yards per game in his final nine games).

After suffering an injury to his left knee in the preseason in 1970, Sayers played in only two games before undergoing another surgery. He played in two games in 1971 and after yet another surgery was a shell of himself in the 1972 preseason and retired at 29 — one day after losing fumbles on two of three carries in an exhibition game against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

– – –

Despite playing in just 68 NFL games, Sayers was a unanimous selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in his first year of eligibility. At 34, he was the youngest enshrined in the history of the Hall of Fame. He was presented by Bears owner George Halas.

“When I first met Gale, I was impressed with the man,” Halas said upon presenting Sayers. “In practice he was 100 percent. In run plays he always ran the entire distance to the opposite goal. His teammates admired and respected him because he was always razor sharp physically.

“Gale recognized that his inherit skills would mean very little without the help of the blockers and he continually expressed his gratitude to them. Gale was respected by his opponents as well.”

But nothing put football into perspective for Sayers like his friendship with Piccolo, a teammate since their rookie year of 1965. Sayers credited Piccolo’s good nature and encouragement with helping him get through his recovery from knee surgery. Soon after, Piccolo faced a much greater battle against cancer in 1969. When Sayers was awarded the George Halas Courage Award for overcome the adversity of his knee surgery, he famously dedicated the award to Piccolo at the Pro Football Writers of America banquet in New York City.

“He has the heart of a giant and that rare form of courage that allows him to kid himself and his opponent — cancer,” Sayers said upon accepting the award. “He has the mental attitude that makes me proud to have a friend who spells out the word ‘courage’ twenty-four hours a day, every day of his life.

“You flatter me by giving me this award, but I tell you that I accept it for Brian Piccolo. It is mine tonight, it is Brian Piccolo’s tomorrow… I love Brian Piccolo, and I’d like all of you to love him too. Tonight, when you hit your knees, please ask God to love him.”

Piccolo died on June 16, 1970. Sayers’ friendship with Piccolo was the focus of the tear-jerker made-for-TV movie, “Brian’s Song” in 1971.

After retiring from football Sayers returned to Kansas to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees. “I guess the most important thing in the long run will be the example this might set for kids coming along in sports,” he said in 1977. “They’ve got to learn they’ve got to go beyond sports and make it academically, too, to have something after they’re done playing ball or whatever they do.”

We admit, we didn’t know he was really the Nebraska Nebula:

Despite a professional playing career cut short by injury at age 27, Sayers remains one of the most revered athletes from Nebraska. Though he was born in Wichita, Kansas, and played college football at Kansas, Sayers still considers Omaha home.

“We moved when I was 8 or 9,” he said. “They didn’t have any football leagues for kids in Wichita, so moving here really gave me my first chance to play.”

Sayers grew up in north Omaha, the son of a car polisher and mechanic. He enjoyed playing tackle football against boys much older than himself at Kountze Park, along Florence Boulevard between Pinkney and Pratt Streets.

“I was 13 and playing against guys who were 19 and 20,” he said. “I think that helped make me a better athlete because I did not want to get hit by those guys.”

He went on to become a star running back at Omaha Central, earning all-city honors twice and All-Nebraska distinction as a senior. He also was a standout at track, and his long jump mark of 24 feet, 10 1/2 inches stood 44 years before it was broken in 2005 by Bellevue East’s Robert Rands.

BROADCAST NEWS

NFL TV ratings are basically flat so far in 2020, which is better than some sports.

Some tweets from Michael Mulvihill of FOX:

@mulvihill79

Overnight ratings for FOX’s Week 2 Single up +6% over last year’s Week 2 Single on CBS.

@mulvihill79

Note that in Week 1 the FOX Doubleheader was down -1% vs the Week 1 DH in overnights, then ultimately +10% in national viewership.

@AustinKarp

Sep 18

The first “Thursday Night Football” game of the NFL season, Bengals-Browns, averaged 6.68 million viewers on NFL Network last night.

Last year in Week 2 on “TNF”, Bucs-Panthers averaged 6.67 million.

And this at Outkick.com:

Either way you slice it, things were good for Fox and bad for CBS in the early Sunday afternoon window this week — it’s a matter of how good and how bad. CBS’s doubleheader numbers were likely affected by the US Open, which concluded during the late afternoon window and averaged 3.2 million viewers.

Sunday Night Football on NBC, Patriots-Seahawks, was about flat compared to Falcons-Eagles in Week 2 last year.

Monday Night Football was up versus last year, with the caveat that this year’s game was simulcast on ABC and ESPN2 to commemorate Monday Night Football’s 50th anniversary.

AIKMAN RATINGS

It’s still early, but through Week 2, the NFL has gone to the birds in 2020 – at least as far as the top three teams are concerned – including the surprising Cardinals.  And three of the top five teams are from the NFC West.

  1  Ravens         2-0       178.0

  2  Cardinals      2-0       174.9

  3  Seahawks     2-0       166.8

  4  Steelers        2-0        166.0

  5  Rams            2-0        164.9

  6  Buccaneers  1-1        162.0

  7  Chargers      1-1         161.3

  8  Patriots         1-1        161.3

  9  Bears            2-0        160.8

10  Jaguars        1-1         160.6

11  Packers        2-0         159.3

12  Titans           2-0          157.2

13  Bills              2-0          155.9

14  Chiefs          2-0          155.0

15  Cowboys     1-1           154.0

16  Raiders        2-0          151.1

17  49ers           1-1          150.8

18  Colts            1-1          150.4

19  Saints            1-1         147.9

20  Washington   1-1         144.3

21  Browns          1-1         141.7

22  Broncos         0-2         141.4

23  Falcons         0-2         137.8

24  Vikings          0-2         137.3

25  Panthers       0-2          137.0

26  Texans          0-2         135.5

27  Lions             0-2         135.5

28  Bengals        0-2          133.2

29  Jets               0-2          131.8

30  Eagles          0-2           129.8

31  Giants           0-2          128.0

32  Dolphins        0-2         127.4