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NFL Random Thought of the Day

More tragic as more details come out.

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Khyree Jackson and two others died in three-car crash in Maryland
Published July 6, 2024 01:01 PM

The Maryland State Police have issued a statement regarding the car crash that claimed the life of Vikings cornerback Khyree Jackson.

Jackson, 24, as a passenger in a Dodge Charger. The other two occupants — Isaiah Hazel, 23, and Anthony Lytton, Jr., 24 — also died.

Hazel, who played college football at Maryland and Charlotte, was driving. Lytton, who played for Florida State and Penn State, was riding in the back seat.

Per the release, the preliminary investigation shows that the driver of another car “attempted to change lanes while driving at a high rate of speed when she struck the Dodge Charger and then struck [a] Chevrolet Impala.”

The impact forced the Charger off the road, where it “struck multiple tree stumps.”

The three occupants of the Infiniti and the lone occupant of the Impala were not injured.

The release includes this: “Investigators believe alcohol may have been a contributing circumstance in the crash.”

Presumably, that’s a reference to the driver of the Infiniti. More details about the potential involvement of alcohol will be released when the investigation concludes.
 
Sad............both father and son died short of being 6 years old. Even sadder, as a bull mastiff normally has a life expectancy of 8-10 years. SJ's cause of death has not been released.

Swagger Jr., better known as "SJ", the beloved bullmastiff mascot of the Cleveland Browns, died at the age of 5, the team announced Tuesday.

SJ was born at the end of 2018 and took over his father Swagger's mascot duties just before he died unexpectedly from cancer [followed by a fatal stroke] at the same age back in 2020.

Over the years, SJ became a staple at Cleveland Browns Stadium, just like Swagger before him. SJ would run across the field wearing a bone chain, pose for pictures in the crowds he was walked through and take all the pets he could get from Browns fans (and even fans of opposing teams).

The team added two new puppy mascots to the ranks last year, Muni and Stripes, who will now presumably take over SJ's duties for the 2024 season.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1808171932229292149
https://twitter.com/x/status/1808173690963599603
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www.espn.com

Dak says 'absolutely nothing' wrong with ankle

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said Tuesday there's nothing wrong with his right ankle and he was in a walking boot only for precautionary reasons.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
"Honestly, I'm getting older. It's the same ankle that I snapped, and I had a nasty surgery on four years ago so a couple of hard days of training and you know, you get a little sore and you're going on a fishing trip, and you want to protect it and make sure things don't get worse," he said.

"Literally, it's absolutely nothing. People are reaching, trying to make things that they aren't. I'm getting older and have to take care of my body, have to be smart. If I can take precautions and lessen something by putting on a boot, I'll do it. Sorry that I caused such a worry."
 
Bernie Kosar has been dealing with severe progressive liver failure. He's been trying to approach this with major dietary changes and supplements with some modest improvement. It will not be too long until he requires a liver transplant. But complicating this whole picture is the fact that he has also developed progressive Parkinson's disease. My prayers go out to probably the only Cleveland browns player I can truly say I respected and still do.
 
Packers financial report confirms national NFL money is closing in on $13 billion
By Mike Florio

Published July 16, 2024 05:36 PM

Thanks to the Packers and their unique structure, the team must release financial information every year to its shareholders. This year, the numbers show that the Packers and their 31 partners are doing very, very well. As usual.

The Packers list $402.3 million in national revenue. That’s the payment that goes to every team. That equates to $12.873 billion for the entire league.

That’s a 7.5 percent bump from last year, when the national revenue was just under $12 billion. It’s also $127 million lower than last week’s report that the national money made it to the $13 billion number.

The Packers had total revenue of $654.1 million, combining the national money with local revenue.

Still, despite a $43.7 million increase in revenue, profits dropped for the Packers from $68.6 million to $60.1 million. CEO Mark Murphy said, despite the drop, that the profits are “in a fairly high range historically.”

Commissioner Roger Goodell has had a longstanding goal of pushing league revenues to $25 billion by 2027. That might be overly ambitious, unless the league expands the regular season and manages to overturn the $14 billion Sunday Ticket judgment.
 
Such a well-run entity.............for profit only.

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League has given teams no guidance on how to prepare for Sunday Ticket liability
By Mike Florio
Published July 16, 2024 06:06 PM

Less than three weeks ago, a jury entered a $4.7 billion antitrust verdict against the NFL. If/when it becomes a formal judgment, it will triple to more than $14 billion.

Each team would then have to come up with more than $440 million. (As previously explained, some might have a hard time doing that.)

During an annual earnings call on Tuesday, Packers CEO Mark Murphy was asked whether the league had given the teams any advice on how to prepare to pay the price, if/when that day arrives.

“No,” Murphy said, via Daniel Kaplan in an item for AwfulAnnouncing.com. “All the indications are that we will appeal. It’s really up to each team to figure out whether they need to set up a separate fund. The league will vigorously defend.”

It’s a given that the league will vigorously defend. They vigorously defend everything, regardless of merit. They’re always right, and anyone challenging them in court is always wrong. (As major American businesses go, the NFL is hardly unique in this respect.)

That said, their vigorous defense could still result in a win in the Sunday Ticket case, through post-judgment motions or on appeal. It still won’t change the fact (not allegation, but fact as determined by the jury) that the NFL deliberately overpriced Sunday Ticket in order to keep fans from buying it, so that they’d choose to watch the games given to their local markets via CBS and Fox affiliates.

We’re wondering when that reality will sink in on a widespread basis. The Sunday Ticket price tag became a litmus test of true fandom. And the prize was to pay way too much for something that could have been, and should have been, made available for a much lower amount.
 
A basically upstanding citizen...............................:chef:

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Todd Bowles hasn’t talked to Randy Gregory, who skipped the mandatory minicamp
By Charean Williams
Published July 17, 2024 10:38 PM

Buccaneers edge rusher Randy Gregory skipped the team’s mandatory minicamp, drawing more than $100,000 in fines.
Coach Todd Bowles said last month that the team would “deal with” Gregory’s absence. But Bowles has not talked to Gregory since and does not know whether Gregory will show up for training camp.

“We have not had any conversations,” Bowles told JC Allen of BucsGameday. “I expect him to be here, but we’ll see.”

Gregory signed with the Buccaneers as a free agent in April after splitting last season between the Broncos and 49ers. He is currently suing the NFL and the Broncos for $532,500 in fines incurred for taking medication containing THC for disabilities.

Gregory, 31, has played only 72 games since the Cowboys made him a second-round pick in 2015. He served four suspensions for multiple violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, but Gregory has sought help to deal with his addiction and his social anxiety disorder.

The NFL no longer suspends players who test positive for marijuana, but it remains among the league’s banned substances subject to fines.
 
I think we have discussed this situation in the past but here is a more recent article on Terrell Owens blaming Tom Brady:
sports.yahoo.com

Terrell Owens: I tried to come out of retirement with the Bucs, Tom Brady disrespected me

When Antonio Brown abruptly left the Buccaneers during the 2021 season, they could have used a veteran wide receiver for the playoffs.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com

When Antonio Brown abruptly left the Buccaneers during the 2021 season, they could have used a veteran wide receiver for the playoffs.
 
www.espn.com

Adams' agents call trade speculation 'baseless'

The agents for Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams called trade speculation surrounding their client "baseless" and "unfounded" Tuesday.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
"This is baseless, unfounded speculation, and Davante is expected to be with the Raiders as there has been absolutely no trade talk -- period," agents Kenny Chapman and Frank Bauer told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:

​

This is a very unusual situation. With back-to-back Jones fractures.........one on each foot.........the Lions better obtain a bone density scan to see if he suffers from underlying osteoporosis [a condition resulting in decrease of bone strength and density with increase risk of fractures]............and examine him for high foot arches............both being significant risk factors for Jones fractures.
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Rookie defensive tackle Johnny Newton will require second foot surgery​

Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton was a top prospect for many Lions fans, but his slide to Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft was a surprise. We might now know the reason for his slide.
By John Whiticar@Whiticar May 11, 2024, 4:00pm EDT

Entering the 2024 NFL Draft, there was a sizable group of candidates for the Detroit Lions at pick 29. Detroit would ultimately trade up to 24th overall to select Terrion Arnold, arguably the top defensive back prospect on the board—and perhaps in the draft itself. Yet in the lead up to the Lions’ pick, there was another big name still on the board: Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton.

From a character and production standpoint, the defensive tackle out of Illinois was a perfect fit for the Lions. Had the Lions drafted him at 29, many fans would have been thrilled with the selection. Yet despite the pre-draft hype and interest, including multiple visits with the Lions, Newton slid. He fell to pick 24. He fell to pick 29. He fell out of the first round entirely. It wasn’t until the Washington Commanders selected him with the 36th pick that he found his NFL home.

We might finally have an answer for his slide. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn had a press conference on Saturday and revealed that the rookie will undergo another foot surgery in the coming weeks:

Newton suffered a Jones fracture in his right foot last season at Illinois, playing through it until finally receiving surgery in January. Now just four months later, Newton will receive the same surgery on his left foot for the same injury. For reference, another 2024 top prospect, cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, also suffered a Jones fracture prior to the NFL Combine, perhaps leading to his slide to pick 41.

The exact timeline for Newton’s recovery is still unclear, but two separate injuries within a year may have resulted in Newton falling further in the draft than originally expected. Were the Lions among the teams scared off by knowledge of this injury? We cannot say, but it is worth considering why a top prospect like Newton had no suitors on Day 1 of the draft.

The Lions have not shied away from drafting players with lingering college injuries such as Jameson Williams or James Mitchell, but it begs the question if the Levi Onwuzurike selection back in 2021 was a learning moment for general manager Brad Holmes. The Lions drafted the defensive tackle early in the second round despite a lingering back issue from college. Onwuzurike rarely saw the field early in his career while dealing with that injury, and it likely stunted his development.

Did the Lions want to avoid a similar situation with Newton? Perhaps, but what we know for certain is that they are more than happy to have Arnold in their fold.
Click to expand...
The Commanders announced today that Newton has been placed on the non-football injury list. Newton had his most recent foot surgery in May. Recent studies have shown that return to play post surgery in less than 10 weeks leads to a significant risk for healing nonunion complications and re-fracture (>20%).................with return after 10 weeks still carries a risk of ~10%.
 
Another gambling NFL revenue source in the making.

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What’s the NFL’s end game with flag football?
By Mike Florio
Published July 20, 2024 01:50 PM

When it comes to flag football, the NFL isn’t afraid to let its freak flag fly. So what’s the goal?

This isn’t a complaint; it’s an observation. The NFL is cramming flag football down our collective throats. It remains to be seen whether it works.

For most, the only real football is tackle football. For them, flag football is to tackle football what putt-putt golf is to actual golf.

Fun to play, not much fun to watch being played by others.

But the NFL is making a big push with it. Since we’re at the point where we’re not willing to accept at face value anything anyone says on pretty much any topic, here’s our own effort to identify the various possible reasons.

First, and most obviously, it helps globalize the sport. It will be an Olympic event in four years. It can be played by men and women, boys and girls. (And when it’s time for the U.S. men’s team to be identified, look for the league at large to fully support pro players participating — and for their inidividual teams to not be nearly as thrilled about it.)

Second, it’s easy to play. All you need is a football, and some flags. (If all else fails, go with two-hand touch.)

Third, it’s a lot safer than tackle football. Concussions happen accidentally. There’s no subconcussive trauma. No injuries caused by a helmet crashing into someone.

Fourth, the NFL might see it as a way to create a real revenue stream — which is never a bad idea, especially when there’s a looming requirement to come up with $14.1 billion. If flag football truly takes off, why not have a spring flag league that features NFL players who are young and healthy enough to supplement full-contact fall football with a low-impact alternative?

They could take it on tour, to non-NFL cities. Fans would definitely show up and pay to watch it. The challenge would be to generate a TV audience.

Fifth, it could become the ultimate break-glass option if/when the medical research regarding CTE ever evolves to the point at which people decide to stop playing tackle football.

That last reason is related to one of the concerns we’ve heard from experienced, high-level folks currently employed by NFL teams. There’s a fear that the NFL’s flag football fervor will drive kids away from tackle football, limiting the pool from which the best of the best players ultimately will pop.

In his deposition testimony from two years ago regarding the NFL’s effort to force its insurance companies to pay for the concussion settlement, Commissioner Roger Goodell downplayed the connection between reduced participation in youth tackle football and diminished talent at the NFL level.

“I wasn’t as worried about the NFL game because very few kids that were playing youth football make it to the NFL,” Goodell said. “It’s probably less than one percent. So I don’t think that would impact us.”

This argument overlooks the basic reality that some of the one percent who would become good enough to play in the NFL might not ever play tackle football in the first place. If fewer kids play tackle football, those who do something else inevitably will include youth that might have made it to the highest level of the sport.

Regardless, the NFL is embracing a low-key version of the sport. It’s hoping that the fans will embrace it, too. Maybe after seeing it over and over and over again, people will start to like it. Maybe it will take a betting angle to make it fully take root.
However it plays out, the NFL has a plan for flag football. We’re seeing it unfold now, even if we might never know why the NFL is doing it.
 
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