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Cowboys counting on CeeDee Lamb being ready to assume No. 1 receiver role - Dallas Cowboys Blog
Cowboys counting on CeeDee Lamb being ready to assume No. 1 receiver role – Dallas Cowboys Blog
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys gave CeeDee Lamb the No. 88 for a reason.
They better be right.
With the Cowboys agreeing to trade wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, Lamb, their first-round pick in 2020, ascends to the clear-cut No. 1 receiver role. By trading Cooper, the Cowboys open up $16 million in cap room.
No. 88 is sacred in Dallas history. Maybe not as sacred as No. 12…
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Mac Jones' poise stands out for Patriots in leading first NFL game-winning drive
Mac Jones’ poise stands out for Patriots in leading first NFL game-winning drive
HOUSTON — Sunday wasn’t the New England Patriots‘ best day, but when they needed a boost most, rookie quarterback Mac Jones delivered for them.
Call it Mac’s Moment.
Jones led his first career game-winning drive in the NFL — a 15-play march that chewed up seven minutes in the fourth quarter to set up Nick Folk‘s 21-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining — helping the Patriots escape with a…
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CeeDee Lamb's candles, Cowboys' 'Winston Churchill' coach highlight 'Hard Knocks'
CeeDee Lamb’s candles, Cowboys’ ‘Winston Churchill’ coach highlight ‘Hard Knocks’
FRISCO, Texas — Second-year wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has been the on-field star of training camp for the Dallas Cowboys. He has made play after play in Oxnard, California, and in his first practice inside Ford Center on Monday, he caught a touchdown pass on a diving fade to the corner of the end zone.
But in the second episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” on Tuesday, two things were learned about what…
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New Post has been published on https://freenews.today/2021/03/16/new-york-giants-are-going-young-in-quest-to-end-offensive-line-woes/
New York Giants are going young in quest to end offensive line woes
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The gates swung open Monday for the NFL’s free-agency negotiating period, and for the first time in what seems like forever the New York Giants are not monitoring the top of the offensive line market.
No Nate Solder to a record deal or Geoff Schwartz at high-end guard money or David Baas or J.D. Walton to be the Giants’ next long-term center. Those days are gone. There is a plan in place now to build from within.
Some might say it’s a miracle. Others might declare it lunacy considering the composition and youth of the line. This is Year 4 of general manager Dave Gettleman’s “hog mollie” rebuild and there are still questions despite an emphasis from the day he stepped into the building to solidify the unit and end the overhaul that has been in motion since 2013.
It’s likely the key pieces (i.e. starters) are already in place. Andrew Thomas (age 22), No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, is the left tackle — even with veteran Solder returning. Will Hernandez (25) and Shane Lemieux (23) are likely the starting guards. Converted tackle Nick Gates (25) is the center and, at some point this season (if not Day 1), Matt Peart (23) will be the starting right tackle.
That is an average of 23.6 years of age for the Giants’ offensive line, so young would be an understatement. It’s hard to imagine that wouldn’t be the youngest in the league. Gates and Hernandez, entering their fourth professional seasons, would be the elder statesmen. Who knows who would be considered the best player. All come with some question marks.
Andrew Thomas is one of two second-year offensive tackles the Giants will be relying on this coming season. Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire
Of course, Solder will be around. He agreed to a restructured deal that will make him the swing tackle, sort of this year’s version of Cameron Fleming. Solder could start on the right side or serve as a backup to Thomas and Peart. That will depend on how the spring and summer play out, but Gettleman made it clear last week the Giants think Peart, a 2020 third-round pick out of Connecticut, is ready to be a starter.
“When he played, he played fine. He played pretty damn well,” Gettleman said. “At some point in time, you’ve got to let the young kids play. Listen, every player was a rookie at some point or a young player at some point.”
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The Giants are especially high on Peart. They love his length and ability to move at 6-foot-7, 318 pounds. They also thought he played pretty well as a rookie, especially until being slowed by a high ankle sprain late in the season.
So Peart and Thomas will give the Giants two second-year tackles. Lemieux will be a second-year guard and Gates is in his second year playing the center position.
The Giants are undoubtedly taking a leap of faith with a young line to protect quarterback Daniel Jones in such an important season for his development and the future of the franchise. They might add a depth piece in free agency or another piece (probably a guard) in the draft, but what you see is likely what you’re going to get when the season rolls around.
“I’m very pleased with the development our young guys got last year,” Giants coach Joe Judge said last week. “I’m pleased with the continuity they built in not really being just five guys working together, but really it was seven or eight guys working together through different stretches of the season and really getting a feel for each other.”
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The decision to roll with Hernandez and Lemieux was dictated, in part, by money. The Giants cut Kevin Zeitler last week because of his $12 million cap hit. The belief is the dropoff from Zeitler to Hernandez — who lost his starting job midway through last season after contracting COVID-19 — isn’t worth that type of money.
Zeitler might have been the Giants’ best lineman last season, but a source in personnel who had studied the Giants recently told ESPN that at this stage of Zeitler’s career, he is a “serviceable starter.”
The Giants think they can get by with Hernandez and Lemieux. It’s a bit of a projection, maybe even a leap of faith. Hernandez was Pro Football Focus’ 53rd ranked guard with a 58.1 grade. Lemieux was 80th out of 80 qualifying players at the position with a 32.2 grade. He also was last among the 70 qualifying guards according to Next Gen Stats in pass block win rate (PBWR) at 67.4%. Hernandez was tied for 41st at 85.7%.
Judge has put the resources into assuring the line’s growth is a priority. They have two young line coaches in the newly hired Rob Sale and Ben Wilkerson, and Judge hired former Giants line coach Pat Flaherty as sort of an offensive line consultant. Freddie Kitchens has moved into a senior offensive assistant role that will have him concentrating on the Giants’ front.
All are moves designed to assist the growth of an extremely young group that they hope will finally solve this seemingly never-ending problem.
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With Carson Wentz gone, will Eagles hand the keys to Jalen Hurts?
With Carson Wentz gone, will Eagles hand the keys to Jalen Hurts?
PHILADELPHIA — OK, Carson Wentz has been traded. What’s the plan at quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and how does it include Jalen Hurts?
The questions become the central focus of the offseason now that Wentz Watch wrapped with a deal to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-round draft pick in 2021 and a conditional second-round pick in ’22.
The Eagles have several options, including:
Hand…
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Inside the outbreak: The latest in the Ravens’ COVID-19 saga – Baltimore Ravens Blog OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- One of the biggest outbreaks in sports has decimated the Baltimore Ravens…
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Commanders' skill players: Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson and question marks - Washington Blog
Commanders’ skill players: Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson and question marks – Washington Blog
ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders have intriguing options among their skill-position players. They have potential. But they also have uncertainty with that group because of injuries.
They might have the necessary playmakers to win. They should add more this offseason just in case.
Commanders coach Ron Rivera has spent the offseason, thus far, explaining why the team will be aggressively…
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New England Patriots' dire situation on O-line a first under Bill Belichick
New England Patriots’ dire situation on O-line a first under Bill Belichick
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts/notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. O-line in flux: Just when you think you’ve seen it all in Bill Belichick’s 22 years as Patriots coach, Sunday brings another first. Never before has the team entered a game with four starting offensive linemen on the 53-man roster but unavailable for action.
So much for “next man up.” This is “next men up”…
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Keeping Aaron Rodgers healthy and making Lambeau 'the safest place in Green Bay' GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love and Tim Boyle in an isolation chamber and an emergency quarterback who lives a separate existence.
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Former NFL star Vernon Davis models acting career after The Rock
Former NFL star Vernon Davis models acting career after The Rock
ASHBURN, Va. — When fellow actors are introduced to former NFL tight end Vernon Davis, the greeting ends with the same three words: “… the football player.” He gets peppered with questions about the NFL, then they move on. It’s understandable, considering he played more than a decade in the league and is relatively new to acting. His past serves as a good icebreaker; it’s also a topic Davis hopes…
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New Post has been published on https://freenews.today/2021/03/09/has-eagles-owner-jeffrey-lurie-gone-too-far-with-quarterback-directives/
Has Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie gone too far with quarterback directives?
PHILADELPHIA — For the second year in a row, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is pointing the franchise in the direction of quarterback Jalen Hurts — raising questions and concerns in the process.
Lurie was influential in the selection of Hurts in last April’s draft, according to sources. He wasn’t alone on an island — former coach Doug Pederson was seeking a young QB to develop and general manager Howie Roseman was said to be on board — but Lurie wanted Hurts. And when bosses want something they usually get it.
Philadelphia used its second-round pick (No. 53 overall) on the Oklahoma product despite being financially committed to quarterback Carson Wentz to the tune of four years and $128 million. Hurts showed promise in four starts as a rookie, but using a high pick on Hurts, and later starting him in favor of the struggling Wentz, played a major role in the deterioration of the relationship between Wentz and the organization.
Last month the Eagles agreed to deal Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts for a pair of draft picks. When the trade becomes official March 17, Philadelphia will absorb the largest dead-cap hit in league history at $33.8 million.
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Hurts is the lone quarterback standing from last season’s roster. Even with NFL free agency and the 2021 NFL draft still to come, Lurie is handing Hurts the keys for the 2021 campaign. He has instructed the team to prioritize making Hurts successful this season as opposed to creating a true quarterback competition, sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen — yet another sign of how hands-on the Eagles owner has become.
Lurie’s involvement in personnel and football operations began ramping up following the coach Chip Kelly era (2013-15), when Lurie felt alienated from his own club at times and reportedly told confidants before firing Kelly he wanted to “take back the team.”
Signs emerged he was doing it as Lurie led the charge to re-sign Sam Bradford in the 2016 offseason and went to the Senior Bowl that January to evaluate Wentz and the 2016 draft class. He held weekly meetings in-season with Pederson and Roseman during Pederson’s tenure to dive deep into football matters. He blocked then-quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo from interviewing for the New York Jets‘ offensive coordinator job in 2017, preventing Pederson from granting the request as his mentor, former Eagles coach Andy Reid, typically had.
And Lurie fired Pederson this offseason when the coach failed to provide a vision for the future the owner could embrace, even as other power brokers attempted to de-escalate the situation to keep the Super Bowl winning coach in the fold.
Lurie’s influence is felt far and wide, from the organization’s heavy lean into analytics to coaching-staff considerations. But the quarterback position is of particular interest. Knowing how important QBs are to the overall success of a franchise, Lurie has become a student of the position. He is involved in the process when acquiring one. His philosophy of investing heavily in quarterbacks has become a key organizational tenet, and has led to great success stories, like the Nick Foles-led Super Bowl run, and cautionary tales, like the one that unfolded with Hurts and a disgruntled Wentz.
Owner Jeffrey Lurie’s Eagles will add to the quarterback position in free agency and/or the draft, but as it stands, Jalen Hurts enters the 2021 season as the presumed starter. Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports
Perhaps Lurie’s directive on Hurts is with recent Eagles’ history in mind. The 2020 season showed the kind of disaster that can strike when QB1 doesn’t feel fully supported. Instructing his staff not to bring in legitimate competition for Hurts can be viewed in part as a reaction to that.
It’s fair to wonder whether it’s an overreaction. Hurts, after all, is far less proven than Wentz was entering last season. He showed strong leadership in an awkward spot and gave the offense a jolt when inserted into the lineup, but he cooled down the stretch and finished with a 52% completion rate and six touchdowns to four interceptions while rushing for 354 yards and three scores.
Four games is too small a sample size to determine if he can be a quality starter in the pros.
The Eagles are limited in the type of veteran they can bring in because of their salary-cap situation, but they hold the No. 6 overall pick in the upcoming draft and there are a lot of interesting quarterback prospects in this class including Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Mac Jones. The Eagles don’t often draft in the top 10, making this a potentially unique opportunity for them.
If a first-round quarterback falls into the “competition” category, then Lurie’s decision to abstain comes before coach Nick Sirianni and his staff have had the chance to meet and fully evaluate prospects. The Eagles’ staff typically gathers in April once all pro days are over to account for the coaches’ assessments as the team shapes its draft board.
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All relevant voices, in other words, haven’t been fully heard from.
It would be naïve to think owners across the league aren’t involved in big personnel decisions, especially when it comes to the quarterback position. The question is: Where is the line?
There were mixed opinions of Hurts inside the Eagles’ building leading up to last year’s draft. He wasn’t the highest player on Philadelphia’s board when he was picked, sources said. Was it wise for Lurie & Co. to be aggressive and take the QB they wanted a little early so they didn’t miss out, like they did by waiting too long on Russell Wilson in 2012? Or, did the owner’s excitement about the player steer things off course?
Should an owner be involved in personnel evaluation or does it warp the process and infringe on the experts hired to do the job? What message does it send to the locker room about the new coach if the quarterback decision is being made above his head?
Those are the questions swirling around the Eagles as they pick up the pieces from a disastrous 4-11-1 season, which included a divorce from their onetime franchise quarterback.
Meanwhile, one answer has crystallized: Yes, Lurie is heavily involved, and increasingly so, for better or worse.
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