Keep Texans Talk Google Ad Free!
Venmo Tip Jar | Paypal Tip Jar
Thanks for your support! 🍺😎👍

NFL Random Thought of the Day

18-game season could alter entire NFL schedule
By Mike Florio
Published April 30, 2024 08:07 PM

Whatever Roger wants, Rogers gets. And Roger wants 18 games.

If/when (when) he gets it, the NFL’s calendar could change.

Goodell has dangled the possibility of moving the Super Bowl to President’s Day Weekend, which will help build support for an 18th game. But what if the NFL Players Association insists on a second bye week? That would require the season to start on Labor Day Weekend, in order for it to end the day before President’s Day.

The league has avoided Labor Day for years, because the ratings are lower on the last unofficial weekend of summer. Given the way the NFL has grown in recent years, the NFL would probably gobble up Labor Day Weekend in the same way it has devoured Thanksgiving and Christmas.

As noted by Mark Maske of the Washington Post, an 18th game also could result in the offseason tentpole events sliding from their current spots, with the Scouting Combine moving to March, free agency shifting to April, and the draft slip-sliding to May.

The NFL already owns the sports calendar. They would steal even more attention away from other leagues by expanding the offseason like an accordion.

However it plays out, 18 games is inevitable. As is, I believe, 19. Eventually, 20.

With the revenue that comes from games that count, the NFL will want more of them.
That’s why expansion from 32 teams is inevitable, too.

More football leads to more money. It’s that simple.

More.

Please, sir, can I have some more?

More is coming, whether they ask nicely or not.
 
Browns want taxpayers to cover half the cost of stadium solution
Published April 30, 2024 07:45 PM

The Browns are considering a $1 billion renovation to their current stadium or a new, $2.4 billion domed stadium in Brook Park. However it goes, they want the taxpayers to pay half.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, via Sports Business Journal, the Browns want public money for 50 percent of either solution.

Per the report, team officials recently met with state lawmakers to discuss plans, and to review renderings of a new stadium.

A Brook Park facility would open before the 2029 season. A local law named for former Browns owner Art Modell could complicate a move out of Cleveland proper.

Nearly 30 years ago, Modell moved the Browns to Baltimore after he was unable to get a new stadium. Negotiations between Cleveland, the league, and the Browns resulted in the city keeping the name, colors, and records — and getting an expansion team that assumed the franchise’s identity and legacy.

The Haslams bought the Browns in 2012. They’ve given no indication that they’d consider moving the team. They also have yet to hear “no way” in response to their effort to get free money for an upgraded or new stadium.
 
Bill Romanowski files for bankruptcy as government seeks $15.5 million in back taxes
By Michael David Smith
Published May 1, 2024 06:32 AM

Former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski has filed for bankruptcy after he was sued by the Department of Justice for $15.5 million in unpaid federal taxes.

Romanowski and his wife Julie are defendants in a civil case brought by the federal government, which alleges that the Romanowskis used their supplement company Nutrition53 to get around paying taxes, a bill that has now topped $15.5 million, according to USA Today.

The Department of Justice says the Romanowskis improperly used Nutrition53 accounts to pay for their personal rent, groceries, veterinarian bills and “over 170 visits to nail salons, hair salons and day spas.”

Nutrition53 filed for bankruptcy last year.

The 58-year-old Romanowski played for the 49ers, Eagles, Broncos and Raiders during a 16-year NFL career. He won four Super Bowl rings and was selected to two Pro Bowls.

He was also repeatedly fined for dirty play, and sued by teammate Marcus Williams for an injury during a fight on the practice field. After retiring, Romanowski admitted he had used steroids during his playing career.
 
Total draft audience falls three percent
By Mike Florio
Published May 1, 2024 06:19 AM

TV ratings are as permanent as tattoos. And some ratings, like some tattoos, look better than others.

The NFL liked the tattoo that it got from the ratings from the first night of the draft, prompting it to send out a press release on Friday touting the fact that the TV audience bested 2023 by six percent. For the second and third day of the draft, there were no press releases.

That’s because Friday’s audience was the smallest since 2012. Via Sports Business Journal, Saturday’s total audience dropped three percent from 2023. For NFL Network, which had been slashing costs and shrinking shows for no apparent reason, the audience for Saturday fell by 14.5 percent from 2023, down to 498,000.

Even with the Thursday bump, the audience for the draft dropped by three percent.

While still impressive for an event that truly is the ultimate reality show about nothing, since they could do the draft by group text if they wanted, the NFL always wants more, especially on a year-over-year basis. When there’s slippage, there’s hell to pay behind the scenes, with frantic efforts to get things turned around ASAFP.
 
The draft coverage needs more controversy. Someone yelling at Mel Kiper. Mike Mayock biatching about an Orangutan. Right now, it's a snooze fest. I almost said it needed Stephen A. Smith, but I won't go that far.
 
Kansas legislature adjourns without action on Chiefs
Published May 1, 2024 11:29 AM

We’re not in Kansas anymore.

Actually, we haven’t even gotten there yet.

Via the Associated Press, an effort by the Kansas legislature to lure the Chiefs from Missouri fizzled before the official adjournment of the annual session on Tuesday.

Some members of the body introduced on Tuesday a bill that would have authorized at least $1 billion in bonds for stadiums for both the Chiefs and MLB’s Royals. It wasn’t brought up for a vote.

Kansas has time to make it happen. The Chiefs are tied to Arrowhead Stadium through 2030.

As explained by the AP, there was a desire to pass tax cuts before handling a matter that some call “corporate welfare.”

The reality is that, if such a proposal were placed on a public ballot, it would fail. The challenge becomes finding a way to push it through without damaging the prospects of the politicians who supported it.

The alternative, of course, is for all communities to tell all sports teams to pay for their own stadiums. If they had to, they would.

And then the taxpayers could spend their money on something else, like a monorail.
 
Upcoming NBA TV deals will make NFL want more
By Mike Florio
Published May 1, 2024 10:25 AM

The NBA is closing in on new TV deals that could double the value of their current ones. The NFL is surely watching.

The more that networks and/or streamers can afford to pay the NBA, the more they can afford to pay to the NFL.

NBC, case in point, is reportedly willing to pay the NBA $2.5 billion per year for a package of games. That’ll make the NFL drool like Homer Simpson at a donut the size of a life preserver.

Remember, NFL can abandon the current TV deals after the 2029 season. Between the plan to expand to 18 games and the increase in the value of NBA rights, the NFL surely will pull the plug and ask for more.

And, frankly, the NFL can do it. Nothing gathers a live audience like NFL football. There’s immense value in that. The networks know it. The NFL knows it.

If anything, the networks should be glad that the NFL can’t put a thumb on the scale for five more years. Not that the NFL won’t find a way to try.
 
University of Houston plans to buck NFL, use Columbia Blue
By Mike Florio
Published May 1, 2024 09:50 AM

The University of Houston has taken a page from the late Bud Adams’s playbook. Specifically, the school has given a double-barreled-middle-finger to the NFL and the Tennessee Titans.
After abandoning an alternate Columbia Blue color scheme at the direction of the league last year, the University of Houston has reversed course.

“We’re doing it,” athletic director Chris Pezman told Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle. “We’ve reviewed everything and come to the conclusion that we are going to proceed.”

Houston has informed the league of its position. As of Tuesday, the NFL had not responded.

“We’re giving them two or three weeks to respond,” Pezman said. “We’re waiting on a response to see if we get one.”

Pezman explained the about-face on standing down.

“We literally have a story we can show the city uses it,” Pezman said. “This isn’t a reach. This is a layup. We’ve got a very defensible position.”

It’s hard to imagine anyone having intellectual property rights to a color. And it surely helps the University of Houston that the Texans recently introduced an alternate uniform that uses the color.

Even if a plausible argument can be made, Big Shield will look like the big, bad wolf if it sues the University of Houston.
 
Here’s the full list of 2021 first-round picks with their fifth-year option salaries. Players whose options were picked up are in bold:

1. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars — $25.664 million
2. Quarterback Zach Wilson, Broncos (via trade from Jets) — $22.408 million
3. Quarterback Trey Lance, Cowboys (via trade from 49ers) — $22.408 million
4. Tight end Kyle Pitts, Falcons — $10.878 million
5. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals — $21.816 million
6. Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins — $15.591 million
7. Offensive lineman Penei Sewell, Lions — $19.04 million (Also agreed to a long-term contract)
8. Cornerback Jaycee Horn, Panthers — $12.472 million
9. Cornerback Pat Surtain II, Broncos — $19.802 million
10. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith, Eagles — $15.591 million (Also agreed to a long-term contract)
11. Quarterback Justin Fields, Bears — $25.664 million
12. Linebacker Micah Parsons, Cowboys — $24.007 million
13. Offensive lineman Rashawn Slater, Chargers — $19.04 million
14. Offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jets — $15.313 million
15. Quarterback Mac Jones, Patriots — $25.664 million
16. Linebacker Zaven Collins, Cardinals — $13.251 million
17. Offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood, Raiders — No option after being released
18. Linebacker Jaelan Phillips, Dolphins — $13.251 million
19. Linebacker Jamin Davis, Commanders — $14.483 million
20. Wide receiver Kadarius Toney, Chiefs (via trade from Giants) — $14.345 million
21. Defensive end Kwity Paye, Colts — $13.387 million
22. Cornerback Caleb Farley, Titans — $12.472 million
23. Offensive lineman Christian Darrisaw, Vikings — $16.037 million
24. Running back Najee Harris, Steelers — $6.79 million
25. Running back Travis Etienne, Jaguars — $6.143 million
26. Cornerback Greg Newsome II, Browns — $13.377 million
27. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman, Ravens — Not fifth-year option eligible, agreed to contract extension
28. Defensive end Payton Turner, Saints — $13.387 million
29. Cornerback Eric Stokes, Packers — $12.472 million
30. Defensive end Gregory Rousseau, Bills — $13.387 million
31. Linebacker Odafe Oweh, Ravens — $13.251 million
32. Linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Buccaneers — $13.251 million
 
Matt LaFleur tore a pectoral muscle while lifting weights
By Charean Williams
Published May 3, 2024 10:19 PM

Packers coach Matt LaFleur was wearing a sling during the draft. On the first day of the team’s rookie minicamp Friday, LaFleur didn’t use his left arm.

He confirmed he was wearing an immobilizer after undergoing surgery last week to repair a torn pectoral muscle.

“Got in a little fight with the bench press. I lost,” LaFleur said, via Matt Schneidman of TheAthletic.com.

It isn’t the first major injury LaFleur has had since becoming the team’s head coach five years ago.

LaFleur, 44, tore his Achilles playing basketball in 2019, requiring offseason surgery.
 
Odell Beckham Jr. has base package of $3 million in 2024
Published May 4, 2024 11:06 AM

“Up to” continues to be the most valuable phrase for the Lords of Scooptown.

This year, agents have leaked — and insiders have parroted without scrutiny — the puffed up value of contracts without separating actual value from incentives. The numbers getting slapped together and, voila!
“Up to.”

Most recently, NFL Media initially reported the one-year Odell Beckham Jr. deal in Miami as being worth “up to” $8.25 million. Looks good.

Since then, ESPN.com has separated the base value ($3 million) from the upside of $5.25 million.

The specifics required to reach the incentives aren’t yet known. Last year, Beckham had a reasonable $3 million incentive package on a one-year, $15 million deal with the Ravens. (He earned an extra $1 million.)

It’s a steep drop for Beckham from $16 million to $3 million. Time will tell whether he’s got a realistic shot to get to $8.25 million.
 
Odell Beckham Jr. will have to work for his touches in Miami
Published May 6, 2024 11:59 AM

Odell Beckham Jr. supposedly could have gotten more money elsewhere than the $3 million base deal he got from the Dolphins.

I’m not buying that one without specifics. Which team(s)? How much more? Was it just a state income tax thing or something else?

Money is money. And after making $15 million guaranteed from the Ravens last year, that’s a big fall to a $3 million base.

There’s an upside of $5.25 million. It’s unclear (for now) what Beckham has to do to get there. Presumably, it has something to do with catching passes, gaining yards, and/or scoring touchdowns.

And that won’t be easy to do. At the very best, Beckham will be WR3 on the depth chart, behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Then there’s the running back room, which has plenty of competent players. With only one ball, it could be hard for Beckham to get his hands on it.

He’s not what he was early in his career. He still has gas in the tank. The engine runs on a different octane than before. There’s less sizzle than steak. And he brings a pedigree that could help the Dolphins get beyond the first round of the playoffs.

We’ll see how it goes. He’ll get some chances. Not as many as in the past. Maybe not as many as he has seen in past years. Maybe enough to make a difference when it matters for the Dolphins.
 
Texansphan said:
Should be a potent backfield
Looks like they want to take some pressure off Young.
Click to expand...
Signing 2 OG's to big money contracts, trading for Dionte Johnson and drafting Legette, J. Sanders will do even more to help Young succeed. They gave him Weapons and OLhelp in the middle of the OL which will help a short QB like Young.
 

Cleveland City Council approves ordinance directing city to enforce 'Art Modell Law' in Browns stadium talks​

The Browns have been rumored to be looking at Brook Park for a new stadium. The law could potentially create hurdles for any move outside the city, even the suburbs.

Author: Tyler Carey
Published: 12:24 AM EDT May 7, 2024
Updated: 5:16 AM EDT May 7, 2024

CLEVELAND — As the battle over a possible new stadium for the Browns heats up, Cleveland City Council on Monday approved an ordinance directing Mayor Justin M. Bibb's administration to enforce the so-called "Art Modell Law" during negotiations with the team.

The legislation, sponsored by Ward 16 Councilman Brian Kazy, calls for Law Director Mark Griffin to use the laws provisions "in order to keep the Cleveland Browns in the City of Cleveland and to protect the interests of the taxpayers of the City with regard to their investment in the lakefront stadium." This comes as the Browns confirm they are considering either renovating the existing stadium downtown or building an entire new venue in another Northeast Ohio community, long rumored to be Brook Park.

Passed in 1996, the "Modell Law" was derisively named after former Browns owner Art Modell months after he moved the team to Baltimore. Part of Ohio Revised Code Section 9.67, the text states that:

"No owner of a professional sports team that uses a tax-supported facility for most of its home games and receives financial assistance from the state or a political subdivision thereof shall cease playing most of its home games at the facility and begin playing most of its home games elsewhere unless the owner either:
  1. Enters into an agreement with the political subdivision permitting the team to play most of its home games elsewhere;
  2. Gives the political subdivision in which the facility is located not less than six months' advance notice of the owner's intention to cease playing most of its home games at the facility and, during the six months after such notice, gives the political subdivision or any individual or group of individuals who reside in the area the opportunity to purchase the team."
In short, according to the law, Dee and Jimmy Haslam must give either the city or other local groups a chance to buy the Browns if they seek to take the organization out of Cleveland, provided no other formal agreement is reached to let the club go somewhere else. Even if such a move would only be to the suburbs and not to a completely different part of the country, Kazy believes the text applies just the same.

"The Cleveland Browns have to go through the legal process of leaving the city of Cleveland, whether they want to move the team to Timbuktu, or whether they want to move to Brook Park," Kazy said in April when he announced his intention to bring the ordinance up for a vote. "They have to go before Cleveland City Council and ask permission to move the team, or give us six months notice and offer to put the team up for sale."

The lease at Cleveland Browns Stadium expires in 2028, and the club has already begun looking at its options. Last month, Signal Cleveland reported that team representatives had met with state lawmakers about the Brook Park proposal, which would entail a roughly $2 billion project on 176 acres of land near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

The "Modell Law" has only been officially invoked once, in 2018, when then Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine sued Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt to block him from moving the Major League Soccer franchise to Texas. Before he could be fully challenged in court, Precourt agreed later that year to sell the team to (ironically) the Haslam family along with a number of Columbus area investors. The lawsuit was then dropped, and MLS awarded Precourt an expansion team in Austin.

Bibb has not indicated if he will indeed test the Modell Law to potentially force the Browns to stay in Cleveland.

Commenting on the negotiations back in March, the mayor only said he "has been active and engaged with the Haslam Sports Group (HSG) to understand the needs of the team and collectively work toward an agreement." The team estimates renovating the existing lakefront stadium would cost roughly $1 billion.

The Browns have not commented on Council's ordinance.
 
Last edited:
No way Jackson has not lost significant muscle with this last 10 pound weight loss.

*******************************************************************************************************

Lamar Jackson says he’s dropped his weight to 205
By Charean Williams
Published May 7, 2024 09:38 PM

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson hasn’t spent his offseason sitting around, eating and watching TV. He’s been hard at work as evidenced by his current weight.

Jackson revealed on an “I Got Time Today” segment from Complex Sports on Instagram that he’s down to 205 pounds.

Jackson read a series of social media posts about him, including one from nittygrittysportstalk that said, “Lamar Jackson is definitely 2019 MVP slim now. . . . It may get spooky.”

Jackson answered, “Most definitely. I was 230 two years ago. I was 215 last season, but now I’m like 205.”

The Ravens’ roster lists Jackson at 215 pounds, his playing weight last season. He entered the NFL at 216 pounds.

In 2022, Jackson added muscle mass to get his weight to 220 pounds. He said at the time that he just “wanted to do it [to] see how I look, see how I feel, and I feel good.”

He dropped 5 pounds last year and won his second MVP award.
 
Again, I have to ask...........how does this incident occur at the Lit Kitchen nightclub when that nightclub and surrounding clubs are closed Sundays and Mondays.

************************************************************************************************************

Report: Rashee Rice under investigation for alleged nightclub assault Monday night
By Charean Williams
Published May 7, 2024 05:12 PM

Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice, who already faces eight felony charges for a multi-car crash on March 30, now is being investigated for allegedly hitting a photographer at a nightclub in Dallas on Monday night, WFAA reports.

According to the TV station, Dallas police are interviewing witnesses after an incident at Lit Kitchen.
 
Closer to making the average fan not able to afford watching the NFL on TV................closer to trying to eventually make all NFL games pay-per-view.

*********************************************************************************************************

Could Netflix end up with one or both Christmas games?
By Mike Florio
Published May 8, 2024 08:35 PM

This Christmas, the NFL might Netflix and cha-ching.

With the league reportedly passing the Santa hat in search of anywhere for $50 million to $100 million for the broadcasts rights to each of the two December 25 games in 2024, Boomer Esiason of WFAN floated an interesting theory on Wednesday.

“Do not be surprised if the NFL and Netflix get in bed for a nice little Christmas Day football games,” Esiason said, via AwfulAnnouncing.com. “I would not be surprised.”

I wouldn’t be, either. No one should be. Although the NFL and Netflix haven’t previously done a direct deal for games, the tentacles have been spreading. And Netflix has proven that it can serve up live events, as it did on Sunday night with the Tom Brady no-holds-barred-except-when-holds-were-barred roast.

It’s an awkward spot for the NFL, since the Wednesday schedule will be derived from clawing two games from CBS and/or Fox. In theory, they should already have the rights to those games.

Maybe the contracts were written to give the NFL the flexibility to yank a pair of Sunday games and move them to Wednesday. The reality, however, is that the NFL calls the shots in the broadcast relationships, where “the customer is always right” has been turned on its head, for years.

That’s one of the benefits of having a highly valuable product and limited supply. Big Shield calls the shots, and Christmas 2024 might bring a new customer to the table. Along with a whole lot of money for the league.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Again, I have to ask...........how does this incident occur at the Lit Kitchen nightclub when that nightclub and surrounding clubs are closed Sundays and Mondays.

************************************************************************************************************

Report: Rashee Rice under investigation for alleged nightclub assault Monday night
By Charean Williams
Published May 7, 2024 05:12 PM

Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice, who already faces eight felony charges for a multi-car crash on March 30, now is being investigated for allegedly hitting a photographer at a nightclub in Dallas on Monday night, WFAA reports.

According to the TV station, Dallas police are interviewing witnesses after an incident at Lit Kitchen.
Click to expand...
That writer doesn't have her facts exactly correct...

Kansas City Chiefs’ Rashee Rice suspected in downtown Dallas assault, police say​

Officers were dispatched about 2:30 a.m. Monday to the Lit Lounge & Feu Nightclub in the 600 block of North Harwood Street, near Federal Street, for reports of an assault, a police spokesperson confirmed.
A man was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, the spokesperson said. Law enforcement officials told The News the man had visible swelling on one side of his face.
On social media, doubt has been cast on the narrative in the hours since the allegation first surfaced Tuesday. Two civilians with knowledge of the incident told The News a verbal altercation occurred at the club, but there was no physical contact.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
an air-punch must have been thrown at some point
 
JB said:
That writer doesn't have her facts exactly correct...

Kansas City Chiefs’ Rashee Rice suspected in downtown Dallas assault, police say​

Officers were dispatched about 2:30 a.m. Monday to the Lit Lounge & Feu Nightclub in the 600 block of North Harwood Street, near Federal Street, for reports of an assault, a police spokesperson confirmed.
A man was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, the spokesperson said. Law enforcement officials told The News the man had visible swelling on one side of his face.
On social media, doubt has been cast on the narrative in the hours since the allegation first surfaced Tuesday. Two civilians with knowledge of the incident told The News a verbal altercation occurred at the club, but there was no physical contact.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
an air-punch must have been thrown at some point
Click to expand...
Still, the club is supposedly not open on Sunday or Monday. idonno:
 
  • Like
Reactions: JB
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top