#joey bosa one shot

[boltupbitches]

Brouter le cresson - Joey Bosa's Birthday

18+ content ahead

Joey was awakened by the sound of the bedroom door opening. His and Arty’s cat, Cassiopeia, meowed loudly as he heard Arty shush her gently.

“Hi, baby.” she cooed to their cat, causing a smile to begin spreading across Joey’s face. He peaked an eye open, seeing Arty in front of the bed, cradling Cassiopeia like a baby and pressing a soft kiss to the torty’s head. 

His eyes trailed over Arty’s form, taking in the sweatshirt of his she was wearing as well as the jogging shorts she had on underneath. He knew she was taking an early flight back this morning to Florida after spending a few days back out in Los Angeles for work purposes.

She gently placed the cat down (who ran out of the room as soon as her feet touched the ground - heading for the kitchen most likely to eat) and looked up, making eye contact with him. A huge smile spread across her face as she crawled across the bed to him. He held his arm out for her, hugging her into his side as he yawned loudly.

She snuggled against him and laid contently in his arms. She mumbled something into his chest, causing Joey to squirm at the ticklish sensation.

“What?” He asked.

“I said..” She lifted her head, looking up at him with a pouty face and puppy eyes. “I might have done something stupid back in LA when I was with Chloe…” Her hand smoothed up his chest, playing with the chest hair growing there. She loved the off-season because that normally meant he grew his chest hair out. She didn’t know how to explain it, but she thought it added to his rugged charm and always caught her attention when he walked around shirtless. 

Joey stared in confusion, his brain trying to scramble awake enough to process her words. “How bad are we talking here?”

“Not bad bad. More like stupid bad.” She paused, thinking of how to come out and say it. “Like I got drunk at our house and got dared to do something bad..”

“Artemis…” He said, suddenly getting nervous. “You didn’t.. Do something with someone, did you?”

“No! Oh my god - no!” She sat up waving her hands at him. “No - I.. I… let me just show you.” she held her head in defeat.

Joey sat up and looked at her now with worry.

Artemis got off the bed and gingerly pulled her shorts off. Then, she peeled her underwear down next, cupping her hand immediately over her nether regions.

“I.. got a tattoo.” She admitted with an uncharacteristic blush of embarrassment taking over her face. She hadn’t yet moved her hands to show him. 

Joey could see the outline of the bandage and was intrigued to see what it really was. “Did you.. Did you tattoo your pelvic region?” He asked incredulously as he walked over to her and sat on the edge of the bed. He pulled her over to him and slowly pulled her hands away.

Tattooed on her pelvic region, to the left slightly was his initials in cursive ‘JAB’ with a small bear paw print to the side of it.

Joey stared at it in surprise.

“Surprise..?” Arty said, her hands covering her cheeks as she watched his expression for dislike of the tribute. “It was supposed to be a birthday surprise for you - well drunk me thought that it would be good.. I didn’t realize I actually got it done until Chloe and Marley showed me the video of me getting it done.”

Joey’s thumb gently massaged the skin around the tattoo, careful as he heard her hiss slightly at how tender the skin was.

He leaned in and gently pecked the tattoo, leaning back to look her in the eyes.

He stood up slowly, towering over her before pressing a heated kiss to her lips, carefully lifting her onto the bed and laying her flat on her back as he crawled over top of her.

“Fuck..” He mumbled as he helped peel her tank top off. His tongue made a trail down the valley of her breasts, dancing down her abdomen and over the belly button piercing she had in. When he finally reached her lower lips, he spread them with his fingers and started to lap at her juices. 

She cried out as he pinched her clit gently between his fingers with one hand, the other thrusting two fingers into her hole, pistoning with a rough pace.

“Fuck!” She arched her back off the bed, her eyes rolling back as she was overcome with so many sensations.

Joey didn’t stop his ministrations, instead removing his fingers from near her clit and replacing them with his lips as he sucked on it, his hand making its way up to her left breast as he fondled it.

Arty had one hand cover the one on her breast, her hand holding it there as the other found its way into Joey’s hair. He was still sporting short locks, but he had just enough at the top for her to grip on.

It felt like an eternity had passed before he finally stopped.

Arty was crying in desperation, “Please, please don’t stop. I’m almost there!”

Joey wiped his beard and licked his lips as he quickly moved her into position. He sat up on his hind legs, pulling Arty’s legs up to rest on his thighs, her upper back still against the mattress.

He made eye contact with her as he lined himself up and pushed in her.

Arty laid there, a panting mess as she stared up at her fiance. Her brain could think of nothing more as she felt his cock push into her velvety heat, each thrusting sending a warm shock through her core and causing her to pant heavily from the overwhelming sensation.

Joey had an impressive girth and length, with a beautiful upward curve to it. Each time they fucked, it was an experience given his size. The curve of his cock definitely helped hit her g-spot each time they fucked.

She knew she was addicted, and based on his constant need to reciprocate to her, he was too.

“You’re mine.” He growled suddenly, his eyes dark as he stared down at her. “Fucking tell me that you’re mine.”

“I am.” She moaned. “I am yours. Only yours. All for you baby.”

“All for me?” He taunted.

“Mhm.” She nodded her head as she tried to keep eye contact with how rough his thrusting was. “All for you. Only you. I’m all yours.”

“This is my pussy?” He gently touched her tattoo just above it.

“Yeah, baby. It’s yours. All yours.” She hiccuped, tears now pricking her eyes as she felt that tell-tale sign of a coil-like snapping inside her. Her orgasm was building as she felt her back suddenly arch upwards.

Joey held her still as he continued to rail her a few more times, his own groans filling the air as he spilled his load into her, pushing deeply with each thrust.

They both were gently gyrating their hips in sync with one another, buzzing off their post-coital bliss.

Joey finally pulled himself out, groaning at the sensation against his sensitive cock. He sat back again and watched his cum leak out of Arty. 

He reached out, scooping it up and bringing it to her lips.

She opened obediently and hummed loudly in delight at the salty taste as she sucked it off his fingers.

“Fuck..” Joey muttered as he felt his cock twitch again with need. He knew it would be a little bit before they did round two, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate the sight. 

She released his fingers, smiling at him with flushed cheeks. “Happy Birthday, baby.”

He smiled, leaning in to kiss her before moving to lay down next to her, pulling her to him. “Thanks.. I hope you didn’t make any plans because we aren’t leaving this house today.”

“Oh?” She asked, looking at him with a teasing smile. “I have dinner reservations for us tonight.”

“Then we’ll order in and I’ll eat you out for dessert.” He said bluntly, causing her to laugh at him. “I’m supposed to be on an off-season diet anyways.”

“Yeah? I don’t remember the nutritionist saying cunningulus should be on the menu?”

“What is it that you said the French call it? Brouter le cresson?”

She started laughing loudly at that, actual tears forming in her eyes. “You remember me saying that? Oh my God!”

“You’re the one with a dirty mind in like four languages, Arty. I was a perfect gentleman before I met you.” Joey jokingly protested.

“Yep, that’s absolutely true. Such a perfect gentleman that you admitted after we started hooking up that you jacked off to my bikini pics on Instagram after the second time we fought on COD.” She teased.

Joey’s face blushed bright red at the memory. “I was sexually frustrated and you pissed me off. I couldn’t help it..” 

“Hey - listen. If I was a guy, I’d jack off to me too.” She jokingly said. “Glad it was you and not one of your creepy buddies that were DMing me.”

Joey looked at her in surprise. “Who was that? DMing you?”

“Well there was Schwartz after the first time we played against one another and then him and Marcus. I shut them both down.” She said nonchalantly. “I wanted to fuck you the first time I saw what you looked like. They didn’t interest me.”

Joey nodded, taking in this information and trying to withhold the urge to kill both of his online friends. He suddenly processed what she said. “Wait - you wanted to fuck me?”

Arty sat up, swinging her legs over the mattress and looked back at him in confusion. “Uh, yeah. You think I didn’t want to ride you to town after the first time we played against each other? As soon as I found out what you looked like I knew I was going to fuck you. Had a gut feeling.”

Joey just blinked in surprise at how sure she sounded. There were no traces of joking on her face. “So you manifested this?”

“Yep.” She said bluntly. “Now, birthday boy.. Are you going to come shower with me so we can go downstairs to open the other present I brought back for you - while I also give you head in the shower - or are you going to sit there and look at me the rest of the day?”

Joey shook his head, getting up as well to follow her into the restroom. “This is the best birthday I’ve had in a while.” He said aloud to himself.

“Yeah?” Arty threw a smile at him over her shoulder. “Well the day has just started.. We aren’t done yet!”

Joey couldn’t wait to see how the day would unfold with her.

“Are you actually going to suck my dick in the shower?”

“Is the Pope Catholic? Yes, Joey.”

[mysunshinetemptress]

Tesoro mio, La mia vita

Alessia Russo x Bosa!reader

Warnings: none just Fluff,it’s really short just a little thing, some really bad Italian cause it was taken from Google, but Surprise here’s a short one for Valentine’s Day

You were walking into London Colony when you were suddenly stopped by Mark, Arsenals media director “Hey Y/n, how have you been.” You smiled at the camera “all good Mark how are you.” Mark smiled zooming in on your face slightly before speaking “I’m good thanks, just wondering what’s your phone screen.” You laughed lightly pulling your hands phone out of your back pocket before looking down at the photo and smiling. It was no secret you and Alessia Russo were dating, she’s the reason you played for Arsenal but what fans didn’t know was how long your relationship had actually been going on for. Turning your phone you should the photo “it’s a picture of my two brothers Nick and Joey, Tesoro Mio Alessia and both her brothers Luca and Gio.” You paused allowing Mark to zoom in before continuing on “it was taken at the NFC Championship game in 2019, which was Nicks first season in the NFL and all my family where there as well as Alessia’s as we all brought our partners and their family so it was a big day but I love my brothers, and when I’m here Gio and Luca are like my brothers and of course I love Alessia so yeah that’s my screensaver hasn’t changed since 2019 and it probably won’t anytime soon.” Mark laughed thanking you as you walked away with a red face.

It was a quite night both you and Alessia where cuddled up on your couch in St Albans when you both got a notification from the media team saying their latest video was out, you both normally ignored them but you wanted to see Alessia’s reaction to you telling the world how long you had been together so you turned it on. “Oh I love these, it’s such a cute trend.” You laughed as Alessia buried her head further into your chest as you ran your fingers through her blond hair. You smiled as you watched yourself come up on the screen and felt Alessia tense slightly “oh my god, Sole.” You blushed as she looked up at you “I can’t believe you still have that as your Lock Screen.” You mumbled kissing her head “of course I do it’s my favourite photo.” Alessia stretched up to kiss you before turning back to the Tv listening to you explain the meaning behind it before it cut to her walking into the training ground.

“Morning Alessia, how are you.” Alessia beamed happily at the older man “hi Mark all good thanks and you.” Mark smiled at the blonde “I’m good, just wondering what’s your screen saver.” Alessia looked at her phone “it’s a photo of Ella and El mio sole Y/n at the Euros in 2022, Ella pulled her over the barrier with the help of my brothers and then proceeded to jump on Y/ns back and then this photo is of me and Y/n after winning the NCAA I asked her to be my girlfriend shortly after and the rest is history.” Mark smiled “so the photos mean a lot to you.” Alessia smiled nodding “definitely both her and Ella mean a lot to me and that moment is something I just love looking back on.” You turned looking down at the blonde “you’re going to make me cry.” Alessia sat up grabbing your face laughing “naw don’t cry, I love you and I love those moments and memories with you.” You leaned your head against hers “I love every moment with you.” Alessia pecked your lips “Te amo, el mio sole.” You pulled her forward locking your lips together as you kissed her passionately “Ti amo, La Mia vita.”

[joeys-babe]

Joey B Imagines: On The Road Again*

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Summary: When you and Joe are put in the back row of a van during a road trip with Sam Hubbard and Nick Bosa, you find yourselves trying to be as quiet and discreet as possible.

Warnings: Smut (Joe has a sex dream, BJ in the back of a car with unsuspecting people inside, sex in a rest stop bathroom.)

Pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

Imagine Universe: Baby, I Love You

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“we’ll take the third row” - Joe stated mater-of-factly

it was still off-season, just a few weeks before OTA’s were gonna start so Joe and a couple of his close friends decided to take a road trip.

it was going to be Joe, me, Sam Hubbard, Sam’s girlfriend Jess, and Nick Bosa.

it was the old ohio state friend group, and i was familiar with the two boys since joe and i started dating when he was still at ohio state.

sam and joe were lucky enough to end up playing with the same nfl team, while nick ended up in san fran with the niners. before training camp, nick decided he wanted to take this road trip together before him and the boys were back to being opponents.

nick flew down to cincy and was currently staying in sams guest room. he was in charge of renting the car used for the road trip.. but he was the one 30 minutes late.

sam and jess made it to joe and i’s house 15 minutes before 9:30 which is the time we agreed on meeting here.

so here the four of us were, sitting in the living room and watching tv while waiting on nick.

nick said the type of car was a surprise, but that it was a four row van. the last row was being folded down for more room to put our luggage.

since nick was the only one of the three guys not bringing a girl along, he decided he was gonna take the middle row so he could sprawl out and make a bed.

sam said he’d drive while jess was “passenger princess”, so that meant the back row was left for joe and i.

“dear god, where is he?” - joe grumbled

“he’s 30 minutes late but i mean you know how he is joe. he’s gonna show up with some decked out van.” - sam

“i don’t care what it is, i’m just hoping for working AC ” - you

“true that.” - joe

“sam, how is nick so late isn’t he literally coming from your house?” - you

“well yeah, he is… but he slept in. when we were leaving to come here he hadn’t even left to go get the car.” - sam

joe groaned out of annoyance and you let one of your hands fall to the top of his head to play with his hair.

“someone’s impatient” - you laughed

“we’ve been together for six years, you should know that by now.” - joe

“bro you are not one to talk, i dont see an engagement ring on her finger. you’ve been together for six years, you should know she’s the one by now.” - sam joked

“i don’t like being rushed! it’s coming though, i promise baby.” - joe turned to you and gave you a wink before glaring at sam

we all talked for a little while longer until we heard car honks coming from outside the house.

“thank fuck!” - joe shot up off the couch and speed walked over to the door

sam, jess, and i followed behind him and when we made it outside we all stared at the vehicle in shock.

“nick what the literal hell is that?!” - joe yelled

“you like it??” - nick hung out of the window of the van

“absolutely not.” - joe turned around to walk back into the house, but you grabbed his arm before he could and turned him back around.

“it’s an old church van, it’s all they had left since i was late to pick up the one i rented originally so someone else got it.” - nick

“damn it, nick!” - joe

i wrapped one of my arms around his waist and placed my other hand on his chest, trying to calm him down.

“it’s gonna be okay, joe. we don’t need an entire RV.” - you

“i don’t even know if i can fit in the back of that thing y/n!” - joe

“we’ll make ya fit. now please go get our bags from upstairs?” - you

“fine” - joe mumbled, you pecked his lips and said thank you before letting him out of your grasp

when joe was back in the house, sam and nick both let out a sigh of relief.

“if you weren’t around i don’t know how he woulda turned out.” - sam laughed

“yeah for real” - nick

“i try.” - you did a bow jokingly and smiled.

joe returned shortly after. he was rolling his suitcase on the ground while my bags lined both of his arms. talk about hot.

“baby, we’re going for the weekend. not moving in.” - joe mumbled as he walked over to the back of the van where sam was loading the bags up.

“i know that joe! i just need outfit options!” - you

“okay, okay!” - joe laughed

once sam had finally gotten all of my bags off of joes arms and loaded into the trunk, joe looked down at the red marks on his arms from the friction of the bags.

i walked closer to joe and wrapped my arms around his waist.

“my bags bother your arms?” - you

“not at all, just the marks. it’s really nothing to me.” - joe shrugged

“my big strong man” - you smirked before putting your lips on his

joes hands found their places on my hips to pull me against him as our kiss deepened. it was like we were the only people in the world.. until sam cleared his throat.

we pulled away from each other and giggled, joe moved away to try to get the door open and i couldn’t help but laugh when he couldn’t figure it out.

“how the hell do you open this?” - joe

i opened it first try, and he just glared at me before i motioned for him to get in first.

watching joe climb into the van was hilarious. he was a big dude standing 6’4 so he had to practically get on his hands and knees to get into the seat.

“stop laughing at me!” - joe

i had to bite the insides of my cheeks to stop laughing and i climbed in behind him.

i was significantly shorter then joe, so if i bent over i could stay standing inside the van. my luck, i dropped my phone in the floorboard so i had to bend over to get it. joe was getting a real nice view right now.

“fuck” - joe muttered

i knew exactly what got that reaction, but i played dumb.

“you good?” - you

“oh uh yeah.” - joe

when i sat down i noticed that joe was nowhere near comfortable, his knees were practically to his chest and he kept scooting around trying to get comfortable.

“can you not get comfortable?” - you

“no.” - joe sighed

i instructed him to sit sideways, his legs being the entire length of the bench-like seats as i did the same. joes legs were on either side of mine as my feet were on his lap.

“you good now?” - you

“yeah but this fuckin cup holder is like in my back.” - joe

i laughed at how whiny he was being before tossing him a pillow to put behind his back.

“now are you okay? any more complaints?” - you

“aye you’re the one asking! but no, i’m good now.” - joe

a few minutes later, everyone was finally situated and we were on our way to our weekend getaway.

it wasn’t even 20 minutes in and i was already bored. joe had his earbuds in, mouthing the words to whatever song he was listening to while bobbing his head and absentmindedly rubbing my feet with one of his hands.

i stared at him, waiting for him to notice me so he would see that i was bored but when his blue eyes locked with my eyes all he did was give me a small smile.

joe noticed that my face didn’t light up like it usually does when he smiles, so the hand that was on my foot wandered to my shin.

“you bored?” - joe

i nodded and joe chuckled before taking his earbuds out of his ears.

“watcha wanna do?” - joe

he got a shrug in return, and joe reached down for his backpack in the floorboard. he unzipped it and pulled out one of those travel activity booklets you’d do as a kid before handing it to me.

“ooo fun!” - you

“i had to get you one, it reminds me of the first time i went on vacation with you.” - joe

“my parents watched us like hawks!” - you laughed

“we were like 20, that’s what i don’t get.” - joe

“they wanted to make sure we weren’t gonna engage in any adult activity” - you

“didn’t stop us though, remember?” - joe smirked

“joe!” - you laughed

“god that shower sex was amazing.” - joe

“joseph lee! stop!” - you

joe laughed at how flustered i got, while all the rest of the people in the van looked slightly traumatized.

“you guys are disgusting” - nick

“ooo someone’s jealous that i have a girlfriend and he doesn’t.” - joe

“i’m far from jealous. i’m havin plenty of fun being single.” - nick

“sureee” - sam laughed

a few minutes later all the commotion died down and the car was silent.

“wanna help me look for license plates from all the states?” - you smiled up at joe

“yeah sure, come here” - joe

at first i was confused to what he meant but soon enough i moved to sit on his side with my back to his chest, his legs still on either side of mine.

joe immediately put his chin on my shoulder to see what i was looking at, and his arms snaked around my waist.

“love you, y/n” - joe mumbled into your neck

i had to grin at his soft side coming out, he usually wasn’t like this in front of the guys so for him to be so openly affectionate was adorable.

“love you too, joey” - you reached a hand up and patted the side of his head

the next few hours consisted of stopping for food, gas, and bathroom breaks until it eventually fell dark outside.

nick was passed out asleep, sprawled out across the three seats in the middle row of the van. jess was also asleep in the front row passenger seat.

the only noises you could hear were the road sounds and the radio playing in the background.

joe laid down - to the best of his ability with how tall he was - and i rolled over onto my stomach to cuddle into his chest. there were two blankets layered over top of us, our legs entangled under them.

and eventually we fell asleep.

(joe’s pov)

fuck.

when i woke up i immediately checked my phone, the high brightness about blinding me till i turned it down. the screen said it was almost one in the morning.

everyone was awake except for sam, and i could tell i definitely wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep.

i was so damn sweaty. maybe because of the two blankets on top of me.. or the heat radiating off of y/n.. or maybe it was because of the dream i had just had.

the dream being a replay of the insane shower sex y/n and i had over 5 years ago.

i could feel my cock straining against my shorts, but there was literally nothing i could do about it. y/n was asleep, so there goes that… and there was no way i was going to be able to get myself off without waking her up or having a very very awkward interaction with sam if he heard me.

my mind kept drifting off and i thought i was honestly going to bust in my pants, until panic set in when y/n started stirring in her sleep.

“shit” - joe mumbled under his breath, trying to stay as still as possible

“joey? you okay?” - you whispered

“uh. i- yeah” - joe

“you sure? your chest is heaving and your heartbeat is so fast it woke me up.” - you

“i’m sorry, i’m okay..” - joe

“okay then.” - you yawned and moved around to get into a comfortable position.

when y/n was trying to get comfortable, her ass brushed against my hard-on and without thinking a semi quiet groan slipped out of my mouth.

“oh.” - you

“sorry- just go back to sleep, baby.” - joe

by this time my eyes had adjusted to the dark and i could somewhat see her face. she nodded her head no and placed both her hands on my chest once she was fully facing me.

“what’s got ya goin?” - you grinned

“i had a dream.” - joe

“musta been a real good one huh?” - you fully strattled him, making sure to add pressure where it mattered as you started grinding on him.

“fuck..” - joe groaned

“tell me about your dream, joey.” - you continued

“we were uh in the shower..” - joe

“mhm” - your mouth hovered over his neck as you encouraged him to keep going before you started leaving wet-open mouth kisses on his neck.

“you sucked me off.. and then i fucked you.” - joe

“you’d love that right about now, huh?” - you

“so fuckin much, baby.” - joe

“want me to ask sam to find the nearest rest stop?” - you

my eyes left her face for the first time as my eyes adverted to the floorboard. when i turned back to her, i pulled her face down to where i could whisper in her ear.

“i say you get on your knees for me right here, my love.” - joe

“joe.. i’d don’t know..” - you

“don’t worry about it.. for right now just keep grinding on me till i tell you to stop.” - joe

she smiled down at me before connecting our lips and continuing the movements of her hips.

a minute later, i was breathless and needing release.

“ease up babe, imma cum in my pants if you don’t.” - joe nervously chuckled

y/n nodded with a grin on her face as she maneuvered herself off of me and lowered onto her knees in the floor.

“can you see me over the seat?” - you

“no..” - joe

“okay good.” - you motioned for joe to sit normally, now facing you.

she reached up to the band of my shorts, and i barley lifted my hips for her to pull them down.

as soon as i was free from the restraint of my pants, she immediately wrapped her hand around my dick and started pumping.

one of my hands found its way into her hair as the other was covering my mouth.

i wasn’t super loud during sex, but i also wasn’t dead silent either.

after a few more pumps, she released her hand from me and just traced one of the prominent veins on my cock with the tip of her finger. once she was to the head she wiped the precum off of my tip and stuck her finger in her mouth, licking every last bit off.

holy fucking hell was that hot.

the next move she made was retracing the same path up the vein to my tip, this time with her tongue. god, i was really struggling to be quiet.

once her tongue was flat against my tip, she wrapped her lips around me and started taking every awaiting inch into her mouth.

my head was rolling all around in every which way, if sam looked in the rear-view mirror it would be obvious that i was back here getting earth-shattering head.

to try to be more discreet i propped my elbow up on the cup holder that was digging in my back earlier and laid my face in hand to where my fingers covered my mouth. now if i closed my eyes it would just look like i was sleeping.

for the first time i looked down at her, my dick getting even harder at the sight of her already looking up at me. 

she was using one hand to pump what she couldn’t take like she usually would when she sucked me, but after a minute she took it off and tried to test her limits.

now most of my cock was in her mouth, and i can honestly say my head can’t get thrown back any farther. this felt so fucking good.

i wanted to praise her so bad like i always do during activities like this but i knew i couldn’t without letting a groan or moan slip out.

not much longer after that i took my hand out of her hair and placed it on the crown of her head, fluttering my fingers to notify her i was about to cum.

she pulled off completely, licked up the underside off my dick before swirling her tongue around my tip and taking it back in her mouth. that’s what had me cumming down her throat.

y/n pulled off and pumped my erection a few more times before leaning back completely, also trying to regain her breath like i was.

i pulled my shorts back up, a tent still painfully visible and motioned for y/n to sit down next to me.

she happily obliged and leaned her head onto my shoulder, rubbing along my bicep.

“that was fuckin insane. has to be top 3.” - joe

she laughed and used her hand to lace my fingers with hers.

“glad you liked it, baby” - you kissed joes cheek

“but i’m not gonna lie, i don’t know what’s harder. trying to stay quiet during that or my dick right now.” - joe

“you’re still horny after that?” - you giggled

“probably more now than i was before.” - joe

“oh my lord, what do you want?” - you

“you know what i want, baby.” - joe

“what’s that?” - you grinned, playing dumb

i pulled her face towards me to whisper in her ear.

“i need inside you, gorgeous.” - joe pulled his face away after whispering and kissed your cheek

“hey sam? can you find the nearest rest stop? it’s a girl emergency.” - you raised your voice so he could hear you

“oh yeah.” - sam typed something into has phone to start getting directions before announcing it was five minutes away.

(y/n’s pov)

five minutes later, joe and i were climbing over nick and out of the van before scurrying inside the rest stop.

“there’s the family bathroom” - joe pointed, and you went in that direction.

thankfully it wasn’t occupied and once the door was locked, joe’s lips were on mine hard.

joe mumbled “jump” into the kiss so i did, my legs wrapping his waist before he moved across the bathroom and placed me on the counter next to the sink.

my arms were around his neck and his arms were around my waist.

“we gotta be quick so let’s get straight to it.” - joe

“you’re the one in control here, joe.” - you

“i know, i just wanted to tell you what i’m doing before i do it.” - joe smiled sweetly

my heart swooned at his sweet smile and words and i placed a small peck to his forehead before we got down to business.

joe pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the other side of the counter, his boxers and shorts following behind.

now his rough hands were on me, pulling my flowy shorts and undies down.

i watched him pump his cock a few times before lining it up with my entrance and looking up at me with sincere eyes.

“ready?” - joe

i nodded and wrapped my arms back around his neck, putting my lips on his as he entered me.

joe was big, and it took me some time to get used to him- well i really still haven’t fully. he always waited for me to tell him i was ready for him to started moving.

his stare never left my face, and i nodded to tell him that i was ready.

his pace started off fast, i could tell this had been on his mind and he had been waiting for it.

“fuck, joey!” - you moaned when he bottomed out

“you feel so good..” - joe’s head fell back

joe’s thrusts were fast and hard, his quiet moans making the experience even more enjoyable.

“you’re taking me so well, my love.” - joe

“faster.. please baby.” - you

“i got ya” - joe did exactly what you asked

joe let his head fall onto my shoulder, he was feeling so fuckin good and almost couldn’t handle all the pleasure.

“damnit” - joe mumbled into your neck

“im- gonna cum, joe” - you

“i’m right there too.. come on y/n, cum on my cock, baby.” - joe

his words had me moaning embarrassingly loud but it didn’t seem to bother joe. it did the exact opposite actually, i could feel his dick twitch inside me followed by a groan from him.

a few thrusts later i released all over joe, he finished not even 5 seconds after me.

now we sat holding each other, panting.

“that was so good.” - joe

“i cant think straight.” - you

joe laughed and pressed a kiss to my forehead. we sat there for a bit until he pulled out, both of us hissing.

he moved a couple feet away and grabbed paper towels out of the dispenser to clean me up.

aftercare was always my favorite thing about sex with joe, well other than the sex itself. he was the sweetest boy ever, always making sure to clean me up while peppering my face with kisses as he whispered words of praise.

i watched him slip his clothes back on before he moved back over to the counter and took my hips in his hands to help me down. once my feet were flat against the ground he handed me my shorts and undies.

“i love you” - joe pressed a kiss to the corner of your mouth

“love you too, sweet boy.” - you slipped your bottoms on before ruffling his hair up and kissing him

joe grabbed one of my hands and we walked out of the bathroom together.

“i’m not gonna lie, i’m kinda hungry now.” - joe

“you’re always hungry, joey. plus that was like a full body workout for you. we can go get snacks at the little shop if you want?” - you

“please?” - joe smiled

“of course, baby.” - you

we walked through the shop hand in hand, joe wasn’t a fan of PDA but it was 1:30 in the morning and he didn’t care who saw him love on his girl.

i grabbed a coke and bag of sour cream & onion chips. when i looked at what joe had grabbed i couldn’t help but role my eyes.

“boy please, a bottle of water and a protein bar?” - you

“i’m on a diet, y/n!” - joe

“joe.. baby, one bag of chips is not gonna derail your entire diet. it’s not gonna make you gain 5 pounds, and honestly i so wouldn’t care if you did.” - you winked, thinking maybe some buttering up would help him let loose

i watched his cheeks turn a shade of pink as he grabbed a bag of doritos and started towards the counter.

either the worker was sleep deprived or just wasn’t a fan of football because she looked over joe completely, she even complemented my bracelet that joe had gotten me for christmas last year.

we thanked her after joe paid and started towards the exit. joe had the bag of goodies in one hand and my hand in the other.

“here we go, on the road again.” - you

“like the willie nelson song!” - joe chuckled at his connection of your words to the song

“you know who willie nelson is?!” - you

————————————————————————

authors note: that was just slightly unhinged. hope you enjoyed! ❤️🫶

[sportzkid-blog1]

NFL News 1-3-19

Hey sports fans! Today there are some important NFL news for the day. The Jaguars are expected to sign Super Bowl MVP, Nick Foles. The Chiefs place franchise tag on Dee Ford and are looking to trade the veteran. Montez Sweat runs the fastest ever 40 yard dash for a defensive tackle at the NFL combine he ran a 4.41 second 40 yard dash. John Gruden says he wants shock fans this off season. What a lot of people thinks is he is going to try and find quality WRs because they need help at the position. I think what can happen is the Raiders can trade the 24th pick to the Steelers for Antonio Brown and the 27th pick for Odell Beckham Jr. and sign Le'Veon Bell in free agency along with trading for Dee Ford. That would all be smart moves for this team as they have power house offenses in their division (Broncos, Cheifs, and Chargers.). There could be a slight chance that the Cardinals select Kyler Murray with the first overall pick in the NFL draft. I think that could be a smart move for the Cardinals because Josh Rosen was a BUST. Rosen threw for 14 interceptions and 11 passing TD's in 12 and a half games. The Cardinals have other positions to address so they would have to trade down because the first couple picks all need defense that's it and with Joey Bosa looking like he can take the first or second pick a lot of teams will be looking to take Bosa. The Raiders trade the 4th overall and the 24th overall to the Cardinals for the first pick and Josh Rosen. That would not be a bad idea for both teams to consider. One of the questions that always come to my mind is who will be the next Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags went from a team with an amazing defense to a team that fell apart and went to a 5-11 record this year and like I said earlier are expected to sign Nick Foles. Here are my top favored teams to be the Jags:

1. Patriots, why? The Patriots have almost all of there WR's being shipped off and they have an old quarterback who didn't have a good outing in the Super Bowl.

2. Chargers, why? The tight end position looks a little shaky and they also have a quarterback who is getting older.

3. Cowboys, why? Zeke is the team picture and Prescott isn't the greatest quarterback in the world, but I do expect the defense to be decent.

4. Rams, why? Jared Goff is really not that great the Super Bowl shows it too. There star players are all about to become free agents.

5. Texans, why? Deshaun Watson and Deandre Hopkins is the teams picture. They were the third seed and they got smoked by the Colts

Those were my teams that will get worse as time goes, but now let's look at teams that didn't make the playoffs that will most likely make it this year.

1. Browns, why? If you don't pick this team you are absolutely crazy talk about having there playoffs come down to the last 2 weeks and the quarterback of the future along with Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb a stacked defense this team is going to the Super Bowl!!!

2. Giants, why? Talk about rookie of the year running back Saquon Barkley and OBJ and a defense that is pretty solid there offense won the game against the Bears, the Bears that week and most weeks in the NFL were ranked the best team in football.

3. Dolphins, why? All of you watched the Patriots dominated the Rams the second best team in football and now that is there head coach, and he has players to work with which is exiting. The Dolphins need a quarterback badly and there are a lot of quarterbacks they can take in the draft or trade for Case Keenum.

4. Broncos, why? The Bears defense in football and now they have the coordinater as the head coach and Joe Flacco gets a second shot and that defense has some playmakers.

5.Jets, why? Talk about Sam Darnold's season he was great I will tell you they need a running back and wide receiver, but have a solid defense and the only thing holding them back is Adam Gase and his bad decision making.

Thank you for reading my post for today and these are my ideas and other news.

[giantsorcowboys]

Scrimmage Stud

One Of The Hottest Men Of The NFL Is Joey Bosa, Defensive End For The Chargers.

Sexy As Hell, Baby!

[junker-town]

6 winners from Week 12 of the NFL season

Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images

The Bills old man/young man tailback combo might be the balancing act they need for the playoffs.

Week 12 didn’t offer much in terms of playoff-caliber matchups. It did, however, offer plenty of instances of good teams playing poorly and bad teams leveling up.

The Seahawks gave the Eagles roughly 20 different chances to keep pace in Philadelphia before their eventual win. The Saints let the Panthers stick around thanks to dumb mistakes and stupid penalties before kicking a game-winning field goal as time expired. The Patriots’ offense looked every bit as non-threatening in a win over the Cowboys as it did last week against the Eagles.

Meanwhile, Washington and the Bengals, two teams that had one win between them, each held halftime leads. Washington even went on to win!

Sunday’s winners, of course, weren’t limited to teams that slumped to uninspiring wins or beat a Matthew Stafford-less Lions team. Here are the six players and teams who got their share of triumph in Week 12.

It wasn’t ...

Not considered: the Raiders, whose playoff hopes have been upended by the ... Jets?

Wait, that can’t be right.

No, huh, here it is. Jets 34, Raiders 3. Oakland opened the game with a field goal and then watched the Jets cascade over them like lava sliding down a mountainside. Things got so bad that the Raiders threw human white flag Mike Glennon into the lineup with more than 16 minutes left in the game. Glennon, true to form, fumbled on each of his first two series.

Derek Carr, who’d come into the week as a low-key MVP candidate, finished with just 127 passing yards and a pick-six, netting -3 points for Oakland. Glennon’s five drives gained a grand total of 32 yards. Everything was a mess for the Raiders.

On the other hand, Sunday’s beating was a cathartic moment for long-suffering Jets fans. Sam Darnold powered up with 315 passing yards and two touchdowns. Prized offseason acquisition Le’Veon Bell averaged 6.4 yards every time he heard his number called. A defense that ranked 24th in the league in points allowed stifled a team with a winning record to a long field goal.

So, good day if you’re a Jets fan. A season-changing, optimism-crushing one if you’re pulling for the Raiders.

Now on to ...

Week 12’s actual winners

6. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati’s silver lining

Boyd was a 1,000-yard receiver in 14 games in 2018, but his impact with a winless Bengals team had been muted this fall. He’d had just 192 receiving yards in his last five games, including a one-catch, zero-yard performance in a loss to the Raiders that forced him to express his displeasure with Cincinnati’s toothless offense to the press.

First-year head coach Zac Taylor and rookie quarterback Ryan Finley were listening. On Sunday, they made it a priority to get Boyd opportunities early in the game. He responded with a pair of plays that almost single-handedly willed the Bengals to a touchdown.

First he showed off some Spider-Man hands (well, hand) on a 47-yard gain:

OH BOYD! Tyler Boyd with the unreal one-handed grab! #PITvsCIN @boutdat_23 : CBS : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/YLI9jW8U5W pic.twitter.com/lfEakj1lzr

— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2019

Then he finished the drive one play later for Cincinnati’s only touchdown of the afternoon.

Spike that #BigLevels | #SeizeTheDEY pic.twitter.com/UL23JlYdaY

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 24, 2019

The Bengals still lost to the Steelers, 16-10, but Boyd led all receivers with five catches for 101 yards. The fourth-year pro showed he can be the team’s top wide receiver as Cincinnati hurtles toward an A.J. Green-less future and a complete rebuild. Unfortunately, that likely means spending the next four seasons in southwest Ohio, which might not be especially ... prosperous from a win/loss standpoint.

5. Dwayne Haskins, winning NFL quarterback

It wasn’t pretty, but Haskins quarterbacked Washington to a win. With the roster currently constructed as owner Dan Snyder’s tribute to the films of David Lynch, that’s an accomplishment.

The rookie only completed 13 of his 29 attempts and failed to throw a touchdown pass for the second time in his three NFL starts. He came up big when his team needed him the most, however. He pushed Washington 33 yards in the game’s final minute to set up Dustin Hopkins’ game-winning field goal. His 17-yard completion to fellow first-year player Terry McLaurin on third-and-5 helped give fans at FedEx Field a reason to go home rather than grit their way through overtime.

Haskins, in his most relatable moment of the afternoon, was possibly too eager to get the hell off the field. Case Keenum had to take over kneeldown duties at the end of the game because the rookie was too busy taking selfies with some of the intrepid few who’d shelled out upwards of $6 to purchase tickets.

Dwayne Haskins takes a selfie with fans while Case Keenum has to do the victory formation pic.twitter.com/Y76AL2cquF

— CJ Fogler (@cjzer0) November 24, 2019

Haskins would like nothing more than to ignore the on-field action at a Washington game in favor of having fun with people he likes. Same, Dwayne.

Same.

4. Tevita Tuli’aki’ono Tuipulotu Mosese Va’hae Fehoko Faletau Vea, touchdown machine

Vita Vea, possessor of the amazing name copied-and-pasted above (I wouldn’t dare try to type it from memory) had never scored an NFL touchdown before Sunday. This made sense, since he’s a 347-pound defensive tackle who’d played only three offensive snaps in his career before Week 12.

As such, the Falcons wouldn’t expect him to be a red zone threat. That’s exactly what Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians was hoping.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL VITA VEA HAS HAULED IN HIS FIRST CAREER TOUCHDOWN pic.twitter.com/UXlButlO9H

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 24, 2019

Vea, lined up at fullback, slipped past the line scrimmage untouched and caught an easy lob from Jameis Winston to send his team into the locker room with a 19-10 advantage. It was also the heaviest touchdown in league history.

This goal-line wizardry helped offset what had threatened to be another awful Winston outing. The mercurial quarterback threw interceptions in two of his first three drives. With the burly lineman getting into the mix, Winston went on to finish his day with three touchdowns, 313 passing yards, and a stellar 11.2 yards per pass. Of course, it wasn’t just Vea’s single yard of offense that did the trick. Chris Godwin’s seven catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns was probably just as valuable in a 35-22 win that kept the Bucs’ playoff hopes alive for another week.

There's a reason they don't call him Chris Regularguywin.

— Taylor Jenkins (@TJenkinsTampa) November 24, 2019

3. Dennis Kelly, who gave us our second O-lineman beer chugging celebration in as many weeks

Last Sunday, Quenton Nelson showed the world his keg stand skills after scoring a touchdown that ultimately was called back. In Week 12, it was Kelly who taught viewers proper shotgunning technique after the tackle found the end zone for the Titans.

Open up the cooler for the boys! #JAXvsTEN#BudLightCelly | @budlight pic.twitter.com/5DmJtbFq0s

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 24, 2019

Between Vea and Kelly, NFL fans were gifted 668 pounds of touchdown catches over the course of two plays. If the league keeps this up, we may have to co-opt the Piesman Trophy for the pros.

2. The Bosa brothers, who are apparently the key to beating Aaron Rodgers

The 2019 Packers vs. teams with a Bosa brother: 0-2

The 2019 Packers vs. everyone else: 8-1

Back in Week 9, Joey Bosa helped make Rodgers’ life hell with 1.5 of the Chargers’ three sacks that day. Los Angeles shot out for a surprising 26-11 win on the West Coast that reduced the Green Bay offense into a sputtering Bengals cosplay. In Week 12, Nick Bosa had one sack as the San Francisco defense got to Rodgers five times in a surprising 37-8 reckoning a few hours north of LA.

Bosa was part of a 49ers pass rush that kept Rodgers dancing in the pocket all evening. San Francisco limited the two-time MVP’s damage with a consistent pass rush and a big dose of trust in its secondary. Rodgers never found a rhythm downfield because his wideouts failed to get behind the Niners’ blanketing coverage. Even the improvised scrambling plays on which the veteran has built his legend were limited to short gains rather than long bombs.

As a result, he played at a level that can only be accurately described by one made-up but entirely accurate word: Bortles-ian.

The Niners made Rodgers look like an overwhelmed rookie rather than a savvy veteran. The Packers QB finished with an average of 3.2 yards per attempt — the lowest number he’s ever had in his 169 regular season starts in Green Bay. Jimmy Garoppolo, on the other hand, finished his day with 12.7 yards per attempt and 18.1 yards per completion,

Everyone else in the playoff picture should be taking notes — and trying to figure out how to lure a Bosa to their lineup in the near future.

1. The Bills’ legend-rookie run game

The Bills’ most dangerous weapon may be a multifaceted running attack led by one of the greatest tailbacks of all time and a teammate 14 years younger than him. Devin Singletary, the pride of the Florida Atlantic University Fightin’ Kiffins, notched the first 100+ yard rushing day of his career against the Broncos, springing for 106 yards on 21 carries. While that was a big accomplishment, he was overshadowed by someone who did less on the field.

That’s because Frank Gore’s 15-carry, 65-yard performance was enough to move him ahead of Barry Sanders on the league’s all-time rushing list. The 36-year-old now ranks behind only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton with 15,289 yards in the course of a 15-year career.

The moment @FrankGore passed @BarrySanders to move into third on the all-time rushing yards list. pic.twitter.com/avxZ7TQlMy

— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2019

The pair was part of a unit that ran for 244 yards against a defense that ranked seventh in the league in rushing defense until Week 12. That opened up the Denver defense enough for Josh Allen to throw for 185 yards and two touchdowns in a game that was never really in question.

So how did Gore handle this accolade? With the grace and veteran presence he’s become known for in his decade-plus in the NFL:

As we were talking to Devin Singletary he was asked a lot of questions about playing with Frank Gore. When Gore heard the questions he stood up and said “ask him about his first 100-yard game, that’s a big accomplishment” #Bills @WKBW

— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) November 24, 2019

And later by thanking every offensive lineman who’d ever blocked for him. Awesome. It’s no wonder NFL legends came together to congratulate him after Sunday’s big accomplishment.

Congratulations to an all-time great from these all-time greats.@FrankGore | #FootballisFamily pic.twitter.com/iFLoJg2n9n

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 24, 2019

Buffalo is now 8-3 with games against the Cowboys, Ravens, Steelers, Patriots, and Jets remaining. This could be the first 10-win Bills team of the millennium. It will likely be Gore’s first trip to the postseason since 2013.

The Bills still have plenty of flaws, but with a dominant defense and chain-moving running game, they’ve got the look of an old-school playoff squad.

[boltupbitches]

Imagine if you and Joey were doing the deed and you ask him to choke you and he gets all like 😳😳😳 but then he does it and it just awakens something in him.

Ugh daddy 😩😩😩

Safeword - Joey Bosa

SMUT AHEAD - 18+ content

She wasn't sure at what point it happened, but Joey went from pounding her into the mattress to halting balls deep and just staring in shock at her. It was almost comical if it wasn't for the fact that his lower body at all of his weight pushing into her, her cervix was now aching at the pressure, and she was still horny as fuck.

"What did you say?" He asked hoarsely. His hair was dangling in damp strands down his face; still damp from the shower and now the sweat from their fucking. He was holding himself braced above her as she stared back in her own state of shock.

"Umm.. Go harder?" She said meekly.

"No, no not that. After that?" His eyes were serious and he had no expression now.

"Oh god.." She immediately covered her face in embarrassment.

"I'm not going to move until you tell me." He said with a smirk now.

"I can't."

"You can.. I think I heard you say something like, "Yes, go harder! Choke me, daddy!" He teased in a terrible impression of her voice.

She said nothing and just whined in embarrassment. "I'm sorry.."

"Don't apologize! I mean, I've never done that before.. but I mean.." He trailed off.

She lowered her hands and stared back at him in surprise at what appeared to be excitement at the prospect. "You would?"

"Yeah, if you are comfortable and want me to."

She stared back at him for a moment and he raised his eyebrow, slowly starting to rock his hips a bit. She squirmed at the jolt that shot up through her core. She pressed at his torso to sit upwards and then reached for his right arm.

He watched intently as she trailed it up her waist, through the valley of her breasts, and to her mouth where she pressed a kiss to his palm. Then, she lowered it to rest at her neck.

Joey watched with a bated breath as she made a squeezing motion on his hand and moaned. His eyes shot to her's as she stared back earnestly.

"Choke me, daddy." She begged quietly and Joey felt the switch in him click.

He knew for certain that neither of them were going on that planned beach day tomorrow after tonight's round. They'll be in bed late into the afternoon for sure.

[ecoorganic]

MAQB: The Cost of Extended Training for NFL Combine; How 'Hard Knocks' Will Look This Season

News and notes from around the NFL, including how trainers are preparing for extended combine prep for players opting out of the 2020 season, what we can expect from this season's 'Hard Knocks,' how Joey Bosa's big payday could help his brother and more.

Real football practices get started this week. Let’s go …

• To me, part of the issue opt-out guys face is purely financial. Normally, it’d cost an agent upwards around $30,000 to get a player housed, fed and trained in the eight weeks leading into the scouting combine—a cost that’s gone up over the years and become increasingly vital to any player’s pre-draft process. Now, rather than eight weeks, we’re talking seven months. So I decided to turn over some rocks on this Monday, and called Pete Bommarito, who owns Bommarito Performance Systems in South Florida, as part of that.

He’s been training athletes for the combine since 2000, and doing it through his own company since 2005. And as such, the last couple weeks have been crazy for him as kids have explored opting out of their college seasons (Miami DE Gregory Rousseau told us in

this morning’s MMQB that he’ll be working out there going forward).

“We’ve already started our draft prep,” Bommarito said this afternoon. “It’s very simple, we’ve got a number of NFL free agents working, we had four going at a time last week. And with the draft prep guys, we’ll just run them with those guys. We’ve been prepared for something like this.”

So how does it work? Bommarito’s plans for the players are intricate but the idea on this is pretty simple. The opt-outs would go into training with the free agents, working half-days three days a week, and full days two days a week, from now until Christmas. After that, they’d move into the normal draft prep, leading into All-Star games and the combine (their days at that point can last 10-12 hours).

As for the cost, Bommarito says that of the aforementioned $30,000, training a player for two months for the combine runs around $15,000-$16,000. In this case, Bommarito said, the standard for training, given the slower ramp-up and longer duration, would cost around $5,000 per month. That, of course, is before you get to housing, a rental car and stipend, which are generally a part of the package agents offer players.

Bottom line: This will get costly for agents, and might not be cost-effective once you get beyond the elite kids.

Also worth mentioning: A lot of trainers are courting agents, the same agents who have been in the ears of college players the last few weeks. XPE Sports sent a plan to agents that broke its program into General Prep/Foundational Movement (Oct. 5-Nov. 13), Speed/Position training (Nov. 30-Dec. 22) ahead of combine prep, with breaks for Thanksgiving and Christmas worked in. EXOS gave agents an even more detailed plan (that one’s below), with four periods (Sept. 7-Oct. 2, Oct. 5-30, Nov. 2-21, Nov. 30-Dec.) before combine prep.

Clearly, a lot of people were ready for this.

• Had a good talk on Monday with NFL Films supervising producer Ken Rodgers, as he worked through tomorrow night’s premiere of Hard Knocks: Los Angeles, which will be a very different Hard Knocks than what you’re used to. For one, it’ll feature two teams. And obviously, the circumstances under which it’ll be staged are very different.

“Practices look different, the locker rooms are different, how they arrive to camp, the testing, everything’s different,” said Rodgers. “We’ve got the video and a look inside that’s deeper than anyone’s seen. There’ll be more intimacy than anyone’s seen inside a COVID-safe environment in any workplace in America. It’s really not just a story of the Chargers or the Rams, this is a story of an American workplace trying to get back to productivity.

“To me, it’s a document of its time.”

Of course, there are also limits. Rodgers said in a normal year, a crew of around 45 NFL Films folks would flood the Hard Knocks site. This year after negotiations with the league and NFLPA, the limit is 13 and those 13 have to stay six feet away from players and coaches at all times, which, says Rodgers, “is completely different for us.” That’s meant, for example, longer lenses and the elimination of wide lenses.

And it will mean a different show than you’re used to. How? Well, we got to that with our questions for Rodgers. Here’s more: 

MMQB: How will tomorrow look different for the viewer?

Rodgers: I don’t think the product will look that different. Our focus has been to keep quality just as high. I do think the camps look extremely different. So the process looks different, if not the product. Everything at these two camps looks different this year.… It is fascinating to see how these two teams are dealing with it on a day-to-day basis. Everything is different in terms of what you’re gonna see, but I think the filmmaking, to our crew’s credit, has changed technologically, you’ll see a lot more Zoom meetings, robotic camera footage, rather than actual camera operators, but the actual quality is the same.

MMQB: So you have the same number of robo cams (12) in each facility, but are you using those more than normal because of the limits?

KR: I’d say probably the same. The addition is the Zoom meetings that we are a part of, we’re recording those. They’re actually having less meetings in the robo-filmed rooms than usual. So yes, we’re actually using them more, but they’re having less of them, so it evens out. Then in addition to that, we’re filming all these Zoom meetings, so the net gain is humongous. Between robos and Zooms, we’re leaning much more heavily on robotic-operated or Zoom-operated cameras than human-operated cameras.

MMQB: Do you guys feel pressure, given the historic nature of this?

KR: I do feel a sense of history being captured. I can sense NFL Films producers of future years watching this footage as we’re capturing it, because I experienced the same thing as a young producer watching the footage of the 1970s that was captured before I was born. I can imagine future generations of NFL Films producers who didn’t live through this crazy, upside-down football season, and this crazy upside-down year in America not really understanding what it was like. And feeling a little bit of retrospective pride that we captured it the right way, and as fully as we are capturing it.

MMQB: Has this made the relationship with the teams more vital to getting it done?

KR: Not at this point. I gotta be honest, it took trust on behalf of the players union and the teams at the beginning of the process, that we were gonna go about our business the same way the players were. So we are undergoing testing every day, we’re wearing the tracing bracelets just like the players are, we are not going out to dinner, we’re not having guests visit, our crew’s not hanging out together in hotel rooms. We’re undergoing the same protocols the players are, and once they understood that, the trust level was there. That was what was required to gain that trust.

• Interesting to see the Patriots sign ex-Texans RB Lamar Miller. There was some concern in Houston that the torn ACL he suffered last August would rob him of some of his explosiveness at 29 years old. But the sense I’ve gotten is that Houston didn’t believe he was shot pre-injury, and people there think he can still be a quality depth option for a good team. That said, it’s tough for New England to have to go this well having spent first- and third-round picks (Sony Michel, Damien Harris) on the position over the last two years, while also having vets James White and Rex Burkhead on the roster.

• This today from Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, on the season ahead for his college scouts: “As far as our scouting staff goes I think we’re kind of prepared on a number of different fronts to attack this. But I think we have to be very flexible, too, because things will change and we’re going to prepare. There’s going to be a draft, we’re going to have to acquire players, so we’re just going to have to do it a few different ways.” 

One very common refrain I’ve heard from people on that side of the business the last month is that teams with well-connected scouts are going to be at a huge advantage this fall. And that makes sense. With school visits unlikely to be allowed even if there is a college season, a scout’s ability to get people on the phone and get reliable information will be paramount. Which honestly is sort of like how journalism has been the last few months. Your Rolodex is always important, and even more so now.

• I’d say ex-Patriot/ex-Titan CB Logan Ryan overplayed his hand a little in the spring, in holding firm on his expectation of getting into eight figures for 2020. That said, if I’m a team that needs secondary help now, Ryan makes a ton of sense. He’s a great team guy and brings corner/safety flexibility, not to mention a ton of big-game experience.

• One fun leftover from my conversation with Joey Bosa (as seen in MMQB)—I did ask if he thought about how his payday may have helped his brother Nick financially. “Oh yeah, and I think he’s gonna far surpass it when the time comes because that’s the kind of player that he is, and not only him but every great young d-end that comes into the league now is gonna have a bar to get to and to surpass,” Bosa said. “I’m sure it’s gonna be passed up pretty soon here. But just to do that for my brother, I mean, I can’t say enough about the player he is and the person he is, how hard he works. He’s gonna deserve every single penny he gets.” And as for how he got word over to Nick, here’s that story: “He was playing his video games, so he had to run the headset on, headset off, and he was looking at me with this face. Like, ho-lee s---. But we were all waiting on it, and he couldn’t have been happier. Calling everybody and seeing the giant smiles they had on their faces, for me, it just means more than any dollar amount. And I think in his head, he’s thinking, ‘Oh, what am I gonna get?’” Health-permitting, Nick Bosa will get a lot.

• This tweet from Joe Burrow was the one for me …

He’s overstating it a little, but I can look back at my notes from last summer and see that he was seen as no better than a third- or fourth-round pick going into the 2019 season. So if he hadn’t had the 2019 season, that’s what he would’ve been. Or he’d have had to try and get a sixth year of eligibility. Either way, that’s a pretty good window into some of the collateral damage if the college season is called off.

• Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley told the Baltimore media Monday that his contract situation is “not really in the forefront of my mind.” But it should be for the Ravens, who’ve helped develop Stanley into a top-five player at his position, and an essential piece of Lamar Jackson’s supporting cast. His draft classmate Laremy Tunsil got $22 million per year. It’s fair to think Stanley’s worth that much, too.

• We gave you the updated numbers on COVID-19 lists in the MMQB, and Monday was another good day in that regard. League-wide, one player went on the list (Titans LB Josh Smith) and one came off of it (Vikings LB Cameron Smith). Overall, that’s a good day.

• If Derrius Guice did what he’s alleged to have done, his NFL career should be over. The details, if you haven’t seen them, are horrible.

• Question or comment? Email us.

from Blogger https://ift.tt/33Mk2Xl

[buddyrabrahams]

15 key questions for NFL Week 11

Week 11 should excite football fans everywhere as it features some huge games, including a hotly-anticipated matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, plus an NFC North battle between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. There are numerous other games with playoff implications worth watching as well.

What should we be looking for in these contests? Here are 15 key questions to keep in mind as Week 11 kicks into gear.

1. Which defense can step up in the Chiefs-Rams tilt?

We’re well aware that Kansas City and Los Angeles boast two of the game’s best offenses. As was the case in the Rams’ recent matchup with the New Orleans Saints, the game may come down to whichever defense can force turnovers and get timely stops. While neither defense is elite, the Rams have been slightly better in terms of yardage allowed, and they also have a negligible advantage in points allowed per game. The best defense probably wins this game.

2. Will Dallas’ first road win prove a sign of things to come?

The Cowboys had been truly awful all year on the road before rather surprisingly digging in for their first victory away from home against the Philadelphia Eagles. If the Cowboys wish to remain in the playoff race, that momentum has to carry over. The Cowboys will face the Atlanta Falcons on the road this week, a team hit by injury and inconsistency, but capable of putting up lots of points. This is another dangerous game for Dallas, but a win could show some real evidence of a turnaround.

3. Will the reshuffled Bengals’ coaching staff help against Baltimore?

The Bengals, who have been a mess defensively lately, made some major changes this week ahead of a big game against the Baltimore Ravens. Marvin Lewis has taken over defensive duties, with a surprising name coming in to help him in general. Will this matter? There are a lot of factors at play here, especially with Baltimore’s quarterback situation up in the air, but this is a must-win game for Cincinnati. With a loss here, a lot of eyes will fall on Lewis.

4. Who will seize control of the NFC North?

Sunday night’s matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears may have a big say in deciding the NFC North winner. The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions are both fading from view, leaving these two teams as the real contenders in the division. This is the long-awaited first meeting of these teams, matching up the surprising Bears with the built-to-win Vikings. The winner will be in first place, and maybe to stay.

5. Will the Panthers right the ship after a huge letdown in Pittsburgh?

In what was a big test of their playoff credentials, the Carolina Panthers fell completely flat in a blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers a week ago. A visit to the Detroit Lions provides a much more straightforward challenge, but one that the Panthers can’t afford to lose. Carolina remains well-poised for an NFC playoff spot, but it’s dependent on beating the teams they should beat, and the Lions are one of those. This is a big rebound game for Carolina.

6. Can the Eagles even hang with the Saints?

This was very nearly the NFC Championship last season, but the layout of this game looks much different now. The Saints are rolling, well on their way to a division title and a potentially deep run into the NFC playoffs. The Eagles are 4-5, fresh off handing the Dallas Cowboys their first road win as a season, and face an uphill battle to even get back to the playoff. It’s up to the Philadelphia defense to step up here. The Philadelphia offense just isn’t as good, so that once-vaunted defense is going to have to find something to stop the Saints and keep it close.

7. Will the home crowd show up for Washington?

One of the strangest undercurrents of the season is the fact that the Washington Redskins have repeatedly voiced their disappointment with their home fans. The environment has been underwhelming and sometimes hostile, with Josh Norman explicitly calling it out. He then put his money where his mouth is by handing out free tickets. The Redskins face a good Houston Texans team, so one would expect the stakes to be high and the fans to be boisterous. The team will be counting on it.

8. Can the Steelers effectively end Jacksonville’s playoff hopes?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 3-6, and their playoff hopes may already be done for the year. Another defeat would almost certainly do it, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are not the team they want to be playing right now, even at home. Jacksonville has lost five straight, and the talented Steelers seem likely to make it six, but the Jaguars are playing for their season here. We’ll see if they can raise their game at all against a leading AFC contender.

9. Will the methodical Chargers find any resistance against Denver?

The Chargers have flown under the radar all season, especially with their city rivals, the Rams, taking up many of the headlines. They don’t seem to mind. Even without a key player in Joey Bosa, the Chargers are 7-2, and will be favored to win again against a rudderless Denver Broncos team. It’s up to Denver and Case Keenum to try to slow that down and find something, but that won’t be easy on the road against a superior opponent. Perhaps their extra week of preparation from the bye will help keep things close.

10. Can the streaky Titans shut down Andrew Luck?

The Titans lost their first game, won three straight, lost three straight, and have now won two in a row again. They’re actually firmly in the playoff hunt, but Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts present a challenge. The Colts aren’t an elite team, but they’ve won three in a row and Luck is playing good ball. The fact that it’s a road game for Tennessee doesn’t make this any easier. A win would be pretty big.

11. Is Dirk Koetter coaching for his job?

The matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants is a battle between two rather listless teams in the middle of losing seasons. There is plenty of speculation about potential changes for both, but the Buccaneers may be more pertinent right now. While there’s no indication that changes are imminent, this is another poor season for Dirk Koetter, and he may need a strong finish to his season if he wants to save his job. A win over a vulnerable team like the Giants would be a fine start.

12. Can the Raiders take what may be their best chance at a road win?

The Raiders and Cardinals have three combined wins, and Oakland is 0-4 on the road and in serious danger of going winless away from home. Their remaining away games after this one aren’t very promising, with trips to Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Kansas City ahead. Thus, the Cardinals probably represent the Raiders’ best shot to get what may be their lone road win of 2018. The Raiders have looked awful lately, so this may not be enough, but they at least have a chance.

13. Can the Ravens show any fight to save John Harbaugh’s job?

Speculation about John Harbaugh’s future has really ramped up over the past couple weeks, and it may already be too late for him to save his job. All he can do is try at this point, with the Ravens riding a three-game losing streak heading into a big matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens really need a win for their playoff hopes, and Harbaugh may need one for his future with the franchise. The stakes are high.

14. How will Mitchell Trubisky cope with the best rival defense in his division?

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has shown a lot of ability this season and looks to be quickly maturing into a pretty good NFL quarterback. The talented Minnesota Vikings defense will provide him with a real test as these two teams meet for the first time. Only three teams have allowed fewer yards than Minnesota has, leaving Trubisky with a real uphill task. If he wants to take the Bears to the playoffs, though, he’s going to have to win games like this.

15. How much will the Rams miss Cooper Kupp?

The Rams have a whole lot of weapons, so the loss of Kupp for the season isn’t quite the end of the world. It is, however, an undeniable blow. Kupp is only tied for third on the team in total receptions and third in total yardage, but his six touchdowns lead the team. Jared Goff and the Rams will have to find a way to make up for that. Expect to see Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods filling even larger roles going forward.

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[junker-town]

Which NFL players held out from training camp in 2019?

Melvin Gordon, Ezekiel Elliott, and Jadeveon Clowney all skipped training camp in pursuit of contract extensions, with various results.

When NFL training camps opened in July 2018, many of the league’s biggest names steered clear. Le’Veon Bell, Aaron Donald, Khalil Mack, and Earl Thomas all refused to show up due to qualms with their contracts.

Bell never reported, opting instead to sit out an entire season after the Steelers franchised him in back-to-back years.

Donald’s holdout ended with a record-breaking contract from the Rams. And Mack’s ended when he was traded from the Raiders to the Bears and subsequently given the blockbuster deal he wanted too.

Thomas reluctantly showed up without a new contract from the Seahawks and wasn’t shy about voicing his displeasure — most notably when he suffered a broken leg early in the 2018 season that ended his time in Seattle.

There wasn’t quite the same level of star power on the list of holdouts in 2019. But skipping training camp is a common, and usually effective, tactic. A few players gave it a shot.

Here are the 2019 training camp absentees who stretched their holdouts to the regular season, and the notable players who opted against a holdout or got a contract along the way.

6 players who had holdouts

Trent Williams, OT, Washington

Williams signed a huge extension in 2015, but the guaranteed money has been paid, and his contract is down to its final two years. After it appeared as though he’d sit out the entire season due to his discontent with the team he plays for, Williams reported to the team just minutes after the trade deadline ended.

@nflnetwork Trent Williams just reported to Washington Redskins

— OG aka CAPTAIN 23 (@DeAngeloHall23) October 29, 2019

By showing up, Williams avoided his contract tolling over and leaving him with two seasons left on his deal in Washington.

He’s not in a bad spot with $11 million and $12.5 million in base salary for the next two years, although he’ll only see about $5.8 million of his 2019 salary after sitting out half the. season. But many offensive tackles have shifted the market in the last few years and Williams — who turned 31 in July — is running out of time to get another blockbuster deal.

The bigger part of Williams’ complaint has nothing to do with his salary, though. It’s reportedly due to frustration with the Washington medical staff. Williams had a growth on his head surgically removed, and coach Jay Gruden told reporters that the offensive tackle “wished the diagnosis had come a little sooner” from team doctors.

Williams explained his absence from offseason practices in a meeting with team president Bruce Allen.

“I’ve talked to Trent a few times,” Allen told NBC Sports. ”He’s explained some things to me and I’ll leave it at that.”

He’s so frustrated about the situation that NBC Sports Washington reported “he’s not coming back. Period.”

In spite of that hardline stance and a holdout that kept Williams out for the entire preseason, Washington has reportedly rebuffed trade offers and Allen was adamant all along that the offensive tackle would return.

"I THINK TRENT'S GONNA PLAY FOOTBALL"#Redskins team president Bruce Allen goes 1-on-1 with @SherreeBurruss to talk about the latest with Trent Williams' holdout. Tomorrow, Allen talks about Jay Gruden's job security as well as his own, only on @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/B14C09rDdp

— NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) August 28, 2019

Williams has been to seven consecutive Pro Bowls, but he hasn’t completed a 16-game season since 2013. Most recently, he missed three games in 2018 due to thumb and rib injuries, and six games in 2017 due to a knee injury. Washington struggled to deal with the absence, and now has journeyman Case Keenum and rookie Dwayne Haskins to protect.

Melvin Gordon, RB, Chargers

Los Angeles is in the thick of contention thanks in part to the ageless play of Philip Rivers, but he was without a key component of his offense in training camp and the beginning of the regular season.

It wasn’t until the end of September that Melvin Gordon finally ended a lengthy holdout and reported to the team facility.

Sources: The holdout is ending. #Chargers RB Melvin Gordon is, in fact, reporting to the team tomorrow. He won’t play this week, but he is planning to be back in the fold with his teammates.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 25, 2019

Gordon has been a big part of the Chargers’ offensive revival, recording nearly 4,400 yards from scrimmage the past three seasons. He’s also been a bit unreliable due to injury — he’s only played one full 16-game campaign in his four-year career. He’s currently on the hook for $5.6 million in the fifth year of his rookie contract, but made just under $5 million for the four years preceding it.

His contract demand was a little surprising, but it makes sense. Gordon comes into 2019 with some leverage after making a leap in 2018; his yards-per-carry average rose from a career mark of 3.8 to 5.1 as Los Angeles rose from the outside of the postseason picture and into a spot in the Divisional Round last January. He also contributed a career-high 4.2 catches per game, playing a massive role as headache-reliever for his aging quarterback.

The Chargers have an estimated $39 million in cap space to spend next spring, but a chunk of that will likely be devoted to Rivers, whose contract is up at the end of the year. Players like Joey Bosa and Keenan Allen will also need to be dealt with soon. If the club thinks Gordon’s jump in efficiency last fall isn’t sustainable, it may hold strong against Gordon’s holdout threat.

Los Angeles reportedly held firm at a $10 million per year offer — well behind the $14.375 million average of Todd Gurley — and that led to a trade request.

Chargers RB Melvin Gordon's agent Damarius Bilbo tells me he requested a trade last wk for his client, after the team remained at their initial offer of aprox $10M/ year. GM Tom Telesco told Bilbo, Gordon is still family, but Bilbo was not given permission to seek trade partners.

— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) August 1, 2019

One that the Chargers eventually gave in to:

Some potentially big news for the #Chargers: They have given the reps for Melvin Gordon permission to seek a trade, sources say. He’ll explore his options, which include returning. But big few days.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 31, 2019

Right after that, Chargers GM Tom Telesco announced that the team would not negotiate further with Gordon until after the season. So with no trade brokered, Gordon will evidently have to play 2019 on his current contract.

Given the young tailback’s importance to LA’s offensive identity, the flexibility he brings, and the team’s likely need to keep Rivers happy, an extension seemed logical. Now it appears unlikely.

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys

In three seasons in Dallas, Elliott has clearly lived up to his top-five draft status — even if he’s had a few off-field incidents raise issues. He’s averaged 101.2 rushing yards per game with 28 touchdowns and two trips to the Pro Bowl. Keep in mind, Jim Brown is the only player to ever average more than 100 rushing yards per game over the course of his career.

It seemed inevitable that Elliott would be made the highest-paid running back in the NFL at some point. For a while though, he was stuck in the same boat as Jalen Ramsey — another top-five pick from 2016 who wasn’t a top priority because of the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.

The Cowboys are also preoccupied with locking down Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper, but Elliott wanted his discounted salary addressed. He privately said earlier in the summer that would hold out of training camp unless he gets a new contract, according to Pro Football Talk. Then he followed through on that and did not join the team at all during the preseason.

It was a long process for Dallas and Elliott to reach an agreement. First, Elliott was offered a deal that doesn’t top the one Todd Gurley received from the Rams in 2018.

Sources: The most recent offer in negotiations between holdout Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys came from the team. Elliott has been offered a contract making him one of the NFL’s 2 highest-paid RB. That would suggest team offering more than LeVeon Bell and less than Todd Gurley.

— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) August 22, 2019

After Cowboys rookie running back Tony Pollard rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams, owner Jerry Jones said “Zeke who?” — in a joking manner — when he was asked about Pollard being his best negotiator.

Yes, Jerry Jones said "Zeke who", when asked if Tony Pollard is his "best negotiator". But... this is the full "Zeke who?" sound bite from Jerry, complete with the necessary context of his follow-up to the joke, saying the #Cowboys need both Zeke Elliott and Tony Pollard. pic.twitter.com/yDiZnlwwke

— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) August 18, 2019

Predictably, Elliott and his agent didn’t find the joke all that funny.

It drew a few laughs but neither @EzekielElliott nor agent Rocky Arceneaux found @Cowboys Jerry Jones' quip "Zeke who?" as amusing. Arceneaux: "I didn't think it was funny and neither did Zeke - we actually thought it was disrespectful."

— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) August 19, 2019

Pollard was impressive for the Cowboys this preseason and would’ve started if Elliott didn’t report by Week 1, though Jones wasn’t too worried about that:

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn't seem unnerved on @1053thefan with possibility team could start 2019 without RB Ezekiel Elliott. "We've got a marathon here. We want Zeke when we get to the playoffs. We want Zeke when we're in the dog days of the season."

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 28, 2019

Ahead of the start of the regular season, the Cowboys finally started making progress on a deal. The negotiations came down to the wire, though.

Then on Sept. 4, Elliott and the Cowboys agreed to a six-year, $90 million deal, making him the highest-paid running back in the NFL.

Jadeveon Clowney, DE, Texans

The No. 1 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft may not be the unstoppable sack machine that many expected him to be, but Clowney has emerged as a three-time Pro Bowler. He’s valuable enough that the Texans gave him a franchise tag that guarantees him $15.967 million in 2019.

That’s a good pay day for Clowney. The problem is that it lacks long-term security and is below market value for the position. He stayed away from camp and sat out all of preseason before he was traded to the Seahawks a week before the start of the regular season.

The situation was bungled by Houston, which got only a third-round pick and two backup linebackers in exchange for one of the NFL’s better defensive players.

It didn’t help negotiations when the Texans fired general manager Brian Gaine in June and bungled their attempts to replace him. That left interim general manager Chris Olsen and coach Bill O’Brien about a month to work on a deal with Clowney.

Bill O'Brien on Jadeveon Clowney and if Brian Gaine firing affects anything with his status going forward: 'He's been franchised. He's not here. It is what it is.'

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 11, 2019

With Clowney opting against signing his franchise tender, the Texans weren’t be able to fine him for missing training camp practices. Clowney took his holdout a step further by firing his agent Bus Cook just prior to the trade getting done.

Jadeveon Clowney fired veteran agent Bus Cook, according to league sources today. Texans unsigned franchise player extremely frustrated with situation has five days before he can hire new agent

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 27, 2019

Now he’s a member of the Seahawks.

Michael Thomas, WR, Saints

Not many people were expecting Thomas to hold out. Mostly because he was adamant all offseason that it’s not his style.

“I’m a football player first — I like being at work.” Thomas told ESPN in May. “I feel pretty certain that everything will get taken care of and handled professionally. This is how I approach the game and how I show up to work the same way, and everything else will take care of itself.”

So even though he was a surprising member of the holdout club, his gambit paid off in a big way. Thomas was set to make a laughably low $1.148 million for the 2019 season. His absence set new contract negotiations in motion in New Orleans — and he left the table with the richest deal a wide receiver’s ever seen.

Thomas and the Saints came to terns on an extension that will pay the young wideout $100 million over five years, with $61 million of that guaranteed. It’s the largest deal any wide receiver has ever earned in NFL history, eclipsing the five year, $90 million contract Odell Beckham signed with the Giants in 2018.

Yannick Ngakoue, DE, Jaguars

Jacksonville appears to have prioritized an extension for Ngakoue ahead of a deal for cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

That makes sense, considering both were drafted in 2016 but Ramsey was the first-round pick. That means he had a fifth-year option on his contract that keeps him locked up through the 2020 season. Ngakoue is entering the last year of his rookie deal, so his contract situation is a more immediate hurdle for the Jaguars to clear.

Ngakoue sat out offseason workouts earlier this year for that reason.

Statement from Jaguars’ DE Yannick Ngakoue: “I will not be attending minicamp as my contract has not been resolved. I remain committed to Jacksonville, the fans and my teammates. My hope is to be with Jacksonville for years to come.”

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 10, 2019

In three seasons with the Jaguars, Ngakoue has 29.5 sacks and one trip to the Pro Bowl. That kind of production should put him in the same tier as Demarcus Lawrence, Frank Clark, Trey Flowers, and Dee Ford — each of whom got a pricy five-year deal in 2019 that averaged between $17.1 and $21 million.

A training camp holdout started, and he looked like a player who could’ve considered dragging his contract dispute into September. But with no deal in sight and an upcoming risk of not reaching unrestricted free agency, Ngakoue decided to reverse course.

Now he’s not ruling out a contract extension with the team, but he doesn’t sound too optimistic.

#Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue: "They had a chance to sign me for a long-term deal but it didn't get done. It is what it is. I love football, love my teammates, and I'm here to play games." Could a deal get done before the season? "It's out of my hands. I don't even know."

— Phillip Heilman (@phillip_heilman) August 4, 2019

Ngakoue is scheduled to become a free agent in March.

6 notable players who opted against a holdout

Chris Jones, DT, Chiefs

Kansas City did some high-stakes tinkering with its pass rush during the offseason, shipping Dee Ford to the 49ers and filling his role by trading for Frank Clark. But the real centerpiece of the Chiefs’ defense is Jones, who had 15.5 sacks in 2018.

With his contract expiring after the 2019 season, Jones skipped offseason practices this spring. The Chiefs responded to the absence by playing hardball.

From Up to the Minute Live: The #Chiefs have mandatory minicamp without DT Chris Jones, who wants a new contract. Sounds like KC won't negotiate until Jones shows up. pic.twitter.com/k5EMeGFxyG

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 11, 2019

The good news for the Chiefs was that Jones had a reason to show up shortly after training camp opens. If he didn’t arrive to camp by Aug. 6, he would’ve been set to reach restricted free agency next year rather than unrestricted free agency.

Camp opens for the Chiefs on July 24, so Jones would have been rolling the dice if he didn’t show up within the first couple weeks. Aaron Donald faced the same situation in 2018 and blew through the deadline in pursuit of a new contract.

He still didn’t show up until the Rams gave him a record-breaking deal on the last day of August.

Jones took the opposite strategy and arrived for camp, although he made it clear that he isn’t going to get any cheaper.

Per the Katz. brothers regarding Chris Jones, who is now reporting to camp on time: “He knows his value and if he has to play out his deal in order to reach free agency, then that’s what he will do. For now, he’s focused on winning a Super Bowl for Kansas City.”

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 26, 2019

Robbie Gould, K, 49ers

There aren’t many examples of kickers holding out, but Gould made it clear that San Francisco isn’t a place he wants to be. He requested a trade in April and told the 49ers that he won’t negotiate a long-term deal ahead of the July 15 deadline for an extension.

In a turn of events, 49ers’ franchise kicker Robbie Gould has pulled his contract proposals that he sent to San Francisco and told the team he will not negotiate or sign a long-term deal with them, and he would like to be traded, Gould said Tuesday.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2019

The 49ers didn’t take long to deny the trade request:

Will you trade Robbie Gould? “No.” - Kyle Shanahan

— Jennifer Lee Chan (@jenniferleechan) April 26, 2019

Kickers are often cogs that are easy to replace, but Gould has some leverage after leading the NFL in field goal percentage in 2019 by nailing 33 of his 34 tries. That was enough to more than double the average annual salary of his last contract and make him one of the highest paid specialists in the game this fall.

The 49ers were able to change Gould’s mind and avoid a holdout by inking him to a four-year deal to stay in the Bay Area.

Details on Robbie Gould’s extension with #49ers: It’s 2 years, $10.5M fully guaranteed at signing. Team must decide whether to fully guarantee half his $4.5M salary for 2021 before Week 16 of 2020 season, and the other half by the following April. Full deal 4 years, $19M.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 15, 2019

That resolved the issue before it ever reached training camp.

Bobby Wagner, LB, Seahawks

As far as holdouts go, Wagner’s hunt for a new contract has been as amicable as possible. The linebacker chose against practicing in OTAs, but still showed up at the facility and participated without going on the field.

“He handled it beautifully,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters, via 247Sports. “Bobby’s an incredible player in this program. Everything that he does, his presence is obvious. He’s been around for everything. He’s been involved with everything and he’s handled it exactly the way he should under these circumstances.”

Things may get a little more contentious when it gets closer to the season, though. Wagner is arguably the best linebacker in the NFL, but now he has serious leverage for a pay raise thanks to C.J. Mosley. The Jets gave Mosley a five-year contract that averages $17 million per year — waaaaay more than Luke Kuechly’s $12.36 million average that previously reigned as the top salary for an inside linebacker.

Wagner is entering the final year of his contract and remains an integral part of the Seahawks. The defense has undergone a transformation in the wake of the Legion of Boom’s demise, and Wagner’s been the player who has held the unit together through the transition.

But it’s going to be a tough negotiation, thanks in no small part to Mosley’s outlier of a contract.

Wagner’s expected to show up, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll fully participate. His previous strategy of staying off the practice field could extend into training camp too.

#Seahawks star LB Bobby Wagner is expected to show up for training camp tomorrow, sources say, because of the kind of leader he is and wanting to be there with his teammates. He may not put himself in harm’s way until a deal gets done, and he’ll be cautious. But he’ll be there.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 23, 2019

For now, he belongs in this bottom tier of non-holdouts, but that could still change depending on his participation.

Julio Jones, WR, Falcons

The Falcons placated Jones last year when he opted to skip out on the beginning of training camp. While the star receiver didn’t get the huge contract he was aiming for, the Falcons shifted money around on the deal to give him more money in 2018.

“We have come to an agreement with Julio, and we will re-address everything in 2019,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said in a statement at the time.

Well now it’s well into 2019 and the contract still hasn’t been re-addressed. There was a report in April that a deal was close to finished, but nothing came of that. Jones then sat out OTAs, setting the table for a training camp holdout. Instead, he showed up.

I want to be the best teammate I can possibly be, Julio says. That’s his focus right now, not the noise about his contract.

— Jeañña (@jeannathomas) July 24, 2019

After five straight Pro Bowl seasons with at least 1,400 receiving yards each, Jones isn’t going to come cheap. He’ll probably want a contract that eclipses the $18 million per year that was awarded to Odell Beckham Jr. last year.

There’s not much reason to believe the Falcons won’t pay up, so Jones trusted that he didn’t need to steer clear.

Darius Slay, CB, Lions

On the list of underpaid players coming up on the end of their contracts, Slay is in a different situation. He signed an extension in 2016 and still has two years left with base salaries of $12.55 million and $10 million on the way.

Since signing that deal, Slay has been to the Pro Bowl two times while several other cornerbacks got more lucrative contracts. He’s also gone through the guaranteed portions of the deal.

Now Slay’s angling for another contract that pays him like the elite cornerback that he is and gives him some security. And threatening to skip some of training camp was part of his strategy.

“Will I be there?” Slay said of training camp on a podcast in June, via the Detroit Free Press. “We’ll see. Time will tell.”

Ultimately, he decided not to follow through on that.

#Lions CB Darius Slay also will report, source said. Detroit at full strength for start of camp. https://t.co/6lycY14LLV

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 23, 2019

With two years left on his deal, Detroit doesn’t need to do Slay any favors and restructure it. But the Lions are also sitting pretty with over $23 million in cap space and can afford to kick one of their best players a little more. It just doesn’t look like it’s going to happen this year.

Duke Johnson, RB, Browns

Johnson is on the hunt for a new uniform more than a new contract. The Browns running back says his goal is “to be somewhere [where he’s] wanted.”

Duke Johnson Jr. explains his trade request & why he doesn’t feel wanted by #Browns anymore pic.twitter.com/EyRQ5MNiaY

— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) June 4, 2019

The Browns — like the 49ers with Robbie Gould — haven’t been very receptive of the request:

#Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens minces NO words w/ us on unhappy RB Duke Johnson: “He wants to be traded. I want to win the lottery. It doesn’t matter. He’s under contract. He’s a Cleveland Brown he’s going to be used to the best of his ability in what benefits the team.”

— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) June 4, 2019

Johnson is currently set to be Nick Chubb’s backup in Cleveland, and his touches will likely decline when an eight-game suspension for Kareem Hunt is up. Johnson finished the 2018 season with just 40 rushing attempts, despite averaging 5.0 yards per carry. He contributed a little more in the pass game with 47 receptions, but that was down from 74 receptions in 2017.

While his trade demands haven’t gone anywhere, Johnson showed up for minicamp and now training camp too.

#Browns RB Duke Johnson, who has requested a trade from Cleveland, will report to the #Browns for training camp today, source said. His situation remains fluid, but he will be present.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 24, 2019

His presence at training camp doesn’t mean he’s happy with his situation in Cleveland, though.

Update: Johnson was traded to the Houston Texans on August 8 in exchange for a conditional fourth round pick that can be bumped up to a third round pick if he plays 10 games.

Browns trade RB Duke Johnson to @HoustonTexans for a conditional 2020 fourth-round pick. (via @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/kYx8JN2Dty

— NFL (@NFL) August 8, 2019

[investmart007]

Rodgers active for Green Bay's clash with Vikings

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/rodgers-active-for-green-bays-clash-with-vikings/170858/

Rodgers active for Green Bay's clash with Vikings

Aaron Rodgers is active for Green Bay’s game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

The Packers’ star was questionable coming in with a left knee injury.

Rodgers was held out from practice at midweek, but went through the team’s light practice on Saturday . Green Bay has two backup quarterbacks active too with DeShone Kizer and Tim Boyle.

Receiver Davante Adams is active as well for the Packers after he was listed as questionable with a shoulder injury.

Ben Roethlisberger and his aching right elbow will give it a shot for Pittsburgh against the Kansas City Chiefs. Roethlisberger skipped two days of practice this week after having his throwing arm hit late in overtime of the Steelers’ season-opening tie with Cleveland.

Roethlisberger will make his 202nd appearance for the Steelers, second most in franchise history. He needs 76 yards passing to move past Hall of Famer John Elway and into seventh place on the NFL’s career list.

The Steelers will be without All-Pro guard David DeCastro (fractured right hand) and cornerback Joe Haden (hamstring).

Kansas City safety Eric Berry will sit out once again while nursing a sore heel.

The Cleveland Browns listed receiver Josh Gordon as inactive for their game against the New Orleans Saints. That decision signals that the Browns may be waiting to see if there are any trade opportunities for Gordon before following through on an initial announcement Saturday evening that they intended to release him.

Cameron Meredith is inactive for the Saints, who continue to be patient with the receiver who is widely viewed as one of the top additions to the offense in free agency. He is trying to come back from torn knee ligaments that wiped out his entire 2017 season.

The Tennessee Titans are without their top three tackles against J.J. Watt and the Houston Texas. The Titans already knew left tackle Taylor Lewan would be out because of a concussion, and right tackle Jack Conklin is out as he works his way back from a torn left ACL.

But Tennessee also declared tackle Dennis Kelly out with a virus.

Kelly has been filling in for Conklin.

Los Angeles Chargers receiver Travis Benjamin will not play against the Buffalo Bills because of a foot injury. Defensive end Joey Bosa was also listed as inactive and will miss his second game with a foot injury. Benjamin had one catch for 1 yard in the Chargers’ season-opening loss to Kansas City last weekend.

Inactives for Sunday’s early games:

INDIANAPOLIS-WASHINGTON Colts: T Anthony Castonzo, OL Denzelle Good, DL Denico Autry, CB Chris Milton, RB Christine Michael, DE Tarell Basham, CB Lenzy Pipkins.

Redskins: WR Maurice Harris, S Troy Apke, RB Samaje Perine, OL Geron Christian, OL Casey Dunn, DL Caleb Brantley, CB Adonis Alexander.

CAROLINA-ATLANTA Panthers: WR Curtis Samuel, WR Damiere Byrd, LB Andre Smith, G Trai Turner, TE Greg Olsen, DE Bryan Cox Jr., DE Efe Obada.

Falcons: CB Isaiah Oliver, RB Devonta Freeman, DE Steven Means, G Ben Garland, T Matt Gono, WR Russell Gage, DL Justin Zimmer.

KANSAS CITY-PITTSBURGH Chiefs: S Eric Berry, RB Darrel Williams, CB Charvarius Ward, LB Ben Niemann, OL Austin Reiter, OL Kahlil McKenzie, DL Justin Hamilton.

Steelers: QB Mason Rudolph, WR Justin Hunter, CB Joe Haden, S Brian Allen, OG David DeCastro, T Zach Banner, DE Tyson Alualu.

HOUSTON-TENNESSEE Texans: DE/LB Jadeveon Clowney, WR Keke Coutee, WR Sammie Coates Jr., CB Kayvon Webster, T Roderick Johnson, DE Carlos Watkins, DE Christian Covington.

Titans: WR Cameron Batson, S Kendrick Lewis, LB Aaron Wallace, T Dennis Kelly, T Taylor Lewan, T Jack Conklin, DE Matt Dickerson.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS-BUFFALO Chargers: WR Travis Benjamin, DE Joey Bosa, LB Emmanuel Ellerbee, C Cole Toner, T Joe Barksdale, G Forrest Lamp, DT T.Y. McGill.

Bills: DE Shaw Lawson, WR Ray-Ray McCloud, CB Taron Johnson, G Ike Boettger, G Wyatt Teller, T Conor McDermott, TE Khari Lee.

MINNESOTA-GREEN BAY Vikings: QB Kyle Sloter, RB Roc Thomas, RB Mike Boone, C Pat Elflein, G Bryan Weitzmann, DE Tashawn Bower, DT Jalyn Holmes.

Packers: WR Equanimieous St. Brown, S Josh Jones, S Raven Greene, CB Deante Burton, LB Oren Burks, OL Alex Light, WR J’Mon Moore.

MIAMI-NEW YORK JETS Dolphins: WR DeVante Parker, QB Luke Falk, QB David Fales, CB Cordrea Tankersley, RB Kalen Ballage, T Zach Sterup.

Jets: S Marcus Maye, CB Derrick Jones, CB Juston Burris, G Dakota Dozier, TE Jordan Leggett, DL Foley Fatukasi, LB Josh Martin.

PHILADELPHIA-TAMPA BAY Eagles: QB Carson Wentz, WR Alshon Jeffery, RB Darren Sproles, G Chance Warmack, T Jordan Mailata; G/T Matt Pryor, DE Josh Sweat.

Buccaneers: WR Justin Watson, CB Brent Grimes, RB Ronald Jones II, DT Vita Vea, DE Noah Spence, OL Alex Cappa, OL Mike Liedtke.

CLEVELAND-NEW ORLEANS Browns: WR Josh Gordon, LB Christian Kirksey, TE Seth DeValve, DT Emmanuel Ogban, DL Ifeadi Odenigbo, DT Devaroe Lawrence, QB Drew Stanton.

Saints: WR Cameron Meredith, CB Arthur Maulet, OL Cameron Tom, OL Will Clapp, TE Dan Arnold, DE Trey Hendrickson, DT Tyeler Davison.

By Associated Press

[boltupbitches]

Anti-Hero - Joey Bosa

He walked through the patio doors and out to the dock where is boat was tied up. There she was. His fiance. Sitting on the boat dock with her feet draped over the side, her bare feet swinging back and forth.

As he got closer and was about to yell for her, she had turned her head instinctively at the sound of footsteps approaching.

Her eyes widened and shock and the cigarette she very clearly had in her mouth dropped out and into the water below as she stared at him.

Joey was livid.

He was sure she broke that habit when she moved in with him after finishing college at OSU. Yet, here she was huffing away on a cigarette not far from him.

"What the fuck?!" He said loudly, stomping loudly now the rest of the way down the dock.

Just as she was standing and trying to tuck away her pack of cigarettes, frantically trying to hide what she had left.

Joey reached out quickly and snatched the pack from her hands, turning around and pitching the thing out into the water front.

She stared in shock at the rippling water where it sank. She turned back to Joey, now pissed off herself.

"Are you fucking serious, Joseph! That's fucking littering!"

"Yeah, well maybe you shouldn't be putting that cancer shit in your body! Are you fucking serious? What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I can do what I want and one fucking cigarette isn't the big of a deal!"

Joey scoffed loudly and turned around again to her, this time with a sarcastic smile. "One? Really just one? Try two, then three, and then it's a whole fucking pack, babe! That's how addiction works!"

"Says the guy who used to experiment with shit in college." She shot back.

"That's not fucking fair! I got into some stupid shit outside of the weed we smoked and I paid for it. I straightened that shit up and I no longer do any of that."

"Whatever, Joey. I'm glad you are now a reformed saint. Leave me the fuck alone now, please." She nudged past him, ready to stomp into the house and pout about it... even if he did have a valid point.

Joey wasn't going to let it go. "I'm not joking, babe. No more of that shit. You know how dangerous it can be to your lungs."

She turned around and pointed at him. "I know. I fucking know! I am tired and stressed and I just needed a moment to my goddamn self! I'm so sorry I smoked one cigarette for the first time in six years! Maybe think about asking why the fuck I am so god damn stressed that I'm resorting to smoking!"

Joey stared at her in confusion. "Why are you smoking again?"

His fiance stared back at him and blinked for a moment, expecting a rude or sarcastic retort instead. "Because I feel trapped in my career and I feel like between the two of us you have so much more to offer than me. I feel like people don't see me for me, but only what they want to see me as. I feel stressed about how I can't compare to your last girlfriend and how your mom still talks fondly about her in front of me at times. I feel stressed that your dad feels the need to make digs at me about my parents' political stances and how he believes I'm essentially mooching off you. I feel stressed that every time I go to bed I can't help but think that tomorrow will be the day you'll wake up and leave me because you've grown tired of my shit for the last time. It's me! I'm the problem, ok? It's fucking me!" She burst.

Joey stared at her in concern, his brain taking a moment to process each word she said before finally drawing her into his arms tightly. He pressed a kiss to her crown. "Babe.. what? No, you're not. You are not the fucking problem. Not in this relationship and not anywhere else." He rubbed her back, continuing to press kisses to her forehead.

"I love you," He said to her. "I love you so fucking much. I don't care about Josie. I don't care what my parents think about who I should or shouldn't be with. I don't fucking care anymore what they think. I'll for sure address that shit too as soon as I see either of them. I'm marrying you in a few months. No one else. You don't need to feel like the anti-hero."

She continued to cry silently, gripping him tightly around the waist, her face buried in the thin cotton t-shirt he was wearing.

Joey gently pushed her back, tilting her head up and pressing a kiss to her lips. "Let's go for a swim and relax today, ok? I'll handle my parents and then we'll talk about your career plans. I'll do whatever you want, babe."

She nodded and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I love you too." She said with a teary smile.

"And," he started with a smirk, "no more fucking cigarettes. You want to light up anything that's safer then I no a guy here in Fort Lauderdale and back in LA. Other than that, stay away from that shit, babe."

She nodded at that and started to walk back up the dock, her hand held out to grab his. "I actually just got a new bikini." She teased him.

Joey arched an eyebrow in interest, "Oh? Who said we need swimsuits? It's just us after all." He smirked suggestively.

She smiled back at him. "Well, if that's the case... Race you there!" She took off in a run.

Joey stood there for a few moments, letting her get some distance ahead before he took off after her.

'I fucking love this girl.' He thought happily to himself.

[emu1992-blog]

Early, Top 100 NCAAF Players Going Into The 2018-19 Season

NEPD Staff Contributor: Jeff Fidler

So all draftniks like to stay ahead of the curve and I'm no different. Anyone can tell you who's, who in April. A few things I take pride in is identifying the best prospects early. Studying them on and off the field to try an eliminate as much risk as possible. Finally, hopefully, hitting on as many of my draft grades as possible. That said it's June and I'm not too worried about “Player X should be ahead of Player Y” at this point. I just want to get them in the right neighborhood and worry about what specific's later. This is really about early projections, a first look. I'll also place the PTP initials as a marking for kinds of players New England goes after, Patriot-Type Players.

1)Nick Bosa Rush/OSU – Bosa, the “White Panther” is one of the more complete prospects to come along in the last decade. I remember hearing about and seeing Nick play a few years ago, its really something he lived up to expectations and might be even better than his brother Joey. When's the last time we had two brothers, who were dominant players on the same side on the ball, in the same sport?  Believe it or not Joey wasn't a slam dunk among some “draftniks”years ago. Joey, like Nick is a “don't ignore the obvious” player. Their both very similar in terms of size and strength but Nick looks a little quicker off the line and a better overall athlete. He flashes some serious bend for someone who is 6'5/275. Bosa can turn speed into power when he explodes off the line and can use it inside on twist/stunts. And like his brother he's a very good technician and wins with great hand placement and usage. Bosa also has very good lateral quickness to cross his opponents face or move down the line in run pursuit. He uses that quick lil side step on his swim move as well. 97 for OSU can win inside/outside and from different techniques along the line. His + motor is also on display almost every snap. He's going top 3-5, if not #1 overall.

  2)Ed Oliver IDL/Houston – Oliver is another player I've been watching since high school. To be honest, he's been my favorite player to watch over the last few years. At times he looked like a young Aaron Donald and that comparison holds true today. Oliver fires off the ball with superior quickness. It's a pleasure to watch him transfer his power from lower to his upper have. That same lower half that can squat 650lbs also moves like a linebacker. He is fantastic at using his built-in, natural leverage to move and control the line. Oliver is always in control of gap/space and most of the time, his man. He's a sensational run defender. His pass rush is nasty too. You can't help but watch in awe at how he uses his shoulder to knife and wedge by a defender. He has violent hands and does a good job at keeping himself clean with swats and chops. He's his own player but you can't help but think Donald when he unleashes his “bob n swat” and club/rip. Oliver's awareness is also legit and more than evident in the run game. He looks like he can play in any scheme and make an impact in that system from day 1. Sure he has all the athleticism you want but its his motor, heart that really take his game to another level. There's no shortage of “freaks” in sports but its hunger, drive and commitment that make some truly great. Oliver checks all those boxes and brings great production as well. Like his counterpart on the defensive line, Nick Bosa. He'll be taken in the top 3-5 picks, if not #1 overall in next years draft.

  3)Rashan Gary Rush/Michigan – Gary is another player that just looks different. You can't help but notice and follow him when watching him play. He's 6'5/280+ but he's an easy, smooth mover. He looks like a big outside linebacker at times flying around the field tbh. There might questions about his true position or if he has one. Not a concern for me. Give me talent and I'll worry about “positions” later. Gary has produced from multiple techniques and I don't see why he can't do that at the next level to take advantage of certain matchups. He has the speed/power to beat tackles around the corner and quickness to explode past guards inside. When I watch him rush the QB I see nice lateral quickness and strong hands. He can deliver a quick stun from a punch and is a handful when he gets them inside. The athleticism he has just isn't fair for a guy his size and he has plenty of strength to go along with that. That's probably the first thing you notice, his raw power. It looks like Gary could play almost anywhere if his game continues to evolve but a few extra pounds and he has a job as 3-tech for sure. If his play does take another step he has a chance to be taken anywhere in the lottery.

  4)Raekwon Davis IDL/Alabama – Davis is an imposing athlete at 6'7/310 but its his martial arts type handwork and ability to get inside leverage that makes him such an impressive player. Davis has active, violent hands that are always moving and working towards his ultimate goal. Sacking the QB. He strikes defenders with accurate chops, swats and clubs before delivering a rip move or bull rush to finish the job. He also has some push/pull to his game as well. 1 on 1 he's a nightmare to guard for slower interior offensive linemen. I would like to see a little more “churn” and power from his lower half when engaged but he's a great prospect nonetheless. Especially if you're a looking for a 3/5 technique that gets after the QB. He's the definition of disruption. He had almost 20 sacks/tackle for loss last year (10TFL & 8.5 Sacks). Another year like that and hes a lock for the top 10-15. Should be noted he shot himself after/while watching the Mayweather/McGregor fight last year.

  5)Andraez “Greedy” Williams CB/LSU – #29 for LSU has #1 CB written all over him and at times has the “it” you see in special players. Williams  has the size (6'2), speed but also has that quick twitch at the line, + foot quickness. Effortless hip flips and transition. He's very comfortable in press and shows some nuance in the physicality he brings in that department. He's very subtle but does a great job at using body weight to feel and move receivers off their spot without using his arms in close quarters. And when he does use his arms he does a sweet job at hiding them and not extending to draw attention. Williams seems at home in tight quarters and does a very good job at reading his man to make a play on the ball. He brings that same awareness and savvy when reading the QB from a distance. I talked about his quick twitch earlier and his zone/off coverage play highlights that. Between his patience and burst, a QB must have the eyes and arm strength if they want to test him when he's off the ball. He shows + instincts for such a young player and looks like a future play maker. Greedy will be a 21 year old rookie which is gravy. Williams sample size is small but another year like 2017 with 10 PD/6 INT and he's going in the lottery.

DB 101: Guarding the fade, Greedy Williams plays with his feet first, gets his shoulder in the WR chest then turns and locates the ball. Being in a WR chest will negate a lot of their jumping ability as well as stopping the BIG pushoff. @WeAreDBNation1 #LSU #DBU pic.twitter.com/3DDsJa5SA2

- NPA_GASCREW ⛽️⛽️⛽️ (@TFootballGeek) June 14, 2018

  6)Clelin Ferrell Rush/Clemson – There's a great chance Ferrell would have been a lottery pick a few months ago and he has a real chance at making that happen in 2019. Ferrell is superb blend of power, speed and length. One thing that's always impressed me when watching Ferrell is his snap awareness and get off. He's great at jumping the count but has a very formidable get off in general. He's inside his opponents pads before the tackles knows what hit him. Ferrell is terrific at exploding off the line with 3 steps, getting inside to create leverage and use his length to maximize it. Turning his speed into power. He also can rush 1/2 man, test the edge and runs the arc with real beauty. He also shows decent handwork displaying a nice chop/rip combo. You can't help but respect that part of his game which is a great set up for his spin move to beat you inside. His pass rush is his biggest asset but he's a very good run defender. He also shows good awareness diagnosing misdirection and has gap integrity and the ability to control his space. Ferrell is a big boy at 6'5/260 and has a frame that can handle more muscle. He'll be a 21 year old rookie with production and upside in his favor. as well. It's hard to envision him slipping out of the lottery.

His explosion off the line is ++ pic.twitter.com/lxlWhO8eFd

- Peter Szucs (@PeterSzucs90) April 29, 2018

  7)Montez Sweat Rush/Miss St- Like Ferrell, Sweat has an impressive physique at 6'6/250 that is capable of handling a more muscle, which he'll need going forward. Sweat is another guy with a small sample size but the traits his demonstrated last year can't be ignored. He doesn't have a large arsenal of moves just yet but that didn't stop him from being the most dangerous pass rusher in the S.E.C.  last year. Right now Sweat wins with quickness, balance and awareness. That last one, awareness might be his best asset in terms of getting to the QB. Sweat is very plugged-in and quick to recognize when his man is out of position to make a counter move inside. He's a very smooth player who moves effortlessly around the field. At times he shows off some neat hand work and he go to moves are a long arm or stab, with a pull/snatch at the end of the move. Here he beats first round prospect Greg Little by getting underneath him, extending the long arm before pulling him towards him. That's a pretty admirable show of strength with one hand to boot. I watched him have more than a few + rushes getting underneath his man like he did here. Sweat had a combined 26 TFL (tackle for loss) and Sacks last year in the S.E.C. Sweat also lined up at different spots along the line and probably could play either defensive end or outside linebacker.

This might be Sweat's go-to move so far. This is Greg Little who might be a top 10-15 pick himself. Great Burst off the line. Gets underneath.Hits him w Stab/Snatch.

[ecoorganic]

MAQB: The Cost of Extended Training for NFL Combine; How 'Hard Knocks' Will Look This Season

News and notes from around the NFL, including how trainers are preparing for extended combine prep for players opting out of the 2020 season, what we can expect from this season's 'Hard Knocks,' how Joey Bosa's big payday could help his brother and more.

Real football practices get started this week. Let’s go …

• To me, part of the issue opt-out guys face is purely financial. Normally, it’d cost an agent upwards around $30,000 to get a player housed, fed and trained in the eight weeks leading into the scouting combine—a cost that’s gone up over the years and become increasingly vital to any player’s pre-draft process. Now, rather than eight weeks, we’re talking seven months. So I decided to turn over some rocks on this Monday, and called Pete Bommarito, who owns Bommarito Performance Systems in South Florida, as part of that.

He’s been training athletes for the combine since 2000, and doing it through his own company since 2005. And as such, the last couple weeks have been crazy for him as kids have explored opting out of their college seasons (Miami DE Gregory Rousseau told us in

this morning’s MMQB that he’ll be working out there going forward).

“We’ve already started our draft prep,” Bommarito said this afternoon. “It’s very simple, we’ve got a number of NFL free agents working, we had four going at a time last week. And with the draft prep guys, we’ll just run them with those guys. We’ve been prepared for something like this.”

So how does it work? Bommarito’s plans for the players are intricate but the idea on this is pretty simple. The opt-outs would go into training with the free agents, working half-days three days a week, and full days two days a week, from now until Christmas. After that, they’d move into the normal draft prep, leading into All-Star games and the combine (their days at that point can last 10-12 hours).

As for the cost, Bommarito says that of the aforementioned $30,000, training a player for two months for the combine runs around $15,000-$16,000. In this case, Bommarito said, the standard for training, given the slower ramp-up and longer duration, would cost around $5,000 per month. That, of course, is before you get to housing, a rental car and stipend, which are generally a part of the package agents offer players.

Bottom line: This will get costly for agents, and might not be cost-effective once you get beyond the elite kids.

Also worth mentioning: A lot of trainers are courting agents, the same agents who have been in the ears of college players the last few weeks. XPE Sports sent a plan to agents that broke its program into General Prep/Foundational Movement (Oct. 5-Nov. 13), Speed/Position training (Nov. 30-Dec. 22) ahead of combine prep, with breaks for Thanksgiving and Christmas worked in. EXOS gave agents an even more detailed plan (that one’s below), with four periods (Sept. 7-Oct. 2, Oct. 5-30, Nov. 2-21, Nov. 30-Dec.) before combine prep.

Clearly, a lot of people were ready for this.

• Had a good talk on Monday with NFL Films supervising producer Ken Rodgers, as he worked through tomorrow night’s premiere of Hard Knocks: Los Angeles, which will be a very different Hard Knocks than what you’re used to. For one, it’ll feature two teams. And obviously, the circumstances under which it’ll be staged are very different.

“Practices look different, the locker rooms are different, how they arrive to camp, the testing, everything’s different,” said Rodgers. “We’ve got the video and a look inside that’s deeper than anyone’s seen. There’ll be more intimacy than anyone’s seen inside a COVID-safe environment in any workplace in America. It’s really not just a story of the Chargers or the Rams, this is a story of an American workplace trying to get back to productivity.

“To me, it’s a document of its time.”

Of course, there are also limits. Rodgers said in a normal year, a crew of around 45 NFL Films folks would flood the Hard Knocks site. This year after negotiations with the league and NFLPA, the limit is 13 and those 13 have to stay six feet away from players and coaches at all times, which, says Rodgers, “is completely different for us.” That’s meant, for example, longer lenses and the elimination of wide lenses.

And it will mean a different show than you’re used to. How? Well, we got to that with our questions for Rodgers. Here’s more: 

MMQB: How will tomorrow look different for the viewer?

Rodgers: I don’t think the product will look that different. Our focus has been to keep quality just as high. I do think the camps look extremely different. So the process looks different, if not the product. Everything at these two camps looks different this year.… It is fascinating to see how these two teams are dealing with it on a day-to-day basis. Everything is different in terms of what you’re gonna see, but I think the filmmaking, to our crew’s credit, has changed technologically, you’ll see a lot more Zoom meetings, robotic camera footage, rather than actual camera operators, but the actual quality is the same.

MMQB: So you have the same number of robo cams (12) in each facility, but are you using those more than normal because of the limits?

KR: I’d say probably the same. The addition is the Zoom meetings that we are a part of, we’re recording those. They’re actually having less meetings in the robo-filmed rooms than usual. So yes, we’re actually using them more, but they’re having less of them, so it evens out. Then in addition to that, we’re filming all these Zoom meetings, so the net gain is humongous. Between robos and Zooms, we’re leaning much more heavily on robotic-operated or Zoom-operated cameras than human-operated cameras.

MMQB: Do you guys feel pressure, given the historic nature of this?

KR: I do feel a sense of history being captured. I can sense NFL Films producers of future years watching this footage as we’re capturing it, because I experienced the same thing as a young producer watching the footage of the 1970s that was captured before I was born. I can imagine future generations of NFL Films producers who didn’t live through this crazy, upside-down football season, and this crazy upside-down year in America not really understanding what it was like. And feeling a little bit of retrospective pride that we captured it the right way, and as fully as we are capturing it.

MMQB: Has this made the relationship with the teams more vital to getting it done?

KR: Not at this point. I gotta be honest, it took trust on behalf of the players union and the teams at the beginning of the process, that we were gonna go about our business the same way the players were. So we are undergoing testing every day, we’re wearing the tracing bracelets just like the players are, we are not going out to dinner, we’re not having guests visit, our crew’s not hanging out together in hotel rooms. We’re undergoing the same protocols the players are, and once they understood that, the trust level was there. That was what was required to gain that trust.

• Interesting to see the Patriots sign ex-Texans RB Lamar Miller. There was some concern in Houston that the torn ACL he suffered last August would rob him of some of his explosiveness at 29 years old. But the sense I’ve gotten is that Houston didn’t believe he was shot pre-injury, and people there think he can still be a quality depth option for a good team. That said, it’s tough for New England to have to go this well having spent first- and third-round picks (Sony Michel, Damien Harris) on the position over the last two years, while also having vets James White and Rex Burkhead on the roster.

• This today from Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, on the season ahead for his college scouts: “As far as our scouting staff goes I think we’re kind of prepared on a number of different fronts to attack this. But I think we have to be very flexible, too, because things will change and we’re going to prepare. There’s going to be a draft, we’re going to have to acquire players, so we’re just going to have to do it a few different ways.” 

One very common refrain I’ve heard from people on that side of the business the last month is that teams with well-connected scouts are going to be at a huge advantage this fall. And that makes sense. With school visits unlikely to be allowed even if there is a college season, a scout’s ability to get people on the phone and get reliable information will be paramount. Which honestly is sort of like how journalism has been the last few months. Your Rolodex is always important, and even more so now.

• I’d say ex-Patriot/ex-Titan CB Logan Ryan overplayed his hand a little in the spring, in holding firm on his expectation of getting into eight figures for 2020. That said, if I’m a team that needs secondary help now, Ryan makes a ton of sense. He’s a great team guy and brings corner/safety flexibility, not to mention a ton of big-game experience.

• One fun leftover from my conversation with Joey Bosa (as seen in MMQB)—I did ask if he thought about how his payday may have helped his brother Nick financially. “Oh yeah, and I think he’s gonna far surpass it when the time comes because that’s the kind of player that he is, and not only him but every great young d-end that comes into the league now is gonna have a bar to get to and to surpass,” Bosa said. “I’m sure it’s gonna be passed up pretty soon here. But just to do that for my brother, I mean, I can’t say enough about the player he is and the person he is, how hard he works. He’s gonna deserve every single penny he gets.” And as for how he got word over to Nick, here’s that story: “He was playing his video games, so he had to run the headset on, headset off, and he was looking at me with this face. Like, ho-lee s---. But we were all waiting on it, and he couldn’t have been happier. Calling everybody and seeing the giant smiles they had on their faces, for me, it just means more than any dollar amount. And I think in his head, he’s thinking, ‘Oh, what am I gonna get?’” Health-permitting, Nick Bosa will get a lot.

• This tweet from Joe Burrow was the one for me …

He’s overstating it a little, but I can look back at my notes from last summer and see that he was seen as no better than a third- or fourth-round pick going into the 2019 season. So if he hadn’t had the 2019 season, that’s what he would’ve been. Or he’d have had to try and get a sixth year of eligibility. Either way, that’s a pretty good window into some of the collateral damage if the college season is called off.

• Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley told the Baltimore media Monday that his contract situation is “not really in the forefront of my mind.” But it should be for the Ravens, who’ve helped develop Stanley into a top-five player at his position, and an essential piece of Lamar Jackson’s supporting cast. His draft classmate Laremy Tunsil got $22 million per year. It’s fair to think Stanley’s worth that much, too.

• We gave you the updated numbers on COVID-19 lists in the MMQB, and Monday was another good day in that regard. League-wide, one player went on the list (Titans LB Josh Smith) and one came off of it (Vikings LB Cameron Smith). Overall, that’s a good day.

• If Derrius Guice did what he’s alleged to have done, his NFL career should be over. The details, if you haven’t seen them, are horrible.

• Question or comment? Email us.

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[conneradman]

Post-Draft NFL Power Rankings

As the draft has came to an end, the balance of power largely remains the same. The Patriots are top dog, boasting the best quarterback-coach combination possibly ever. The NFC remains dominant, boasting eight of the top ten teams in the league. While even aborigines in New Zealand know who the top two teams in the AFC are, the NFC is a mystery with around a half dozen teams having a shot to emerge out of the conference. As always, this is a league revolving around the quarterback. The Russell Wilsons of the world can be expected to carry an otherwise depleted roster to a 10-6 record, while the Blake Bortles' of the world can be expected to take all their teams surrounding talent, cover it in lighter fluid, and then toss a couple lit matches on to see it burnt to a crisp.

The AFC West looks to be the most competitive division in football with Oakland, Los Angeles, and Kansas City looking to duke it out for the crown, and Denver lagging slightly behind because of a challenged offense and subpar coaching. Chiefs vs Chargers will be particularly exciting games to watch as Mahomes and a suddenly dynamic offense will matchup against one of the most talented young defenses in the league, led by Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, and Casey Hayward. Behind an ascending defense, a veteran quarterback, and what looks to be a much improved offensive line with the addition of Mike Pouncey and Forrest Lamp (back after missing his entire rookie season) I expect Los Angeles to come out on top.

The biggest projected riser for me this year is Houston, with San Francisco and Indianapolis experiencing lesser degrees of improvement. After years of tormenting themselves with the likes of Brock Osweiler, TJ Yates, Brandon Weeden, Brian Hoyer, Tom Savage, and Ryan Mallet, Houston decided it might be a good idea to find a long term answer last year, and did so by drafting Deshaun Watson. After setting the league on fire at the beginning of the season, Watson blew his knee out and landed on injured reserve. He's expected to be back by week 1 this year and consequently, the Texans playoffs hopes are also expected to by back by that time. In games when Watson started last year the Texans scored 13, 33, 57, 34, 33, and 38 points. With him back this year I expect Houston to field an offense in the top quarter of the league. The 49ers look to build on their five game winning streak they ended the year on and I expect them to remain competitive behind Jimmy Garrapolo and quietly one of the most talented defensive lines in the league with Deforest Buckner, Solomon Thomas, and Arik Armstead. The addition of Richard Sherman will also pay dividends. He brings leadership and experience to one of the youngest defenses in the league. While the 49ers skill position players are about as talented as the Browns are at drafting quarterbacks, I expect Kyle Shannahan to squeeze every bit of productivity out of them to combine with Garrapolo to make a productive offense. The Colts can also be expected to improve, but for one reason and one reason only- Andrew Luck. With Luck expected to be ready for opening day, the Colts immediately become competitive. If Andrew Luck can take Indianapolis to the AFC championship game in 2014 then he can take the 2018 Colts - a similarly dysfunctional roster - to 8-8.

The biggest projected fallers this year compared to last are Jacksonville and Washington, albeit for completely different reasons. The Jaguars are at the mercy of Bortles. While he attempted to deceive the sports world into thinking he possesses some level of competency, the truth of the matter is he is as reliable as Century Link's customer service. Despite the wealth of talent defensively and half-human half-bowling ball, Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville more resembles the 2016 Trevor Siemian-led Broncos that went 10-6. The main difference being that Bortles is even more of a liability than Siemian is. The Redskins can be expected to drop from mediocrity to one of the league's bottom feeders. Switching from Kirk Cousins to master of checkdowns, Alex Smith, will do nothing but minimize explosive plays for which Jay Gruden's offense has been known for. Despite the addition of Alabama's Daron Payne, nothing can be expected to change with the Redskins run defense. Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliot, and Jay Ajayi are salivating at the opportunity to gash that defense and so will any running back on your fantasy team.

When creating these rankings, no weight was given to how each team finished last season. It is entirely based off of how good they are as of right now. Did the Eagles win the super bowl last year with their backup, against a hall of fame head coach and hall of fame quarterback? Yes. If you were to play that game one-hundred times would Philadelphia win more times than not? No. Its entirely about what you can do right now. This is why eight non-playoff teams are ranked ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars. This is why twenty-nine teams are ahead of the Buffalo Bills, fresh off their first taste of the playoffs in over a decade. Without further ado, here are the power rankings.

1. New England: Until somebody either breaks or destroys Tom Brady's fountain of youth and Bill Belichick decides he's tired of dealing with Robert Kraft, the Patriots will be handling the AFC like Lebron James handles the eastern conference. While the Patriots lost Dion Lewis, Nate Solder, and Brandin Cooks this offseason, the return of Julian Edelman and addition of rookie, Sony Michel should move the former to a distant memory. Although Solder received a big deal from the Giants, he was up and down throughout his career in New England. Replacing his level of performance may not be as difficult as thought.

2. Philadelphia: The defending champs return Carson Wentz, arguably the best young quarterback, from injury and get a full offseason to integrate Jay Ajayi into their offense behind one of the top offensive lines in the league. This offense should be even better than last year. Every offensive down favors Philadelphia with defenses forced to decide whether they want to put extra men in the box to better handle their running game or leave the typical number of personnel in the box to better handle their aerial attack. Depending on what the defense chooses, Philadelphia will have a favorable matchup to exploit the defense down the field or gash them on the ground.

3. Minnesota: With the addition of Kirk Cousins, I expect the Minnesota offense to take the next step unless Mike Remmers decides he wants to block for Cousins like he blocked for Cam Newton. Getting Dalvin Cook back from injury will also pay dividends for the offense. Mike Zimmer is one of the best defensive tacticians in the league and there is no reason to anticipate the defense will be any less dominant than last year. Adding Sheldon Richardson adds even more talent to one of the best defensive lines in the league. If Danielle Hunter takes the next step and Sheldon Richardson returns to the productivity of his early Jets days, this line could vie to be as good as Philadelphia's.

4. Pittsburgh: Another year and the Pittsburgh Steelers are no different than they were five years ago: blessed with talent across the board but continuing to play second fiddle to New England. A full season without Ryan Shazier will hurt. For this team to take the next step and overtake the Patriots, Bud Dupree and TJ Watt must combine for 20-25 sacks. Pittsburgh's inability to consistently pressure Brady has been one of the largest deciding factors in their games.

5. Green Bay: With a healthy Aaron Rodgers comes a one way ticket to 11-5. Although none of the running backs on the Packer's roster are any better than average, Rodgers will nonetheless make Green Bay an elite offense. Look for Davante Adams to have a monster year, as he will finally command the target volume of a number one receiver. Defensively, Green Bay still looks like they want to be gashed up the middle. They refused to bring in a beefier nose guard to start, which would have allowed the undersized Kenny Clark to play at his more natural position as a 3/4 end. It also appears that they want to continue to allow their inside linebackers to be exploited by tight ends and running backs in the passing game like the criminal justice system exploits minorities. As long as Blake Martinez and Jake Ryan are starting at linebacker, this will remain a constant.

6. New Orleans: The Saints offense should be as lethal as any offense in the league this year. Anytime Drew Brees, Mark Ingram, and Alvin Kamara are on the field together defense are left with an impossible choice to decide whether they want to try to stop the run or stop the pass- either way, theres going to be a mismatch and Brees is going to find it. Defensively, I don't expect them to be as good as last year. Their defensive tackles and linebackers leave a lot to be desired. Despite the Saint's strong pass rush and talented young secondary, I expect teams to have their way on the ground versus them.

7. Carolina: As long as the Panthers have Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly they have a chance in any game. The addition of DJ Moore should benefit the Panthers passing game, giving them a good complement to Devin Funchess, who is better served as a number two receiver. The Panthers front seven remains one of the best in the league. Carolina should remain a top defense. The success of this team remains contingent on the productivity of their offensive line. If Cam is running for his life like he has the majority of his career, then it is hard to imagine the team being any more than an early round playoff exit. If Matt Kalil injects some stem cells into his knees and a player emerges to fill Andrew Norwell's gaping hole at left guard, the team has a chance to overtake the Saints as division champ.

8. Los Angeles Rams: Placing Ndamukong Suh next to Aaron Donald is like putting a tank right next to another tank: only disaster and ruin will happen to the poor souls that stand in their way. The success of this team will be entirely tied to Jared Goff. If he can take the next step this team will be as good as any. If he doesn't, I expect the team to decline from last year, given the Rams finding themselves playing against a first place schedule for the first time since the greatest show on turf.

9. Seattle: Theres no denying the Seahawks have some serious question marks with the departure of Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman, as well as the loss of Cliff Avril and possibly Kam Chancellor to neck injuries. Theres also no denying that Russell Wilson is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, as well as the most annoying player to go against in fantasy football. Expect Frank Clark and Dion Jordan to continue to emerge as pass rushing dynamos and expect the Seahawks to scrape to 10-6 under Wilson's leadership.

10. LA Chargers: One of the most exciting young teams in the league, this should finally be the year that the Chargers emerge from mediocrity. Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, Casey Hayward, and Jason Verrett lead one of the most talented young defenses in the league. I expect the Chargers offense to be the best its been since Ladainian Tomlinson days. Behind a much improved offensive line Melvin Gordon should finally find himself averaging over 4 yards a carry. Given Philip River's Peyton Manning-like immobility, having an above average line for the first time in years should give Los Angeles the chance to finally unlock their potential.

11. Houston: The way I envision hell is being forced to cover Deandre Hopkins over and over and over again when Deshaun Watson is throwing him the ball. This offense finally has a source of life. If JJ Watt is even 85% this year, the defense should return to a top 10 unit. Anytime Jadaveon Clowney lines up as an outside linebacker on the same side of Watt, defenses are left with an impossible task. The Texans are arguably the biggest dark horse in the league this year. A healthy Deshaun Watson and JJ Watt make Houston the leader of the AFC South.

12. Atlanta: For all I'm concerned the Falcons are no different than they were last year: a finesse team with an overhyped defense. Atlanta will need consistent production out of Takkarist Mckinnley and Vic Beasley for them to edge out teams like the Panthers, Seahawks, and Packers for a wild card berth.

13. Kansas City: The Chiefs have arguably the most exciting young offense in the league with a young nucleus of Patrick Mahomes, Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, and Travis Kelce. The development of Mahomes will be what spells the fate of the Chiefs. If he is as good as I expect him to be, Kansas City is more dangerous than any team they put together with Alex Smith. Defensively, the Chiefs have some questions with the departures of Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, and Marcus Peters. Unless Justin Houston recaptures his form of 2014, I expect the defense to take a step back.

14. Dallas: The Dallas running game instantly catapults the Cowboys to the top half of the league, although their pass rush is as beneficial as smoking a cigarette and their weapons on offense are about as dangerous as a butter knife. For the Cowboys to return to the playoffs, Dak Prescott will have to take the next step and bring life to their passing game.

15. Oakland: The Raiders are an interesting team this year but they fall behind the Chiefs and Chargers in firepower. Getting Kelechi Osemele back from injury will be big for the running game. If Marshawn Lynch is as invested as he was the last five games of the year the Raiders should have one of the top running games in the league behind that line. Defensively, Oakland has talent but their biggest problem lies with their scheme. If they ran a 3/4 as opposed to a 4/3, Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin would combine for over 25 sacks and make this defense a top ten unit by themselves.

16. San Francisco: Vegas has the 49ers over/under at nine wins. For that reason alone, I have San Francisco at 16. Jimmy Garapollo looks like the real deal. Anytime you have a talented young quarterback and talented young defensive line, your team is going to improve.

17. Tennessee: Finally escaping the curse of Mike Mularkey and his incomprensible desire to start Demarco Murray over Derrick Henry, Titans fans and fantasy owner finally have a reason to smile. If Mariota improves on his putrid 2017 season, the Titans will also overtake Jacksonville in the division. Quietly, the Titans have one of the better secondaries in the league with Logan Ryan, Jonathan Cyprien, Kevin Byard, Malcom Butler, and Adoree Jackson. If Jackson and Byard continue to improve, this secondary could become elite.

18. Jacksonville: When I think of miracles I think of Cam Newton getting five seconds to throw, Dez Bryant using correct grammar, and a Blake Bortles-led team going to the AFC championship game. If you're a gambling man, bet everything to your name on Jacksonville under this year. We all saw what happened to Denver in Trevor Siemian's second year at the helm.

19. Denver: If the Broncos had signed Kirk Cousins in free agency they would be a dark horse super bowl contender. If I hadn't played fortnite so much I would have got a 3.5 last semester. In reality, Denver signed Case Keenum and I played fortnite twenty hours a week. Adding Bradley Chubb to what was already a hellacious pass rush will only make the Broncos defense more fearsome. Also look for Bradley Roby to emerge as a solid starting corner in his first year without Aqib Talib. Regardless of my opinion on Case Keenum, he is still a huge upgrade over Siemian. If Denver didn't play in such a competitive division they would have a shot at 10-6. Due to the talent in the AFC West, 8-8 is more realistic.

20. Baltimore: Similar to the Broncos and Jaguars, the Ravens performance on the defensive side of the ball is negated by their quarterbacking. As long as Joe Flacco is quarterback, Baltimore can expect the same result as the last three seasons: falling just short of a playoff berth. The clock is ticking on Flacco's removal from the starting lineup. The faster Lamar Jackson is taken off the bench, the faster we find out if Baltimore can challenge for a playoff berth.

21. Indianapolis: While the Colts defense is going to do everything humanly possibly to lead the league in points allowed, Andrew Luck is so good that Indianapolis will still win eight games. A team that gives up fantasy points at the speed of light and an offense that averages 28 points a game is every fantasy owners dream. Although nobody is going to be setting their dvr to record the Colts game each week, I'll be glad to tune in to watch Jay Ajayi trample their defense for 150 yards and two touchdowns on my fantasy team this year.

22. NY Giants: New York quietly is going to walk into week 1 with one of the more talented combination of offensive skill players in the league. Odell Beckham, Sterling Shepherd, Evan Engram, and Saquon Barkley should make the Giants offense above average even if Eli Manning decides he wants to continue throwing passes directly at defenders a few times each game. The addition of Barkley brings balance to an offense that previously was as balanced as the McDonalds diet. With Barkley involved, the Giants will be able to keep defenses honest, something that hasn't been a thing for years.

23. Cincinnati: A part of me wants to see the Bengals surprise the league and return to being a solid football team just so I can get another season of playoffs Marvin Lewis. Sometimes I wonder whats going on with his headset when he takes the field in the playoffs. Is he listening to the local Cincinnati radio station in hopes of tuning in to win their daily prize? Is he talking to his wife on possible offseason vacation destinations? Is he speaking to Mike Brown about possible ways to convince the league Vontaze Burfict plays clean football? I guess the world will never know.

24. Detroit: Its a shame Matt Stafford has been plagued with such a medicore supporting cast in his career. If he had a better front office he'd have enjoyed success similar to the other Matt, Matt Ryan. This year the Lions are as average as they've ever been. After going back and looking at their depth chart, Detroit has nine players on offense and defense that I would want starting on my team: Matt Stafford, Golden Tate, Taylor Decker, TJ Lang, Ricky Wagner, Ezekial Ansah, A'shawn Robinson, Darius Slay, and Glover Quinn. Thats it. Nine. Generally the objective of general managers is to find players that are starting caliber. I guess Bob Quinn didn't get that memo.

25. Cleveland: Most fans would take it as a slap in the face to have their team ranked twenty fifth among thirty two. Cleveland fans aren't most fans. In fact, after news of these power rankings the Browns season ticket holders rented out the Jack Casino in downtown Cleveland to play craps, shoot dice, take shots, and celebrate. As for the actual players on the roster, the Browns offense should be interesting this year with Tyrod Taylor being able to work with Josh Gordon, Jarvis Landry, and Corey Coleman behind solid offensive line. You could do a lot worse than an offense led by Taylor, Gordon, Landry, and Carlos Hyde. If this team wasn't named the Cleveland Browns, we'd be talking about them as a dark, dark horse to make the playoffs.

26. Chicago: After firing John Fox and hiring Matt Nagy, it appears that the Bears front office is ready to begin step one of building a good football team by actually trying to develop their quarterback. The Bears quietly fielded a top ten defense last year behind one of the best defensive coordinators in the league, Vic Fangio. Drafting Roquan Smith should only bolster the defense. Expect Mitch Trubisky to make steady progress in year two, but Chicago is not yet ready to complete for a playoff berth. Outside of Allen Robinson (who is coming off a torn acl) the Bears offense doesn't have a whole lot of weapons to work with. Chicago should be better this year, but their talent isn't at the level it needs to be to truly compete.

27. Arizona: The Cardinals enter 2018 looking a lot different without Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer. Despite getting David Johnson back from injury, the Cardinals offense does little to inspire confidence behind Sam Bradford, who's currently formulating a plan to get hurt week 4 and collect another $20 million for the season. On defense, Arizona has some exciting players in Chandler Jones and Patrick Peterson, as well as improving young talents Budda Baker, Haasan Reddick, and Markus Golden, but the problem is their defensive line. Losing Calais Campbell last year left a gaping hole and after a year trying to replace him Robert Nkemdiche doesn't look like the answer. The rest of the defensive line is full of either journey men or unproven young players. Although Arizona has talent in the linebacking core and secondary, very few defenses are good that do not have a solid line.

28. Tampa Bay: What exactly is the Buccaneers identity? Aside from consistently letting down their fans, I have no idea what it is. Jameis has made his strides in his three years in the league, but he is the forth best quarterback in the division and it doesn't seem like that is going to change anytime soon. The addition of Ronald Jones should give Tampa a young back to pair with Winston for years to come but their offensive line is just as questionable as it has always been. It looks like Jason Licht has finally read some fan mail as he actually decided to address the defensive line this offseason. Signing Vinny Curry, trading for Jason Pierre-Paul, and drafting Vita Vea gives them a formidable line alongside pro bowler Gerald McCoy.

29. Washington: Alex Smith. Alex Smith. Alex Smith. There are some players that I just don't want on my team and he's one of them. While Smith was surrounded by a top defense and running game in his time in Kansas City, he has neither in Washington. Aside from at offensive line and tight end (on the rare instance Jordan Reed is healthy), the Redskins don't really have any positions that are any better than average. Playing in the NFC doesn't help their cause either. 5-11.

30. Buffalo: I could go ahead and write a paragraph about what I think of the Buffalo Bills but I'm just gonna save both our time. Don't watch the Bills this year.

31. Miami: If you want to talk about an anomaly, lets talk about the 2016 Miami Dolphins. How the hell did they make the playoffs??? Going into 2018, its hard to see anything other than an opportunity for the Dolphins to develop their young players. Ryan Tannehill returns from injury (if thats something to be positive about?) and the dolphins quietly have what could be solid ground game with Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore running behind a line featuring Laremy Tunsil, Josh Sitton, and Jawuan James. But thats about as far as it goes for this offense. They traded Jarvis Landry to the Browns, which was smart given what they would have had to pay him, but they now are relying on Devante Parker to finally emerge as the #1 they thought he would be. Although this is possible, its hard to see it finally coming to fruition. It looks like signing Danny Amendola may have quietly been revenge for New England signing Wes Welker... honestly this would summarize the Miami Dolphins as well anything. Attempts to slight the New England Patriots, while jeopardizing their salary cap in the process. Oh Miami.

32. NY Jets: Todd Bowles deserves a lot of credit for making the Jets as competitive as they were. They played many teams tough that were miles ahead of them in talent. After getting Sam Darnold in the draft the Jets finally have their guy at quarterback, but the rest of the roster remains poor. Aside from their secondary, New York is below average at every other positional group. 2018 will be a year to groom Darnold and going into 2019, the Jets should have a better cap situation as well as another high pick to use to speed up their roster overhaul.

[buddyrabrahams]

15 key questions for NFL Week 3

Week 3 of the NFL season already has a bold-print headline: the Cleveland Browns are in the win column. It’s unlikely to be the only big story that comes from this slate of games, where intrigue abounds. Bill Belichick faces a former assistant in Detroit, a resurgent veteran faces off against a Pittsburgh Steelers team embroiled in drama, and a one-time MVP candidate is poised to return to the field after being sidelined for ten months.

So what are the big questions that need to be answered during Week 3? Here’s a look.

1. How much rust will Carson Wentz have to shake off?

Carson Wentz hasn’t played in an NFL game since December 10, 2017. He’s been cleared to start against the Indianapolis Colts, but it’s anyone’s guess as to how he’ll actually look when he steps on the field. His knee injury was a severe one, and we don’t have preseason action to go off. Will he be skittish? Will he be as mobile as he was before the injury? Will he still have the bravery to step up and make big throws? We won’t know until we see him, but it’s certainly logical to expect an adjustment process as Wentz gets back in the saddle.

2. Can the Steelers shake off the distractions after a drama-filled week?

This has not been the best week to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. The team is still winless, and a week of questions started with Antonio Brown’s absence from team meetings last Monday. All of this opened the door for rivals to privately take shots at the Steelers and coach Mike Tomlin. For now, this isn’t a crisis, though anyone in the organization would probably admit that this is not how they wanted the season to start. They face a tough trip to Tampa Bay, and if they fail to win it, the pressure on Tomlin and the team will escalate even more. This is a group that has been able to put aside issues and win games before, and it has to happen here to avoid really intense scrutiny.

3. Is FitzMagic for real?

Ryan Fitzpatrick answered a lot of questions last week when he carved up the Philadelphia Eagles to lead the Buccaneers to a 2-0 record. This week, he’ll be tasked with facing another skilled defense in Pittsburgh’s. The Steelers haven’t been sharp this season defensively, so Fitzpatrick might find them there for the taking. This will be the final week that Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston is suspended, so even though he’s been incredible so far, Fitzpatrick has all the reason in the world to put in another statement performance to solidify his hold on the starting job with or without Winston.

4. Which NFC South contender will take control after a shaky start?

The Atlanta Falcons are 1-1 and have sputtered on offense at times to start the season. The New Orleans Saints are also 1-1 and have sputtered on defense at times to start the season. On Sunday, the two will face off in a game that will give us an early indication of where things stand between two teams that were expected to compete for an NFC South title before the season started. Tampa Bay has pulled ahead of the pack, while the Carolina Panthers are also lurking at 1-1. It’s likely that whichever side here exploits the other’s primary weakness more effectively will walk out 2-1, while the loser will face a challenge getting back on their feet in the division.

5. Can Jon Gruden avoid an 0-3 start?

Oakland’s fourth quarter collapse against the Denver Broncos is an uglier look than losing at home to a talented Rams team, so the pressure is starting to pile on Jon Gruden at this point. He blew much of his goodwill with the Khalil Mack trade and the fact that the Raiders have struggled since — with Gruden having the nerve to bemoan his team’s lack of a pass rush — has done him no favors. They’re on the road again this week in Miami, where the Dolphins sit unbeaten. Gruden needs to accomplish something soon. A win is a start, and if he falls to 0-3, he’s not going to get a friendly reception when the Raiders return home for Week 4.

6. Will the Bengals make a statement showing they’re for real?

One of the league’s more surprising 2-0 teams, the Bengals are traveling to Charlotte on Sunday to face the Carolina Panthers. On paper, the Panthers are a playoff hopeful who should be winning a game like this at home, but the Bengals have looked solid against Indianapolis and Baltimore. A third win in three here would make them look like early AFC North contenders, especially if they do it against the best opponent they’ve yet faced while on the road.

7. Can the Giants stop their season from spiraling out of control?

Eli Manning looks like a spent force and the offensive line looks incapable of protecting him. That’s the narrative around the struggling Giants right now after their 0-2 start. They’re on the road facing a Texans team that is also winless, but favored. If the Giants don’t win this one, they’re looking at an 0-3 start with games against the Saints, Panthers, Eagles, and Falcons to follow, all of which were playoff teams last season. In short, things have the potential to get ugly quickly for New York.

8. Will we move a step closer to seeing Josh Rosen under center for Arizona?

The Arizona Cardinals comfortably look like one of the worst teams in the NFL, particularly on offense, where veteran starter Sam Bradford has been nothing short of awful this season. It is very unlikely that his rookie backup Josh Rosen would lead to any significant change in fortunes, but that hasn’t stopped many from calling for Arizona to embrace their quarterback of the future. Things are unlikely to get much better against Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears, and frankly, coach Steve Wilks is probably wise to avoid exposing Rosen to that pass rush to start his career. There will come a point when the Bradford solution is untenable, though, and another stinker on Sunday would move us closer to that point.

9. Can the Cowboys silence more doubters with a road win in Seattle?

The knives were out for the Cowboys after a pitiful season-opening performance against the Carolina Panthers, but they took advantage of a weakened New York Giants team a week ago to pick up their first win of the season. Now, they face an early season crossroads. It’s never easy to go to Seattle and play the Seahawks, but they’re facing an 0-2 team with a lot of flaws. If the Cowboys can get through this game with a win, optimism will grow, but a loss to the winless Seahawks will bring about new questions, especially if the performance is flat. It’s a pretty big early-season contest for them.

10. Are the Chargers equipped to make a statement win?

The Los Angeles Rams are counted by many to be among the NFC’s elite, but they’re not the only team in the city. The Chargers will be looking to make a statement of their own when they visit the Rams on Sunday. Philip Rivers leads a quality offense and Melvin Ingram is the backbone of a powerful pass rush, albeit one that will be missing Joey Bosa. The Chargers are likely hoping a road win will gain them some attention. They believe they can be an AFC contender, and a win over one of the NFC’s best would make some people take notice.

11. Can Frank Reich outmaneuver the team he won a Super Bowl with?

Now the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, Reich returns to Philadelphia on Sunday on the other sideline. Reich was the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Eagles team last season, and now, as a head coach, he’ll be tasked with stopping Carson Wentz and finding a way to get his own offense through the talented Eagle defense. The Colts have showed flashes of promise, even if they likely won’t contend this season. A win over Philadelphia would not only be an early statement, but a gratifying moment for Reich.

12. Are the Broncos for real?

Case Keenum’s Denver Broncos have eked out two close wins to start unbeaten, and while they haven’t exactly been dominant, the record speaks for itself. A 3-0 start would position Denver nicely for possible playoff contention, and a road game in Baltimore, while tough, is definitely winnable. The offense will have to sharpen up, as Keenum has not been at his very best during the two wins so far, but if the defense can force a few Joe Flacco mistakes, Denver will be in good shape here.

13. How many touchdowns will Patrick Mahomes throw?

Watching Mahomes play has very quickly become one of the most fun things to do in the NFL on any given weekend. He has ten touchdowns through two games and is poised to do more damage at home against the San Francisco 49ers. It would be unrealistic to expect his current pace to continue, but he has the arm and the guts to try for big plays that will sometimes pay off. The Niners have only given up four touchdowns through two games so far, but the Chiefs offense, at least on the evidence, will be the best they’ve faced yet.

14. How will Josh Allen respond against one of the NFL’s elite defenses?

Nobody is expecting the Bills to be able to beat the Minnesota Vikings. It’s more an exercise in how rookie quarterback Josh Allen responds while facing Minnesota’s elite defense. Allen was merely okay against the Los Angeles Chargers, throwing two interceptions to one touchdown, and the pressure will be on him all day Sunday. The hope will be that things don’t get embarrassing and he’s able to use it as a learning experience, but thinking optimistically, Allen has the chance to really show something against a talented unit.

15. Can Bill Belichick’s apprentice keep up with the master in Detroit?

Matt Patricia has gotten off to a brutal start as Lions coach, and an angry Patriots team with something to prove after a loss to Jacksonville a week ago isn’t likely to make things better. Home field advantage may not be enough for a Detroit team that has been failed by poor play and a lack of discipline. In addition, Bill Belichick is 14-8 against his former assistants, and Patricia doesn’t look like he has the Patriot Way running smoothly in Detroit at this point. Odds are the master will best the apprentice, but Patricia will be keen at testing himself and his team against his former boss.

from Larry Brown Sports https://ift.tt/2OK2Bwc