Number 2 there describes 90% of people involved in professional athletics. And I’m not willing to blame anyone other than Russ for his cornball ass.
I don't know, extreme positivity does seem like a superpower in NFL coaching. I can't imagine a guy like that failing as an NFL head coach.
Las Vegas Raiders aren't allowed to say their training camp is in Southern California. Man, imagine how pissed the Rams and Chargers will be when they find out the Cowboys do their training camp in SoCal, too.
Rams now have summer camp practice in the place Dallas used to practice up until the Jerah Jones era.
It also happens to be a block from where I grew up.
This thread has less energy than a second-string D-lineman after the day's second two-a-day practice. So, some news:
* Most training camps (23, by NFL.com's count) open today for veterans, meaning that it's officially Training Camp Season. A few started last week. The final four open Wednesday.
* NFL.com has dusted off its top 100 for 2024. As of today, they're only up to #80. Highlights include Friend of the Show Levonte David at #99, Golden Haired Trevor Lawrence at #91, mush-brained Rogan-pilled Aaron Rodgers at #92 (his lowest ranking ever) and Mr. Average Kirk Cousins at #81 (down 39 spots from 2023).
* Defector's "Why Your Team Sucks" feature kicks off today, presumably with Carolina and a predictable screed against David Tepper.
* Mike Tanier, one of my favorite NFL writers, is now on Substack after the predictable demise of The Messenger. If you missed his summer series on each team's all-time top 5 QBs, I'd recommend that you go read 'em.
* And speaking of predictable, the NFL and NFLPA apparently have started talking about an 18-game season. It's sweet that the league and the players want to give the Panthers one more chance to win that third game each season, but I'm kinda over it. The NFL season is too long as it is, and I need a break to do something else.
I will continue to repeat my desire for a Top 100 list voted on by pro personnel departments. A list from player voting is better than a list from fan voting, but just barely.
As for the 18-game season, that's an inevitability. They'll go down to two preseason games, and HOPEFULLY add a second bye week. If I were the player's union, I would also use this as an opportunity to bargain for a bunch of player safety things, like getting rid of turf once and for all, and raising requirements for playing AND practice field quality (the 49ers having to prepare for the Super Bowl on a trashed UNLV field while the Chiefs got to have the Raiders practice fields was absolute bullsh*t).
Brandon Aiyuk is reportedly expected to show up to training camp, and will not hold out. We’ll see if it’s full participation or if it’s a meetings-only kind of deal.
Kyle Shanahan revealed that he asked Bill Belichick if he would have interest in the defensive coordinator job in San Francisco, and that Belichick "was very nice and appreciative and he politely turned me down."
Kyle Shanahan revealed that he asked Bill Belichick if he would have interest in the defensive coordinator job in San Francisco, and that Belichick "was very nice and appreciative and he politely turned me down."
If John Lynch once asked him if he'd trade Brady instead of Jimmy G, it only makes sense that they also asked him that question.
You’ve got to be pretty secure in yourself and your authority to be willing to take on someone like Bill Belichick as an assistant. There’s many head coaches who wouldn’t dream of taking that on.
The Jets traded for Haason Reddick from the Eagles, who was unhappy Philly wouldn’t give him the new contract he wants.
The Jets did not work out a deal with Reddick before making the trade. They made an offer that Reddick declined.
The Jets made the trade anyway.
The Jets and Reddick "agreed" that an extension would come, but that the team wanted him to show up and perform first in regular season games. If he performed like they expected, they would tear up his existing contract and work out a new deal midseason.
Reddick supposedly accepted this arrangement, and stated he would take part in offseason activities and camp.
Reddick did not take part in offseason activities.
Now Reddick is holding out of training camp.
So weird to see the Jets making a personnel decision that turned out sub-optimally. First for everything, I guess.
Jaguars announce new alternate helmets.
Those . . . are not good.
It's the Jaguars. You have to grade on a curve.
From the archives, here's Bryce Young arriving for his first day of middle school:
Correction: That's actually Bryce Young arriving at Panthers training camp on Tuesday. (source)
Meanwhile, Brock Purdy looks like this now:
His offseason beef-up has been the talk of the Niners offseason, with Kittle making Pokemon references and SI writing pieces like: 49ers QB Brock Purdy Explains How He Transformed His Body This Offseason
Jaguars announce new alternate helmets.
Those . . . are not good.
It's the Jaguars. You have to grade on a curve.
Hot take: I like both of those.
Meanwhile, Brock Purdy looks like this now:
His offseason beef-up has been the talk of the Niners offseason, with Kittle making Pokemon references and SI writing pieces like: 49ers QB Brock Purdy Explains How He Transformed His Body This Offseason
So you're saying he's going the David Duval route of beefing up super quickly thereby ruining his mechanics and actually becoming much worse?
Please, he is Brady Quinn
Meanwhile, Brock Purdy looks like this now:
His offseason beef-up has been the talk of the Niners offseason, with Kittle making Pokemon references and SI writing pieces like: 49ers QB Brock Purdy Explains How He Transformed His Body This Offseason
His offseason beef-up has been the talk of the Niners offseason, with Kittle making Pokemon references and SI writing pieces like: 49ers QB Brock Purdy Explains How He Transformed His Body This Offseason
Hmm. And yet 'explain how he transformed his body' is precisely what Brock Purdy does not do in that interview.
Interestingly, even when he talks about the work he's done to improve his velocity, he's clear that his increased strength has played as large a part work he's done to improve his bio-mechanical efficiency.
I suspect an old story of pharmacological assistance is playing out again here...
*Legion* wrote:His offseason beef-up has been the talk of the Niners offseason, with Kittle making Pokemon references and SI writing pieces like: 49ers QB Brock Purdy Explains How He Transformed His Body This Offseason
Hmm. And yet 'explain how he transformed his body' is precisely what Brock Purdy does not do in that interview.
Interestingly, even when he talks about the work he's done to improve his velocity, he's clear that his increased strength has played as large a part work he's done to improve his bio-mechanical efficiency.
I suspect an old story of pharmacological assistance is playing out again here...
It won't come out until after they give him a huge contract though which they will immediately regret and will cripple the team financially for years to come.
Gotta bulk up for the absolute punishing he would take if Trent Williams continues to hold out. Brock has great foresight to know this would happen.
(yes yes Williams/49ers will get this sorted out probably pretty quick and will miss 0 time)
Tua gets PAID. Four years, $212.4 million, $167 million guaranteed.
I wouldn't go full capital letters. Tua blinked. $53.1m/yr means he got a token amount extra to pass Goff for #3. He comes in $2m/yr below Trevor Lawrence. He didn't wait for Dak or Love to push the market further.
The $167m guaranteed is a tad less than Goff. We'll see how much is fully guaranteed, and how much of that guarantee is front-loaded. I'm betting that the full guarantees are heavy in the first two years, in order to maintain flexibility to kill the deal by year 3.
I think the other teams needing to sign QBs are happy that this deal ratcheted things down a bit rather than going up to $56m/yr.
And about 5 hours later, Jordan Love agreed to a 4 year, $220 million deal.
That too just matches Trevor Lawrence's $55m/yr (albeit for 4 years instead of 5), instead of raising the bar again.
All of that is good news for the 49ers a year from now when it's time to do Brock Purdy's deal, which now looks like it will be in the ballpark of $56-57m/yr. Bill Barnwell was just a day ago predicting a deal over $60m/yr based on an assumption that Love or Dak (or both) would break the $60m barrier first.
My prediction is that the Cowboys don't do anything with Dak until next offseason, and that the Niners don't approach $60m unless Purdy takes them to a championship this year.
*Legion* wrote:His offseason beef-up has been the talk of the Niners offseason, with Kittle making Pokemon references and SI writing pieces like: 49ers QB Brock Purdy Explains How He Transformed His Body This Offseason
Hmm. And yet 'explain how he transformed his body' is precisely what Brock Purdy does not do in that interview.
Interestingly, even when he talks about the work he's done to improve his velocity, he's clear that his increased strength has played as large a part work he's done to improve his bio-mechanical efficiency.
I suspect an old story of pharmacological assistance is playing out again here...
The juice is loose. He took the CMC Balco labs Barry Bonds approved cream treatments in the offseason.
Steeler and Bengals fan dissecting the Ravens.
How are we feeling about Venu, the new sports streaming service? It's the one with all the ESPNs (plus ESPN+), Fox/FoxSports, ABC, TNT and TBS. That means college football, some NBA, MLB, boxing/UFC, racin' and a bunch of other stuff, including MNF and ESPN playoff games.
The big news today is the price: $43/month initially, though it's bound to increase.
On one hand, it's a cheaper way to get traditional cable TV that I might actually watch (i.e. sports).
On the other, I already have access to most NFL games (I have Amazon, Peacock, a digital antenna and a knowledge of darker corners of the interwebs, arrrrrrrr), and I rarely watch any sports that's not the NFL (or rugby).
In not shocking news, the Bucs and Tristan Wirfs have agreed to an extension. 5 years, $146.3 million. Between Wirfs and Winfield, the 2020 draft class is looking like the Bucs' best ever after the ridiculous 1995 Warren Sapp/Derrick Brooks class.
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